Marlene has been a member of the Rotary Club of Woodstock since June, 2015. She serves her club as chair of the Public Image Committee, and actively participates on the Christmas Clearinghouse committee, the club’s largest project serving over 1,100 families in the Woodstock school district. She has served as an Assistant Governor for District 6440 since 2020.

 

Marlene has a B.S. degree in Accountancy from the University of Illinois Urbana, an MBA from DePaul University, and has passed the CPA exam. She began her career in public accounting and then worked in external financial reporting at two different Fortune 500 companies in Chicago, until she transitioned to working as Controller for a local wholesale perennial grower. When the owner decided to relocate that business to South Carolina, Marlene purchased the local operations and moved the business to McHenry County.

 

Prairie Haven operated for over eight years, employing up to 45 people and serving garden centers and landscapers throughout Illinois and the surrounding area. When Prairie Haven closed, the property was sold to another local grower and Marlene joined them as controller and sales manager. After 14 years there, Marlene reclaimed her gardening season and returned to doing tax and accounting work, working part time for a small local firm as well as serving several personal clients. Never one to miss a cliché, she decided to retire from the local firm in 2020 and now is self-employed, serving a handful of clients.   

 

Marlene has been married to Hugh for 44 years. Hugh is retired from a career in accounting and consulting with RSM International. Their son Brandon is married to Martina and works as a software engineer for Google.  They live in Woodstock with their children, Will, age 2 1/2, Emmie, age 1, and a player to be named later in 2023. Their daughter Catherine is Primary Head of Music at the Bangkok International School in Thailand, and she spends her free time traveling all over the world. Marlene and Hugh live on several acres just outside of Woodstock, and when they are not traveling themselves, they enjoy restoring the land and spending time with the grandchildren. Marlene also is an accomplished photographer and has exhibited her photos in the 4th Friday Art event and other local events.