Key Staff

Gary C. Smith

President/CEO Board Member Gary is the son of NAEIR founder, Norbert Smith. Before officially joining NAEIR, Gary spent seven years working in various management positions at the Austin Company. In 1980 he accepted a position as NAEIR’s Warehouse Manager. He was appointed Vice President of Membership/Corporate Relations in 1983 and took over as NAEIR’s President and CEO in 1999. Gary has served on various non-profit boards including YMCA, Galesburg Chamber of Commerce and Galesburg Cottage Hospital. He was the Chairman of the Galesburg Regional Economic Development Association from 2010 to 2012 and even served as the Mayor of Galesburg from 2005 to 2009. Gary lives in Galesburg with his wife Stephanie, where he is an elder at First Presbyterian Church. He has three children, Autumn, David and Bennett.

Robert B. Gilstrap

Vice President/CFO Bob started working for NAEIR in 1991 as Manager of the direct mail programs for the Marketing Department. In 1994 he was promoted to Controller and, in 1996, took on his current position as Vice President and CFO. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Bradley University and a Doctorate in Business Administration from St. Ambrose University. He and his wife Paula are the proud parents of two children, Leslie and Colin and have two grandchildren, Rowan and Rylie.

Paula R. DeJaynes

Vice President of Corporate Relations Paula was born and raised in the Galesburg, IL area. She joined the NAEIR family in 1990 as the Corporate Relations Secretary, and within four years, was promoted to Administrative Assistant to the President/CEO. In 2005, Paula became the Supervisor of Corporate Relations while maintaining her function as Administrative Assistant and, in 2009 she was named Director of Corporate Relations. She is now NAEIR’s Vice President of Corporate Relations and an officer of the company. She still resides in her hometown of Oneida, IL with her husband Rob, two sons and a stepdaughter.

Marvin H. Dahlberg

Chairman of the Board Marvin H. Dahlberg is a graduate of Northern Illinois University where he also received his MBA and he received his CPA from the University of Illinois. After a college teaching career, he began a banking career where he became Regional President of First Bank managing the operation of twenty seven banks. After retiring from banking, he was elected as Treasurer for the City of Galesburg, where he currently serves. Mr. Dahlberg also serves on the board of directors for Midwest Bank of Western Illinois, the Rotary foundation board and is President of the Credit Bureau of Galesburg. He has served on many local not for profit boards including as President of the Chamber of Commerce, President of the Galesburg Rotary Club and Chairman of the United Way of Knox County campaign three times.

Mary S. Austin

Treasurer / Board Member Mary is a lifetime resident of Knox County, currently living in Abingdon, IL. She is a graduate of Abingdon High School and attended Browns Business College. From 1988 to 2012 she was an employee of NAEIR working most of her tenure as a supervisor in the Membership Department training new membership employees, attending conferences and working in telesales. Mary has three children, Christine, Michael, and Karen. She is also proud of her three grandchildren and one great-grandson. She loves to spend time with family and likes to keep busy with her many interests.

Robert B. Clark

Board Member Robert B Clark (Bob) joined the NAEIR organization in 1997 when he became its Director of Human Resources. He retired from that position exactly fifteen years later in 2012, and in July of 2015 became a member of NAEIR’s Board of Directors. Bob and his wife, Amber, are both active musicians and music educators, and they have been sharing their musical gifts with the Galesburg community since moving to Galesburg in 1990. Additionally, Bob is a retired Congregational minister. Their son Rob lives in Bay City, MI where he is the Editor of The Bay City Times, husband to Claire Rigsby Clark and father of their four boys, Owen, August, Asher and Ellis. Bob and Amber celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in June of 2014. Bob has always been and continues to be an enthusiastic champion of the great things NAEIR does to help nonprofits across the nation.

Will Taylor

Board Member Will Taylor was raised on a farm in Cass County, Illinois. He received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois in Urbana IL and an MBA from the University of Illinois in Springfield IL. He obtained the Certified Financial Planner™ certification in 2003. Will had a career in banking for 35 years. Will worked at The Farmers & Mechanics Bank in Galesburg IL with the title of Senior Vice President & Senior Trust Officer from 2005 to 2012 and retired from the Soy Capital Bank & Trust in Decatur IL in 2017. Since retiring Will helps his wife Teri with her business, Creative Imprints, as needed. They live in Bettendorf, IA. Will has become a beekeeper and has written two books, one on investing and the other a novel about a small-town banker. Will and Teri enjoy being active in their church and traveling throughout the USA and Europe. They have also been to China, Thailand and Israel.

John J. Hattery

Chairman of the Board/Emeritus John J. Hattery was Chairman of the Board of NAEIR from 2011 through 2014 and was a Director of the organization starting in 1999. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa (BA) and the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana (JD). John began his career in banking before practicing law in Galesburg, Illinois for over 30 years. He became Managing Partner of Hattery, Simpson and West and was counsel to NAEIR for ten years before joining the Board. After retiring from practice, he was engaged in the studying of trombone and Geography at the University of Tennessee (Knoxville) and was a certified Rule 31 Civil Mediator in Tennessee.  John currently resides in Fort Myers, Florida with his wife Trish, who is also a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law.

Jerry J. McCoy

Vice Chairman of the Board/Emeritus Jerry’s affiliation with NAEIR began in 1977 when he helped found our organization. He officially joined NAEIR as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2011. He is an independent attorney in Washington, D.C., specializing in charitable tax planning, tax-exempt organizations and estate planning. He holds law degrees from Duke University and New York University. A Member of the American Law Institute and a Fellow of both the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and the American College of Tax Counsel, Jerry is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, Washington D.C. Super Lawyers, and (for twenty years running) The Best Lawyers in America. He is also the co-author of the Family Foundation Handbook and the editor of several charitable newsletters. Jerry and his wife Alexandra have three children. He originally hails from Pennsylvania, but has lived in D.C. for 40 years.