Board of Directors
President
Kimberly Smith
Facility Manager
Athletico Niles/NW Chicago
My career with Athletico began in 2009 when I worked as a Rehabilitation Aide while furthering my education at Governors State University. When I graduated with my doctorate in 2012, I became a staff Physical Therapist at the Bannockburn clinic. In 2015 I was promoted to Assistant Facility Manager and transferred to the Niles/Northwest Chicago location. I was elated to be joining the Niles community, as I grew up in Morton Grove and this area and community felt nostalgic to me. In 2018, I was again promoted to Facility Manager while staying put in my Niles/Northwest Chicago home! I quickly got involved in the chamber, with community outreach events being the main focus of my management.
My family and I bought our first home and currently live in Niles where we are excited to watch our family continue to grow! My favorite part of being involved with the chamber is my love for the community where I live AND work. I am passionate about keeping business local, supporting other community members, and watching businesses thrive!
I am thrilled to be elected to the Board of Directors and join a strong board and staff in Niles and now become President of this amazing chamber of commerce. I enjoy serving on multiple committees, especially Women in Business and love networking at all of the events the Chamber has to offer. I can’t wait to meet you!
1st Vice President
James Medina
First Financial Credit Union – Lending Manager
I have been with First Financial Credit Union for 8 years. First Financial Credit Union has been serving Niles and the surrounding communities since 1936 and we are proud to support the Niles Chamber of commerce its members and community.
I have been part of the Credit Union world for 20 years in many capacities. I started as a collector then transitioned to Lending representative somewhere along the way I was a branch manager and now currently I am the Lending Manager of First Financial Credit Union. It is my passion to help members and people of the community with their financial needs. I am fully invested in the Credit Union Movement and what it stands for. I would love to share what the Credit Union can offer to all the residents of our community.
As the Lending Manager for the Credit Union I pride myself in being able to help members save money by offering lower rates and by helping them budget and structure their finances.
I have personally been involved with the chamber for the past 3 years, most recently on the Golf committee and now I am honored to be on the Board of Directors of the Niles Chamber of Commerce & industry. Thank you Niles!
TREASURER
Joe Campagna
Grant Merchant Services
Joe Campagna took over running Grant Merchant Services in 2007 when his step-dad, Gary Glowinski suddenly passed away. Coming from the worlds of finance, tech and hospitality, Joe jumped feet first into the deep end, learning on the fly to manage and grow an existing portfolio. Now, 13 years later, Joe has taken GMS to new levels with clients across the country. He has maintained the relationships his dad built while growing the business. “Twenty years after our founding, I work every day trying to live up to the legacy my dad started,” Joe says. “He was a handshake, good-as-your-word, old school salesman. Having many of our original clients still with us today is the clear indicator of our success.”
Immediate Past-President
Pat Knoll
Shure Incorporated
Early on in my career I started out as a computer programmer because that’s what my father told me I should be doing. Needless to say it wasn’t for me. I then found my way to Human Resources in an assistant manager position at Jewel Companies corporate office. Finally I found my calling in commercial real estate representing various commercial real estate investment trusts as a property manager and licensed real estate broker. As the commercial real estate market started to falter, I took a leap over to the other side of the table, the corporate world, where I served as Director of Global Facilities and Real Estate for Comdisco Inc. In 2005 I landed at Shure, my true home. I now lead an exceptional international team responsible for all real estate, facilities and security functions within Shure’s offices, manufacturing plants and warehouses worldwide. I’m honored to have served as President for the Niles Chamber of Commerce & Industry in 2022 and continue as Immediate Past-President for 2023.
Director
Alan Zielinski
Better Kitchens Inc – Owner
Alan W. Zielinski, CKD, CLIPP, is President and CEO of Better Kitchens, Inc., which as a second generation design firm, has been producing quality kitchens and baths in the Niles area for over 62 years. Better Kitchens, ….better by design, has been selected as one of the industry’s Top Leaders in the Kitchen & Bath Design Survey by Interior Design Magazine and in November of 2017, Alan was singled out by Kitchen & Bath Design News as one of the top 50 industry innovators whose work, creative talents, business acumen and professionalism are currently leading the way for the industry and elevating the K & B trade.
A 55 year resident of Niles, Alan continues to call Niles home. At the pleasure of Mayor Przybylo, Alan has the privilege to serve the Village of Niles as an Executive Committee member of the Economic Development and Neighborhood Renewal Committee. In 2018, Alan along with Niles historian Mike Shields proposed the New Niles Design District along the Milwaukee avenue corridor. Today, he sits as President of the Niles Design District.
