INA, Ill. (June 9, 2022) – The Rend Lake College Foundation is pleased to welcome four new members to its Board of Directors. The new members are Will Davis, Joshua Esser, Wesley Schumm, and Jeff Lueke.
The RLCF represents a partnership between public and private interests to benefit RLC students. Focusing beyond gifts or donations, RLCF helps individuals invest in campus growth, economic development, and community growth. The Foundation promotes the individual growth of many students who attend the college. Thanks to the generosity of contributors, RLCF has helped students turn their dreams into reality.
Will Davis is CEO of Crossroads Community Hospital in Mt. Vernon, where he directs the overall operation of the hospital. He resides in Carterville with his wife Brandee, children CJ, and twins Marvel and Mela. Davis brings a history of exceptional leadership skills to the board of directors. He carries over 15 years of experience as an executive-level manager and has been named on the Southern Illinois Business Journal 20 under 40. He is recognized for making a difference in his community. He looks forward to serving on the board to promote and execute the mission of the board and college. He hopes to support the community members as they seek high-quality education in Southern Illinois.
Joshua Esser, an RLC alumnus (2002), has worked in public accounting since 2006 and is currently a partner with Krehbiel & Associates in Mt. Vernon where he lives with his wife, Hillary, and daughter, Madeline. With his background in accounting, Esser aims to serve the board through financial oversight and accounting support. At the board's most recent meeting, Esser was named interim treasurer following the retirement of Jim Leuty. Esser is looking forward to leveraging his experience in the financial industry by learning the finance and accounting system of the RLCF to help them impact as many students as possible.
Wesley Schumm lives in Mt. Vernon with his wife, Teri, and his three daughters, Audrey, Charlotte, and Isabel. Mr. Schumm brings 12 years of financial industry experience to the board, with the past eight being a financial advisor with Edwards Jones. Mr. Schumm looks forward to volunteering his time to help promote and build the foundation while assuring legal, ethical, and fiduciary standards are met.
Jeff Lueke is President of L&L Delta Farms, LLC, in Dahlgren. The lifelong Hamilton County resident and RLC alumn graduated in 1985 from McLeansboro High School — now known as Hamilton County Senior High School. He earned an associate degree in ag science from RLC in 1987 before transferring to Southern Illinois University at Carbondale where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in plant and soil science in 1989. Lueke worked on his family farm in Piopolis while growing up, then built his hog operation in Knights Prairie township that he later expanded to Piopolis. He also runs another L&L Delta farm that he's developed over the last decade in Louisiana. Lueke spends about a quarter of his time overseeing that 10,000-acre operation.
He married Michele (Wallace) Lueke in 1991. She graduated from RLC before earning her bachelor’s degree in special education at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. They reside in Knights Prairie township and have six children.
Lueke hopes to give back to the RLC community by using his knowledge of the agricultural world to build a stronger relationship between local farmers and the staff and students. He hopes to help those working in the ag industry, at all levels, be able to work closely with the college to hire needed help, which, in turn, will help the students gain valuable knowledge they will need while pursuing future careers in agriculture.