Barbara Clarke, President

Barbara is a mother of two children and a grandmother of two children. She is a parent/guardian to her 38-year old disabled daughter, Heather, who has been a participant of Garden Center for five years.

Barbara was born and raised on the southwest side of Chicago. She attended Blessed Sacrament and St. Clare of Montefalco grammar schools, Visitation High School and DePaul University.

Her previous work experience includes legal secretary to senior partners of Seyfarth, Shaw, Fairweather & Geraldson and Clausen, Miller, Gorman, Caffrey & Witous in Chicago; Regional Real Estate Manager of Standard Oil Company in Chicago; Administrative Assistant for Creative World Montessori School in LaGrange; Administrative Assistant for Vice Presidents of Harris Bank in Chicago; Secretary to Univac Branch Manager of Remington Rand in Chicago. After her daughter, Heather, was injured by her third DPT shot at five months, Barbara spent the rest of her years advocating for her care as well as other disabled.

E-Mail: bclarke@gardencenterservices.org

Scott Hardek, 1st Vice President

Scott Hardek is a partner in the Lisle office of the Dykema Gossett law firm. He has been practicing law, concentrating in litigation, since his graduation from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1990. Scott also completed his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1986. Prior to entering law school, Scott performed a year of social service working as the Assistant Director of the C.O.R.E. Program in San Leandro, California, a day program for adults with developmental disabilities funded by Catholic Charities. Scott comes to Garden Center through Barbara Clarke and Fran Mientus who are long-time friends with his mother. He has also previously been involved with the fund development initiative for Community Support Services in Brookfield which also provides programs and supervised living facilities for adults with developmental disabilities. Scott resides in Elmhurst, Illinois with his wife, Peggy, and their three children.

E-Mail: shardek@gardencenterservices.org

Doug Combs, 2nd Vice President

Doug was born in South Bend, Indiana and moved to Chicago when he was 10 years old. He moved to Oak Lawn in 1976 upon leaving the U.S. Army.

His education consists of Stewart Elementary School from 1960-1964, Senn High School from 1964-1968, and Loyola University from 1968-1972. He served in the U.S. Army (Infantry) active duty from 1972-1976. He served in various command and staff positions. Since 1976 to the present, he has worked in the insurance industry as a liability underwriter and in product development. Within his time working as an underwriter and product developer, he held various committee chairmanships and management positions.

Doug is an active member of St. Linus Church for over 28 years. He helped found the RCIA program has participated in Christ Renews His Parish, Married Couples Club, Boy Scouts, the liaison committee to foster greater communication between his parish and their twinning parish in Chicago, and last, but not far from least, Eucharistic Minister.

He was a member of Kiwanis for seven years where he was the Chairman of the Police Liaison Committee. As a member of Kiwanis, he became a Red Cross Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) instructor.

He has been an active member since first coming to Garden Center Services 21 years ago. He has been on the Board of Directors for about 19 years and has participated in various other committees over the years. He has held every officer’s post on the Board over the years and looks forward to continuing to serve Garden Center Services if elected again.

E-Mail: dcombs@gardencenterservices.org

John Kunkes, Board Member

John is the brother of Shari Kunkes, a Garden Center Services’ participant.

He has over 25 years of business and technology consulting and account management experience. During the past eight years, John has had the role of Director for a large global tax, audit and consulting firm. His Director duties include relationship management and the overseeing of all sales and delivery activities in Global 2000 accounts. Prior experience included General Manager and Partner in a consulting company that focused on the SAP implementation and supply chain process regarding engineering. His duties included managing a staff of 50 people dedicated to the sales and delivery of solutions. Prior to his 10 years of SAP and supply chain experience, John spent nine years in the MRP, Warehousing and Logistics Market as consultant and sales executive.

E-Mail: jkunkes@gardencenterservices.org

Linda Stearns, Corporate Secretary

Linda was born and raised in Chicago and has recently retired after having given over 22 years of service to Illinois Bell. She is a mother to her married daughter, Gail, a pretend grandmother to 14 year old quadruplets, and Charlie, a member of Garden Center Services' Day Program. She met Charlie at Misericordia when he was 9 months old. He has been everywhere, done everything, but the thing he lives for is Garden Center.

E-Mail: lstearns@gardencenterservices.org

Patrick Ballis, Treasurer

Pat Ballis is a Managing Director of Mesirow Insurance Services, a division of Mesirow Financial Services Inc. since 1989. He specializes in providing insurance coverages for the currency exchange industry and has been doing so for over 50 years. He is a graduate of Roosevelt University with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce degree. He has been involved in various real estate ventures during his career and was a Board Member of U.S. Telecommunications. Pat and his wife, Dorothy, reside in Oak Lawn along with his stepdaughter, Stacey Fox, who is an individual at Garden Center Services. He was recently elected to the Board of Directors of Garden Center Services and looks forward to his term so that he can assist in any way to make the agency the best that it can be.

E-Mail: rpballis@gardencenterservices.org

Dan Wenzler, Board Member

Dan Wenzler was born in Chicago, IL and was raised close to Midway Airport. He attended Loyola University in Chicago where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. Dan has 38 years experience in the insurance industry and is currently the President of CSA Fraternal Life Insurance Company located in Oak Brook, IL. In his “spare time” he is active in the National Fraternal Congress, Illinois Fraternal Congress, Transitional Housing with his parish, St. Scholastica in Woodridge, and is currently also on the Finance Committee of Garden Center Services. Dan has been married to his wife, Alaine, for 39 years and they live in Bolingbrook. They have two children, Dan, Jr. and Allison and three grandchildren, Samantha, Elizabeth and Jacob.

Dan’s sister-in-law (Alaine’s sister), Janet, participates in Garden Center Services' day program and lives in the Lombard CILA. When Alaine’s term on the Board of Directors expired in February of 2009, Dan decided to run as her replacement. He feels Garden Center Services is a great place for Janet and all the consumers and wanted to lend his talents and time to help it become an even better place.

E-Mail: dwenzler@gardencenterservices.org

Shelly Scinto, Board Member

Family member of Debbie Scinto, Executive Assistant of Gerry Beagles.
Attorney, Chapman & Cutler (Chicago) – 11 years. Deals with tax-exempt and taxable bond issuances for municipalities, school districts and park districts. Member of her law firm’s Associates’ Committee. Shelly attented ITT Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D.) and Eastern Illinois University (Psychology Major/Business Minor/Teaching Certificate).

Past Board experience with Yorktown Condo Association, President of Board/Board Member; Woodsview Condo Association – Secretary of Board/Board Member; Booster Club – Richards High School; Music Parents’ Association – Richards High School – Secretary of Board/Board Member.

E-Mail: sscinto@gardencenterservices.org

Frances Mientus, Board Member

E-Mail: fmientus@gardencenterservices.org