We are blessed to be working with the following speakers this year, and we look forward to hearing their encouraging messages! Click a name below for more information.
Jeanne Malnati
Dave Gaddini
Aubrey Wentz (musician)
Karen Franzen
Karen Sersen
Allison Mennella
Nate and Rachel Kivley
Jeanne Malnati: Jeanne is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a private counseling practice specializing in personal and spiritual growth/empowerment of women. She also has 30 years experience working with teens in a variety of settings. Currently, Jeanne leads women's growth groups — called "Outta Your Cage" — which focus on personal and spiritual growth, allowing women to build self-awareness and identify blind spots so to become all that God designed them to be. Her personal passion is teaching and speaking on the subject of "Moms of Teens," and Jeanne has written her own curriculum on the topic. She is married to Marc and has three children: Kelsey, Will, and Melissa. When she's not busy with the family business — Lou Malnati's pizza — Jeanne enjoys hobbies such as antique collecting, reading, and traveling.
Dave Gaddini: David Gaddini is the pastor at Fellowship of Faith in McHenry, Illinois. His heart is for helping people connect with God wherever they happen to be in life, especially among younger generations. He thinks he has a great sense of humor (yeah, but it's weird!) and loves nothing more than to help people get lost in the biblical text. Dave and his wife Tina have been married for twelve years. They have 8- and 2-year-old daughters and a 5-year-old son. In his spare time, Dave enjoys movies, working out, reading, and rock climbing.
Aubrey Wentz: Aubrey has been in an interesting season of life this year. She started on staff with Willow Creek Community Church’s McHenry County Campus over two years ago and over the last seven months has transitioned into an interim role as the Programming and Production Director, Worship Leader, and Executive Producer. Although the things her time is spent on have morphed over these last few months, what she is most passionate about has stayed constant. Aubrey’s passion is to lead people into an intimacy with Christ through the use of arts and media. She loves being able to partner with other artists — technical, musical, and visual — in an effort to draw others into the Throne Room of God. Her high energy and upbeat personality bring excitement and joy to the team that she leads. Aubrey graduated in 2007 with a B.A. in Music from North Park University in Chicago and currently resides in Crystal Lake with her husband Matt.
Karen Franzen: Karen is the Executive Pastor for Willow Creek McHenry County Church. She is responsible for the training and development of the staff team as well as overseeing the day-to-day running of the church. Prior to her joining the Willow Creek staff ten years ago, Karen taught at Northern Illinois University and counseled individuals, couples, and families at Kairos Family Center in Elgin. Karen's passion is to challenge others to reach their full potential in Christ. She truly believes that "We can do all things through Him who strengthens us" (Philippians 4:13). Karen and her husband Bill have five adult children and three grandchildren. They live in Crystal Lake, IL.
Karen Sersen: Fun-loving, enthusiastic and upbeat: no matter what we face as women, the truth is "He who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). Karen tries to live that. After having a successful career in IT, she married Mark and has two children — Brooklyn and Holland — and a dog named Cookie. She is amazed by the technology-driven world her children live in, and she still can't beat her son at Super Smash Brothers Brawl or understand how her daughter and friends IM each other after school everyday. Karen loves having her home full of young people, and she continually takes every opportunity to lead, volunteer, or mentor youth groups in both the church and her community. Currently, she is a Lay Speaker, worship planning team member, and Women's Ministries leader for the First United Methodist Church in Crystal Lake.
Allison Mennella: Allison Mennella is a recent graduate from Augustana College where she majored in Communication Studies and Spanish. For her Senior Project, Allison created a workshop titled "Let's Talk! A Mother/Daughter Discussion on Body Image and Self-Esteem." In the fall, Allison plans to attend DePaul University for graduate school in order to obtain a Master's Degree in Organizational and Multicultural Communication. Allison would like to take this opportunity to thank her mother for being the most positive and influential role model a daughter could hope for. "You have truly given me the tools to help combat the self-esteem and body image issues that young girls face today." She also wants to thank the Get Real team for this awesome opportunity to share their knowledge and love of Christ at this amazing conference. Finally, and most importantly, she would like to give everything up to God. "With God, all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26).
Nate and Rachel Kivley: Nate and Rachel both have a heart for youth. Because of the way the Lord worked in their lives and hearts during their own teenage years, they are both committed to serving God in youth ministry. They have worked in youth groups, on ministry teams, have been mentored by youth leaders, and are now serving together in their home church. Nate is a Porsche technician for Motor Werks in Barrington, and he is also the part time youth pastor at the McHenry Evangelical Free Church in McHenry. Rachel finished her degree in Women's Ministries and graduated from Moody Bible Institute in May of this past year. Newlyweds in September '09, they are starting to build their life together. They've loved getting to know each other in new and different ways, and their goal is to continually grow closer to one another and to the Lord.