Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce celebrates 2025 class of 40 Under 40
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday celebrated this year’s class of 40 Under 40 honorees.
The annual recognition celebrates innovative and active young professionals who are leading change and making lasting contributions to the Rockford region. They range from CEOs to small business owners, nonprofit professionals and other business leaders.
“They are the next generation of leaders, and in some cases they’ve already arrived,” said Caitlin Pusateri, chief operating officer of the Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce. “It’s important to pay attention to what they’re doing because I think they will solve problems collaboratively that maybe we haven’t identified yet, or maybe we’ve spent a long time working on.”
Pusateri said the selection committee looked for nominees who were successful in their careers and also active in the community.
“This year’s class in particular seems to be a really good cross sector of really what it means to be part of the Rockford region,” she said. “I think what you can say about these honorees is that they’re well balanced, and they’re really engaged in the Rockford community.”
The honorees were celebrated at an afternoon ceremony at Prairie Street Brewing Co., 200 Prairie St., where friends, family members and supporters filled the banquet hall.
“Every one of these honorees is a story of impact in motion,” Pusateri said. “They’re bold thinkers, compassionate leaders, and tireless doers. What makes this group so special isn’t just what they’ve accomplished — it’s how deeply they care about the Rockford region.”
For those who want to see recognition for the older than 40 crowd, fear not: Next year the chamber plans to add 40 Over 40 to its awards lineup.
40 Under 40 honorees
- Maggie Anderson, marketing and recruitment specialist, Rock River Valley Blood Center
- Ashley E. Barba, office project manager, Campos Construction, Inc.
- Monica Bayne, manager of communications, Prairie State Legal Services
- Nicole Bennett, Rockford School Board member, subdistrict D
- Andrew Blevins, owner/insurance agent, Andrew Blevins State Farm
- Luis Delgado, vice president of finance, Crusader Community Health
- Abby Finley, development associate, RAMP Disability Resources & Services
- Rebecca Francis, founder and CEO of Ignite Change Solutions
- Nathan Friedman, attorney at AGHL Law
- Haley Galarza, executive coordinator to the mayor, city of Rockford
- Dr. Amrutha Mary George, (Endocrinology), University of Wisconsin–Northern
Illinois - Chelsey Glatz, public engagement coordinator, Region 1 Planning Council
- Maureen Hagen, HCM account executive, Paylocity
- Paul Happach, commercial insurance risk advisor, Spectrum Agency
- Kelsey Hart, training and care coordinator, city of Rockford Family Peace Center
- Khay Horton, director of programs, Think Big!
- Nate Jordan, chief investment officer, JPM Rockford
- Chandra Lopez, realtor, 815 Key Realty, and owner of Dairy Depot in Loves Park
- Jeff Marrs, financial advisor, Morgan Stanley
- Andrew Mertzenich, founder and managing attorney, The Law Office of Andrew
Mertzenich - Chuck Meyers, EV charging specialist-energy advisor, Thayer Energy Solutions
- Kylee Miller, attorney, Tuite Law
- Ashley Minnick, director of event management, ASM Rockford
- Josh Patterson, partner, Eight Fifteen Capital, general manager of Wired Café
- Brent Pentenburg, CEO of the YMCA of Rock River Valley
- Maggie Polsean, morning news anchor, WIFR
- Kaleb Price, northern Illinois community engagement specialist, i3 Broadband
- Alex Ronning, supervising attorney of the Domestic Violence Unit, Winnebago County State’s Attorney’s Office
- Elizabeth “Liz” Schaer, owner of Rooted
- Matthew Simpson, co-founder and managing partner, 815 Impact
- Rachel Sprayberry, director of human resources, Rock Valley Credit Union
- Ciara Elliott-Stahly, assistant development director, Community Foundation of Northern
Illinois - Miranda Swanson, director of development and outreach, Carpenter’s Place
- Katherine Trotter, vice president for advancement, Rockford University
- Cat Valdez Doyle, community organizer, La Onda
- Diego Valdivia, director of immigrant services, YWCA La Voz Latina
- Courtney Vossekuil, branch manager, Spherion Staffing & Recruiting
- Andrea Wallace Noble, education programs manager, Severson Dells Nature Center
- Ebony Wrenn, PhD, executive director, Jackson Charter School
- Mindy Young, shareholder of Forest City Gear, owner of Mindy Joy Photography
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
