Kurt Thurmaier, Ph.D

FOUNDER & PRESIDENT

Kurt founded TDS in 2008 with his wife, Jeanine. In addition to serving as President, he is also the Chair of the Public Administration Department at Northern Illinois University. 

Tricia DeBoo, MPM

TREASURER

Tricia joined the TDS Board in 2011 and is the current Treasurer. She is a retired nurse and currently works in property management. Tricia also volunteers extensively in DeKalb County. 

James Cohen, Ph.D

BOARD MEMBER SINCE 2017

James is an Associate Professor of ESL/Bilingual Education at Northern Illinois University. He is a Fulbright Specialist and has been awarded multiple times in the areas of education, social justice, and diversity. 

Jennie Hueber, Ed.D

BOARD MEMBER SINCE 2019

Jennie spent her 30 year career in education, serving as both a teacher and administrator. She recently retired after serving as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction in the DeKalb School Distirct. 

Paul Saeman

BOARD MEMBER SINCE 2019

Now retired, Paul spent 37 years working in state and federal government, as well as the nonprofit sector.  Through his career, he worked on programs focused on supporting low income families and social justice reform.

Jason Michnick, MPA

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Jason became the first ED in 2019 after working in local economic development. He was a TDS study abroad student in 2015 and also served as Vice President of TDS between 2016 and 2018. 

Edith Njuguna, MPP

VICE PRESIDENT

Edith joined the board in 2016 and currently serves as Vice President. She is also the Director of Programs and Policy Implementation for Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University. 

Helen Martin, MSN

BOARD MEMBER SINCE 2016

Helen worked at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics for 18 years before retiring from nursing. She currently teaches Medical Surgical Nursing at Edgewood College. 

Stewart Chapman, JD

BOARD MEMBER SINCE 2018

Stewart is a graduate of DePaul University College of Law and is currently a Staff Attorney specializing in individual bankruptcy reorganization in Chicago. 

John Perry, MPA

BOARD MEMBER SINCE 2019

John is a retired City Manager, serving more than 25 years in that role in the Chicago suburbs. He currently teaches local government management at the university level. 

Joan Pahl

BOARD MEMBER SINCE 2019

Joan recently retired from a career as healthcare administration and finance in Madison, Wisconsin. She is now an active volunteer with St. Vincent DePaul and Tanzania Development Support.

Jasmine Carey

BOARD MEMBER SINCE 2020

Jasmine is a TDS study abroad alumni and spent her time volunteering with STEM teachers in the Mara region. She is now a STEM program coordinator at a charter school in Rockford, IL.