Please join us in welcoming Grants Director Jolene Willis to the Community Foundation staff. In her role as grants director, Jolene’s responsibilities include coordinating, evaluating, and supervising the Foundation’s grant programs and scholarship awards, including supporting staff in those roles.

Before coming to the Community Foundation, Jolene worked for five years as the economic development coordinator for the DeKalb County government. Prior to this, she worked in nonprofits and higher education sectors for more than 20 years, specializing in community-based renewable energy projects, cooperative business development, and community economic development. She has served in executive and development roles in economic development public-private partnerships and for agricultural nonprofit organizations.

Jolene grew up on a grain farm in southern Iroquois County, IL. She currently lives in Waterman with her husband, Chad, and their two sons, Everett and Isaac. Outside of working hours, Jolene enjoys traveling with family and cheering on her sons at their sporting events.

Jolene holds a bachelor’s in agricultural communications from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s in public administration from the University of Illinois-Springfield.

“I look forward to furthering my career of building capacity through service in my new role at the Community Foundation,” said Jolene. “Having spent most of my life living in or working for small, rural communities throughout Illinois, I know having an asset like the DeKalb County Community Foundation is game-changing. The Community Foundation’s support enhances the quality of life county-wide to catalyze generational investment in all communities and charitable causes. In my role as grants director, I look forward to upholding the Foundation’s values and integrity in the grant and scholarship process while supporting our Board, donors, and nonprofits for the betterment of DeKalb County.”

Serving the community since 1993, the DeKalb County Community Foundation is a nonprofit foundation that enhances the quality of life in DeKalb County, IL, through endowments & donor services, stewardship, grantmaking, and community initiatives. The Community Foundation awards grants in the areas of arts & culture, community development, environment & animal welfare, education, health & human services, and nonprofit capacity building. Today, the Foundation includes over 431 Funds that, collectively, provide over $3.5 million in annual support for needs today and in the future.