2023 RISE Committee

Nick Gentile is from Springfield, Illinois and is a graduate of Rochester High School. He attended Lincoln Land Community College after high school before eventually transferring to Indiana University. While in college Nick began his banking career with Town and Country Bank in Springfield as a teller. He continued to work in the industry though college in both Champaign, Illinois and Indianapolis, Indiana before returning home to Springfield in 2021. Today Nick serves as Vice President Commercial Banker for Prairie State Bank & Trust.

Nick has a strong passion for serving his community. He has held several different roles on various local boards, most recently Nick joined the United Way of Central Illinois Board of Directors where he serves on their Community Impact Investments Committee. As Co-President of RISE Nick hopes to help create and maintain a sustainable destination for young professionals looking to live and grow in the greater Springfield area.

My name is Bailey, and I am currently an Account Executive with the Web Solutions division at Levi, Ray & Shoup, Inc. I graduated from Glenwood High School, did a pit stop at LLCC, then journeyed onward to Iowa State University where I received my bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Event Management.

Prior to LRS, my career began in luxury hotels where I uncovered my passion for serving others. As my career progressed, I learned that I like to solve problems in unique ways, like improving someone’s experience with a brand, helping people find jobs, or currently – create unique digital solutions that move propel brands forward.

I approach the opportunity of RISE with the same passion – how can I serve other Young Professionals in Springfield?

Like many others who have grown up in Springfield, I was the girl who couldn’t wait to leave. However, after living on both coasts, I have an entirely new appreciation for the Springfield community and the possibilities that exist within our city limits.

As Co-President, I cannot wait to help other young leaders see that together we can make Springfield a better place to work, live and grow.

CJ Baker is the Government Affairs and Funding Coordinator at Crawford, Murphy & Tilly (CMT) in Springfield. CJ was born and raised in Springfield but attended Chatham schools and is a proud graduate of Glenwood High School. After graduating, CJ pursued an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Springfield in Political Science. During his tenure at UIS, CJ worked in the Governor’s Office of Constituent Affairs where he learned first-hand about the issues plaguing Illinoisans. Soon after obtaining his B.A., he moved to Washington D.C. for a brief stint in Congressman Darin LaHood’s office before returning to work in the General Assembly on the Illinois House Republican Staff. While on Staff, CJ was the lead staffer on Legislative Committees covering multiple subject areas ranging from State Appropriations, to State Government Administration, Financial Institutions, Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, and others. After nearly six years, in 2022, CJ left the public sector to do government affairs work for the nationally known civil engineering firm, CMT, which is headquartered in Springfield.
 
CJ brings a unique perspective to RISE as an individual in government affairs and is thrilled about the opportunity because it gives him more chances to do what he loves- “connecting people with people and sharing knowledge- that’s what it’s all about”.

My name is Kaitlin Coultas, and I am the Digital Marketing Specialist for Visit Springfield. I first came to Springfield in 2016 as an undergraduate business student at UIS. I finished my bachelors and decided to receive my M.B.A. at UIS as well, after growing to love the campus and Springfield community so much. It was only second nature for me to decide to begin my professional career here in Springfield. I currently am a member of Illinois Women in Leadership, and now RISE Springfield. I look forward to connecting and developing positive professional relationships and skills, with lots of fun in-between!

Rachel Selvaggio, a Springfield native, attended Sacred Heart-Griffin High School and holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Communication Studies and a Master of Business Administration, both from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She is currently the Director of Forums and Future Leaders Alliance at the Illinois Bankers Association, where she applies her five years of event coordination experience and five years of banking experience. Rachel is able to provide RISE with educational event expertise, providing event insight and speaker recommendations for the group.

Taylor Stevens is the Regional Community Liaison for Synergy HomeCare here in Springfield, IL. She began this journey after spending two years as a Legislative Assistant for the State of Illinois. Synergy HomeCare had just opened their doors when Taylor joined the team. In the last three years, Taylor has helped build the Springfield office into one of the top HomeCare agencies in Springfield. The goal of Synergy is to help people of all ages stay independent in their home; wherever that may be for them.
Taylor is described as seemingly to have more hours in the day than most of us do as she not only joins organizations like Marketing Senior Lifestyles, Chamber of Commerce, IWIL, Local First, Salvation Army, RISE and SCAN; but also volunteers to chair committees and takes the lead on projects. Her quest to keep building her skillset is obvious as she is a recent graduate of Leadership Springfield, a 40 under 40 Recipient and an Athena Award Nominee. Through hard work, kindness, determination, and having faith in our Lord, this single momma is determined to lead by example and show her daughter just how powerful a woman can be.
She is very excited as she strives to help continue to build Springfield and create solutions all around the community. "I'm just a small town girl with big dreams!"