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Andrea Lamberg remembers the exact moment that set her on the path toward her new job as Hinsdale's finance director. Lamberg said she was about 10 years old when she became enthralled with the paper that her older sister was using for her homework. The ledger was filled with lines and boxes just waiting to be filled with numbers - numbers about which Lamberg was eager to learn. "I was fascinated. I wanted to do whatever that was," Lamberg said. That early version of a modern...
In fearful times, look for the helpers. Growing up, Heather Bereckis heard that Mister Rogers-issued maxim often from her mom. And internalized it. "Knowing that I've helped someone in some way," Bereckis said, "that's a good day." Before becoming superintendent of parks and recreation in Hinsdale, Bereckis was aquatics director for the YMCA of Greater Cleveland. The village forester there, in partnership with the Y, was leading a plant identification kayak tour along the...
When village manager Kathleen Gargano shows up for work at village hall each morning, she's never quite sure what her day will hold. And that's her favorite part of the job. "No day is the same, and it is very uncommon that the day I plan actually turns out that way," she said. As village manager, Gargano oversees village operations, including fire, police, public works, parks and recreation, community development and finance. She also must pursue the objectives of village...
How did your Naval career intersect with Hinsdale Rotary? A year ago in March, Sophie Lekas needed money. $32,000 to be precise. She was finishing her fourth and final year as a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis and was eager to pursue graduate studies, if the Navy would support it. The master's program in engineering at Oxford University accepted her, but she would need to raise half of the two-year program's $64,000 tuition herself. "I thought it would be a...
Years before she would earn the title of doctor, Kristin Tvrdik found the career she was looking for at the Hinsdale Humane Society. While working at the shelter as a summer intern, Tvrdik discovered her professional path. "After that experience, I knew for sure I wanted to go to veterinary school," said Tvrdik. More specifically, the experience convinced her to focus on shelter medicine. As medical director at Hinsdale Humane Society, she's seen that plan come to fruition....
What are your thoughts as graduation nears? Hinsdale Central student Gianna Dugan will soon shed that identifier. The senior is graduating on Monday. And as student body president, she'll also serve as host for the proceedings. "I'll be leading the whole ceremony. I'll introduce the different speakers, (principal) Mr. Walsh," she said. "I'll also introduce all the students going to military service academies." Looking back on a most unusual finale for the class of 2021, Dugan...
What does it mean to be recognized by Forbes? When Carrie French entered the world of wealth management, she was in a field dominated by men. "When I started, I didn't even know any female financial advisors," French said. Times have changed. Twenty years later, French has a female boss whose boss is also a woman. Earlier this year, French became one of 29 J.P. Morgan Wealth Management advisors to be named among Forbes' 1,000 Top Women Wealth Advisors for 2021. Seeing how far...
What are some gardening tips for the season? Amidst the social barrenness wrought by the pandemic, a bumper crop of new at-home gardeners has sprung forth. "They're thinking, 'I'm not sure if I can get good vegetables this summer - let's grow our own!' " related Dan Kosta, horticulturist at Hinsdale's Vern Goers Greenhouse. Backyard produce is hard to beat, he said, and a blooming flower bed outside the window is a visual feast. But knowing what to plant and how to care for it...
How can we better understand each other? Think you know another person's mind? Be careful about making assumptions, cautions University of Chicago psychologist Nicholas Epley. "We mostly use ourselves as a guide to others. The only mind we have direct access to is our own," he said. "Naturally it's easy to use that as a lens for other people, and that's a key source of our mistaken judgments." Epley, author of "Mindwise: A Guide to Understanding the Minds of Others," will...
What about poetry inspires you? Ellie Pena's lifelong love of poetry began with a gift from her grandmother. "My mom would read it to me before bed," Pena said of Caroline Kennedy's anthology of children's poems. It wasn't long before Pena began penning her own poetry - at age 8. "They were just simple verses," she said, but even then, her subject matter was focused on change. Pena's first poem was about the slaughter of wild horses in the mountains of Wyoming. Awareness of...
Why is that dinosaur in your front lawn? Whether it's referred to as the big purple dinosaur, Madame Butterfly or the beastie, the whimsical sculpture that adorns the front lawn of Beth Greifenkamp's Hinsdale home is known to all who have the pleasure of passing by. "It's literally a landmark," said Greifenkamp, who refers to the winged creature as "the beastie." Greifenkamp had long admired the work of Milwaukee artist Dennis Pearson when he teamed up with the Milwaukee...
The pandemic has tested people's normal modes of operation, money management included as many faced sudden unemployment or a business' bottomed-out bottom line. Children ages 3-9 can get the tools for fiscal fortitude at the Piggy Bank Pageant via Zoom on April 13, sponsored by the Economic Awareness Council in partnership with the Hinsdale Public Library and Hinsdale Bank and Trust in observance of Financial Literacy Month. (Please see listing in Calendar for information.)...
