Top Row L-R: Beth Wingerter, Chris Feldt, Ben Leezer, Jeremy Weaks, Steve Carroll
Bottom Row L-R: Abel Castor, Jackie Rakers, Linda Olson, Katie Smull, Matt Harford
2024 - 2025 Board of Directors
All officers and directors are elected at the association's annual meeting.
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Ben Leezer
Chair
309-286-2221
Ben started in the insurance industry in 2011, working at Leezer Agency and Elmira Mutual. He has a background in Real Estate and utilizes it by selling farmland. Ben was with Elmira Mutual in Toulon, IL, for 11 years and is currently on the Board of Directors at LaPrairie Mutual. He took classes at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale before working at Elmira. Ben has served on multiple IAMIC committees over the years.
Ben and his wife, Emily, have two beautiful children—Charlotte, 15, and Archer,3—and they currently reside in Toulon, IL. In his free time, Ben enjoys fishing, camping, and hunting.
Jeremy Weaks
Chair - Elect
815-537-2251
After graduating from The University of Dubuque, Jeremy worked at Wells Fargo Financial briefly before working for Federated Insurance. Here, he learned the ropes of the insurance world before being promoted to a captive agent with territory in Dubuque, Iowa. In 2012, he joined the Prophetstown Mutual as an adjuster before becoming the manager and then the secretary/treasurer.
Jeremy has been an active member of IAMIC for the last several years. Apart from being a familiar face at seminars, he not only served on the Education Committee but went on to Chair it. Jeremy played a vital role in helping plan classes and speakers during a time when education was beyond crucial. His contributions earned him the Volunteer of the Year Award at the 143rd Convention in 2024.
Jeremy and his wife, Darcy, have made their home in Fulton with their two children, Barret, age 8, and Blaire, age 5. In his spare time, he enjoys watching a football game, spending time on the boat, or catching a round of golf with friends.
Chris Feldt, CEO, PFMM
Past Chair
618-233-2006
Chris is the Chief Executive Officer at Heartland Mutual Insurance Company in Belleville, Illinois where he began his career in 2007 as an Inspector/Adjustor. He was promoted to Manager in 2012. His title was changed to Chief Executive Officer in January 2023. He is a retired member of the Northwest Fire Protection District. While on the department, he served for 28 years. 21 of those years he served as a Captain. Chris also worked in the construction industry conducting inspections and building homes; those skills and experience are very useful to him in his current position.
Chris has been active over the years in sharing his knowledge of the building industry with NAMIC, IAMIC, and other State Associations by conducting education presentations. Chris currently is serving as Past Chair for his State Association. He also was the Chairman of NAMIC’s Farm Mutual Conference Board from 2023 to 2024 and Chairman of the 2018 Farm Forum for NAMIC.
Chris received his Professional Farm Mutual Manager (PFMM) designation in 2013. The NAMIC Merit Award was presented to him in 2014. In 2015 & 2017 Chris was awarded the IAMIC Volunteer Award. Chris received his Farm Mutual Directors Certification (FMDC) in 2021. He also received the NAMIC PFMM of the Year award for 2023.
Chris earned his Associate's degree in Fire Science from Southwestern Illinois College
and a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration/Management from Lindenwood University. He and his wife, Amy, have a son, Kyle, and a daughter, Kaitlynn plus two black labs named Everest and Rainier(Rainie). When Chris is not at work, he, and his
family love to go camping, work on home projects, and travel.
Linda Olson
Secretary/Treasurer
815-239-1296
Linda is currently the Town & Country Mutual manager using her several years of industry experience to help her lead the company. She started as a CSR for a local agency and then was hired as the Underwriter. From there she was hired as manager at the same mutual. After taking a break from the industry to care for her son, Linda worked on Special Projects for a few years, after which, she was hired at Town & Country.
Linda has been involved with the industry on a state and national level, participating in several committees including being the Education Chair for IAMIC. Her involvement has earned her several recognitions including, the NAMIC Merit Society Award in 2007, IAMIC Volunteer of the Year in 2008, and more.
When Linda has free time, she enjoys taking day trips with her husband, Craig, and looking for local places to go antiquing. She and her husband make their home in Pecatonica and share three sons - Craig, 41, Eric, 39, and David 38.
Matt Harford
Director
815-268-7300
Matt is currently the manager at Famers Pioneer Mutual and has been with them for two and a half years. Before joining the Farmers Pioneer team, Matt spent over 20 years trading interest rate derivatives on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Chicago Board of Trade. Matt currently sits on the IAMIC Education Committee and makes it a priority to participate as much as he can.
In his free time, Matt enjoys watching sports, spending time with his family, or reading a good book. Matt is a father to three wonderful girls, Helen,13, Lucy,11, and Annie who is almost 2. While he grew up in Washington, Illinois, Matt currently resides in Onarga.
Katie Smull
Director
815-938-2273
Katie has been with Forreston Mutual for 3 years and is currently the Director of Operations. She took business courses at Rock Valley College in Rockford, IL before starting with Geico as a customer service representative. She has been in the insurance industry for most of her career, working for Statefarm and Allstate before starting with Forreston Mutual.
Katie is a dedicated mother to three beautiful children - Drake, Kylee, and Skylar. She had the joy of welcoming a granddaughter, Grace, in 2024. She and her husband Bill currently reside in Pecatonica, IL. In her free time, Katie loves to play a few rounds of golf, go hiking, or spend some time on their boat.
Elizabeth Wingerter
Director
618-965-3477
Beth entered her career in the insurance industry in 2010, having worked in sales before joining Randolph Mutual in 2013. She started with RMIC as a data processor and was promoted to Underwriter in 2015. That year, RMIC earned the Company Achievement Award at the IAMIC Convention. Beth received her PFMM designation in 2016 while attending the NAMIC Convention in Denver. She became a part of the Education Committee in 2016 and has been on the committee ever since.
Beth was raised in Chester, IL by her wonderful parents, Don and Jerry. She comes from a big family of 4 brothers and 4 sisters. She is a proud Aunt and great aunt to 47 nieces and nephews! Through the years, she has enjoyed coaching grade school and high school volleyball for the local schools. In her free time, she loves spending time with family and friends.
Steve Carroll
Director
217-732-8222
Steve began his career in the insurance industry right out of high school as an Underwriter/Claims adjuster at Mt. Carroll Mutual. Steve is currently the Operations Manager at Frontier - Mt Carroll Mutual. He has been with them a few times throughout his career for a total of 16 years. Steve has been active in IAMIC by serving on the Education Committee in previous years and has helped spread his knowledge by presenting numerous topics at several IAMIC events.
Steve and his wife, Brooke, have been married for over 15 years and have made their home in Lanark. Together they have two beautiful children, Haley, 21, and Wyatt, 15. In his free time, Steve enjoys keeping up with his favorite sports teams and spending time with his family and friends.
Abel Castor
Director
309-372-4227
Abel grew up on a farm in the small town of Aledo, IL. That passion for farm life continued into adulthood as he graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy in 2014. Abel switched gears in 2016 and joined the Hamlet Mutual family as an insurance agent before becoming the Assistant Secretary/Treasurer in 2021.
Abel kept his roots in Aledo, where he resides with his wife, Maggie, and their four-year-old son, Noah. Abel and his family enjoy camping or just soaking in the beauty of nature together.
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