Director
Tony Dati
Village of Niles – Streets Superintendent of Public Works
Tony Dati is a lifelong resident of the Village of Niles. Tony began his public works career in 2006 as a service worker in the Village of Niles. Tony also held the position of Village Forester for eight years and is a Certified Arborist. Tony has spent the past four years as the Streets Superintendent. In addition to his duties as Superintendent, Tony oversees the Forestry, Lighting, and Grounds Division, Streets and Signs Division and all snow operations for the Village of Niles. He supervises crews ranging from three to more than 30 employees in all aspects of municipal work. With Tony’s leadership, the Village of Niles won two National Awards. The first was the 2019 APWA Excellence in Snow and Ice Control Award. The second was the 2020 American Public Works Association Management Innovation Award. Tony was also awarded the 2020 (CRTI) Chicago Region Trees Initiative Advocate of The Year Award, 2020 Village of Niles Above and Beyond Award, 2021 Niles Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Voluntary Service Award and the Public Safety Award of Excellence. Tony is very involved with the American Public Works Association, Illinois Public Works Mutual Aid Network and the Illinois Arborist Association. Tony has held various positions in the Illinois Arborist Association including Municipal Director, Vice President, President Elect, and will take over as President at the annual conference in mid-November 2022.
Director
Erica Juris
Uptown Chiropractic Clinic – Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine
Having grown up in Niles, it is an amazing thing to come back to this community and become more involved. Niles has always been home. Many moons ago I was even given the honor of being the Niles Chamber Youth of the Year and am beyond honored yet again to be invited to join the Board of Directors for the Niles Chamber of Commerce.
I began working at Uptown Chiropractic Clinic as an assistant when I was still in high school. After 3 years working in the clinic, I fell in love with how the doctor helped heal people without drugs or surgery. Soon after, I changed by major from political science to human biology and the rest as they say is history. After my bachelors and a 5 ½ year graduate program, I graduated from The National University of Health Sciences in 2019 with my doctorate in Chiropractic Medicine. After graduation, I was honored to be invited to continue on with Uptown Chiropractic Clinic as a Chiropractor and have been happily pursuing my passion of helping people ever since.
To say that I look forward to working this remarkable group of individuals is an understatement. I have thoroughly enjoyed the various events put on by the Chamber and the connections that I have made in my time thus far. One of the things I love most about this organization is that this is not just about business but about building the kind of strong and thriving community I would want to raise a family in.
Director
Dr. Muhammad W. Paracha, MD, MPH
AHS Family Health Center
AHS Family Health Center (AHSFHC) Chief Executive Officer, Muhammad W. Paracha, MD, MPH, has been with the health center since its inception in 2001. Dr. Paracha led the creation of the first Asian focused FQHC in Midwest on the northside of Chicago. Dr. Paracha has overseen the successful design and implementation of clinical health programs targeted for diverse Asian and immigrant patient population. He has been recognized for his leadership qualities by the National Association of Community Health Center (NACHC) and by the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO). Under his leadership, AHSFHC constructed or renovated four health center sites to improve access as well as delivery of services for Asian, immigrants and underserved communities in diverse neighborhoods of Chicago, Niles and Skokie, Illinois. He led AHSFHC to get Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) in 2013 – today all AHSFHC four sites are NCQA certified. Dr. Paracha was instrumental in implementing the agency first safety net dental clinic in 2011 and since expanded AHSFHC oral health program across all sites with four integrated oral health programs within each AHSFHC FQHC site. Additionally, he recognized the importance of integrating behavioral health (BH) into primary care for communities where seeking mental health services are often stigmatized. Dr. Paracha always advocated for expanding integrated BH services internally within the FQHCs he is leading and for community wide BH expansion at all external forums. Along with healthcare management Dr. Paracha bring his experience of serving on the not-for-profit Boards e.g., Illinois Healthcare Education Consortium (IHEC), South Asian Heart Lifestyle Intervention (SAHELI) and My Care Chicago an Accountable Care Entity (ACE). Beside serving on several Illinois Primary Healthcare Association (IPHCA) standing committees, Dr. Paracha served as IPHCA Board Treasurer from 2018 thru 2021. Dr. Paracha is an active member of the Niles Chamber of Commerce legislative committee since 2019 and joined the Chamber Board of Directors in January of 2022.
Director
Chris DeGrave
Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling
Chris has worked in manufacturing plants since 1999 and been in the food and beverage industry since 2004. He has been a Plant Director (or comparable) for the last 10 years. He holds a Bachelors degree from St. Louis University in International Business and also an MBA from ST. Louis University. He and his wife live in Kenosha, WI since relocation to the area in 2020 when he joined Reyes Coca-Cola. Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling is a proud West Coast and Midwest Bottler and distributor of Coca-Cola brands and is committed to adding value to the Coca-Cola supply chain. I am excited to be in the new role as Director for the Niles Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Niles has been the home for Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling for many years and we are glad to be participating in the community as part of the chamber.
Village Liaison
John Melaniphy, Economic Development Director
Directors Emeritus
Irv Coats
Joanne Cwynar
Dean Strzelecki
Dick Leider (1930 – 2016)
Randy Greco (1948 – 2016)
Chuck Barbaglia (1939-2013)
Gordon Faller (1928-2011)
Larry J. Ptasinski (1949-2006)
Bob C. Wordel (1921-2008)