Peggy Smego's job as a real estate broker has always been about navigating life's changes, beginning with her own. "I love helping people get from point A to point B," said Smego, whose own life took a dramatic turn in 2004 when a health crisis left her husband unable to work. The stay-at-home mom of four needed to find a way to support her family. That's when she turned to real estate. "Looking back, it saved my life," said Smego, a broker with Jameson Sotheby's...
How can we clear the clutter from our lives? Living more simply may sound appealing. But permanently stripping away the excess requires sincere soul searching, according to decluttering expert Jessica Louie. "We start with clarifying," Louie said of her process with clients. "What is your ideal lifestyle? What are your core values? Why do you get up in the morning?" Without such answers, the act of detaching from the physical is likely to be a fleeting exercise. Louie will...
How do you approach teaching women's history? In Whitney Wilda's civics class, Women's History Month lasts all year. "It's not just a month for us," said Wilda, who has taught the course at Hinsdale Central High School since it became a graduation requirement in 2016. Wilda said she embeds stories of the contributions of women, past and present, into her lessons all year long. Civics, Wilda said, is the study of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. She said the...
How can parents prepare children for adulthood? Working as a dean at Stanford University, Julie Lythcott-Haims was dismayed both by the basic life-skill deficiencies she observed in many first-year students and the frequent parent interventions to try to ease their near-adult children's burdens. Then she looked in the proverbial mirror. "My 'Aha!' moment was when I came home one night, sat down at the dinner table, leaned over my 10-year-old's plate and began cutting his...
Should pregnant women get a COVID-19 vaccine? Many people struggle with the decision of whether to get a COVID-19 vaccine. That choice can be even tougher when the decision also affects an unborn baby. Pregnant women and those wishing to become pregnant are full of questions. To provide answers, physicians like Kimberley Darey are doing their best to provide patients with the latest information. Darey practices obstetrics and gynecology and is chief medical officer/vice...
What is the Black History Month bulletin board? High schoolers are used to learning facts. But when Hinsdale Central teacher David Lange was approached about creating a bulletin board at the school with information of notable Black figures to celebrate Black History Month, he saw an opportunity for deeper student engagement. "I liked the idea, but I wanted to make sure that it was more than just the traditional fact sheets," said Lange, chairman of the English department and 2...
What do you hope to accomplish during your term? When independent insurance agent Bob Smith moved his office from downtown Hinsdale to Westmont, part of his heart remained in the village. A graduate of Hinsdale Central High School, Smith said he feels a strong bond to this community. "Hinsdale has a special place in my heart. I want to see it succeed and grow," said Smith, who will do his best to see that happen in his role as chairman of the 2021 Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce...
What's the status of the COVID-19 vaccine in DuPage? The COVID-19 vaccine is here. But exactly where is it? And when will it be widely available? Karen Ayala, executive director of the DuPage County Health Department, said the vaccine is in limited supply as residents 65 and older and frontline essential workers are inoculated under Phase 1b of the state's guidelines. Vaccinating the nearly 270,000 DuPage residents who meet Phase 1b criteria could take another 12 weeks based...
When Julie Sutton decided to enter the world of real estate eight years ago, she thought she had found the perfect part-time career for a busy mom of three. She was wrong. "It is in no way a part-time job," said Sutton, leader of The Julie Sutton Group of Compass Realty in Hinsdale. But although the job of the real estate broker involves busy days, weekend showings and late-night phone calls, Sutton said she loves it all. Homes in Chicago's western suburbs are moving fast,...
Resurrecting British men's fragrance firm St. James of London in 2013 made Hinsdale's Todd Fisher feel at times like he was channeling the protagonist in Mark Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." "When I was doing the largest fragrance trade show in Italy, brands are located in different pavilion buildings based on origin," Fisher said. "I could have chosen to be in either the U.S. or UK pavilion, but I always choose UK due to our brand origins and also the...
What are the 2021 trends for kitchen remodels? Gina Mazzone's career as a kitchen and bath designer was born of a desire to create her own dream kitchen. After taking a class at College of DuPage and completing her kitchen transformation, she knew there were more kitchens out there that could benefit from her newfound love of interior design. "That's when I decided to get into that specific field," said Mazzone, who went on to become a certified kitchen and bath designer....
What tools can help people work out at home? With the start of a new year, many have a renewed interest in getting off the couch and back to better health. And like so many things, more workouts than ever are taking place virtually. Luckily, there also are more options than ever for the would-be fitness buff who, for safety or convenience, chooses to work out at home. Fitness Tech - At Home Fitness will be presented by the Hinsdale Public Library at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13....
Why did you start your nonprofit? Tracy Leddy's decision to re-enter the workforce in 2019 wasn't just about him and his family. He also wanted it to be a good decision for the entire community. Married to a successful woman with an extremely demanding schedule, Leddy and his wife decided that he would be the one to stay home with the couple's four children. With the youngest now in fifth grade, Leddy said the time was right late last year to re-enter the world of mortgage...
