Above / In one of his first official welcomes as the newly appointed Chairman of the Naperville Heritage Society, John Koranda introduced a new exhibit at Naper Settlement.
The Naperville Heritage Society, administrator of Naper Settlement, recently announced the appointment of John Koranda as the new Board Chair. The Board also welcomed three new Board Members Lindy Antonelli, Richard Carlson and Matt Ishikawa. Koranda succeeds Sally Pentecost, who was Board Chair since 2013. Each board member will serve a three-year term. Pentecost will continue to serve in 2017 as Immediate Past Chair.
Founded ini 1969, the Naperville Heritage Society is composed of 18 members and oversees the operations of Naper Settlement, a twice nationally accredited outdoor museum by the American Alliance of Museums. With a mission to collect, document, preserve and support the history of Naperville, Illinois, past and present, the Naperville Heritage Society values stewardship, preservation, education, and community and public trust.
John Koranda
As a lifelong Naperville resident, John Koranda is a North Central College and Dartmouth College alum, and joined the Naperville Heritage Society in 2012. Koranda has always been very involved in the community through various charitable organizations and is working in the Commercial Real Estate Group at Naperville Bank & Trust. Koranda brings a wealth of financial experience to the position and is ready to build on Naper Settlement’s mission.
“I love the organization because of how dynamic it is,” said Koranda. “It covers a lot of bases between history, education, entertainment and community. Because of that, it is easy to find your passion once involved.”
Koranda looks forward to working on the capital projects, including the Agricultural Interpretive Center and the Heritage Gateway, and expanding the current use of grounds and programming. Koranda is a firm believer in giving back to the community and supporting the institution’s sustainable growth.
FYI / Koranda introduces new traveling exhibit now on display
On Feb. 16, Koranda welcomed a standing-room only conversation in the Pre-Emption House about the fight for freedom and voting rights in the United States from 1776 to 1968. Guest speaker Dr. William Barnett, Associate Professor and Chair of History at North Central College, presented the engaging program.
The new traveling exhibit opened for Naperville Heritage Society members and will be showcased for the public through March 12. Freedom, A History of U.S., comes from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History featuring historic documents while illustrating critical figures and events as well as tracing the evolving concept of freedom from founding until 1968.
Among the highlights of the exhibit are a rare 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence, a printed draft and the official copy of the U.S. Constitution, Abraham Lincoln’s handwritten notes for speeches, and letters by leading figures such as Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony and Martin Luther King Jr.
Artifacts from the archives at Naper Settlement and North Central College also enhance the exhibit.
Three new Naperville Heritage Society Board members
Lindy Antonelli brings an array of skills and experiences to the Naperville Heritage Society Board of Directors. Antonelli is a partner at Armanino LPP, which leads the national cloud accounting solutions practice in Naperville. Antonelli won the American Institute of CPA’s “Women to Watch” award in 2010, due to her leadership and the positive impact and influence her work has had on the accounting and consulting profession.
“I’m excited to join the board for many reasons, but the opportunity to serve my community where my family and I have lived for over 20 years, and the ability to use my experience in both finance and technology for the betterment of the Naperville Heritage Society and Naper Settlement are the most important,” said Antonelli.
Richard Carlson is Group President of Architecture & Engineering at Wight & Company, and has led the architecture team to grow to nearly 70 professionals, including landscape architects and interior designers. Carlson first worked with Naper Settlement designing the environmental pathways located around the museum campus. After the project had finished, Carlson increasingly became more involved in the museum and is ready to help Naper Settlement break ground on some exciting new endeavors.
“I feel very fortunate and honored to have been asked to be on the board,” said Carlson. “There are a lot of projects the Naperville Heritage Society has been fostering and fundraising for, and being part of that dream and using my influence to help is incredibly exciting.”
Matt Ishikawa grew up in Naperville and moved back five years ago after some time in California and Chicago. Ishikawa is a First Vice President with CBRE’s Land Services Group. He is known for his strategic thinking and has helped his team participate in over 400 sales transactions throughout the Chicagoland area. Ishikawa was a history major at Vanderbilt University and looks forward to being a part of the team that keeps Naper Settlement active in the community.
“In my short time already on the board, I am energized by our strong leadership and the board’s desire to focus on how Naper Settlement can continue to evolve into a true modern museum and gathering place that remains important to our changing community,” said Ishikawa. “There are so many exciting projects coming to the Settlement and I am honored to be a part of it.”
Koranda adds, “There’s a fine balance between finding people that will do the financial means part, but are also energetic and dedicated to doing the work,” said Koranda. “I’m incredibly excited for all three to start and to contribute to the finance, programming and building & grounds committees.”
Naper Settlement
Naper Settlement is a nationally accredited, award-winning outdoor museum set on 12 magnificent acres in the heart of Naperville, where history comes to play and community comes to connect.
For more information, visit www.napersettlement.org or call (630) 420-6010.
Story about John Koranda submitted by Emma Vodick for Naperville Heritage Society / Naper Settlement. PN Photos.
