Kevin O'Brien

As a dedicated father of two sons, Collin (26) and Shane (23), and a loving husband to my wife Kathy for 28 years, I recently transitioned from a fulfilling 36-year career at Caterpillar, where I served as Vice President of Digital Supply. Now, I channel my passion for creativity and innovation into managing Piece of Mind Marketing Inc., a boutique Marketing firm I co-founded with Kathy. My interests include music, photography, and video production, and I stay active through weightlifting and cycling.

Our family’s three-year adventure living in Belgium fostered a deep appreciation for history and travel, pursuits we look forward to continuing in the coming year. The CASA event marks a significant return to performing arts for me after a long hiatus. Since moving to Peoria, I have been involved in five theatrical productions at the Peoria Players, and I am enthusiastic about contributing to this wonderful cause and supporting the community through this event.

Janelle Bean

I have a Mechanical Engineering degree from Bradley University and work for Caterpillar as a Validation Engineering Team Lead and Project Planner.  I enjoy a wide variety of hobbies, most of which involve being rather active:  Horseback Riding, Hiking, Sports, etc.  I also enjoy music, reading, and board games.  Three and a half years ago I joined some friends taking an East Coast Swing dance class.  While I didn’t have the natural grace you often expect in dancers, I actually picked up the steps rather quickly.  I started learning many of the various ballroom, swing, and Latin styles of dance and soon became hooked on social dancing in general.  I now enjoy helping others learn to dance whenever I can!

My motto is “I can learn to dance, so can you!”