Trustee Elections

Information for Eligible Voters

2022 Trustee Election Results

2022 Trustee Election Results

The FPIF Board of Trustees met today and read the election results of the 2022 Trustee Election into its minutes. The election results were as follows:

Beneficiary Trustee

Gregory Knoll (Retired Firefighter, Homewood) (certified winner)

Executive Trustee

112….Douglas Krieger (City Manager, Naperville) (certified winner)
64……John Perry (Treasurer, Lisle Woodridge FPD)

Participant Trustee

598….Steven Burnell (Active-Duty Firefighter, Lincolnshire-Riverwoods FPD)
945….Jason Skilondz (Active-Duty Firefighter, Wheaton) (certified winner)

Elected trustees will serve a 4 year term beginning January 3, 2023. The Board of Trustees congratulates Gregory Knoll, Douglas Krieger and Jason Skilondz on their elections.

About Our Trustee Election

Voters will elect a Participant Trustee, a Beneficiary Trustee and an Executive Trustee in 2022. Elected trustees will serve a 4-year term beginning January 3, 2023. Ballots will be mailed to eligible voters on or before October 27, 2022 and they must be returned by December 1, 2022.

Candidates for the Participant Trustee Position

Steven Burnell

Steven Burnell has been a member of Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Professional Firefighters Association, Local 4224 since September of 2015. During that time, Steven has served as a shift Steward, Secretary, and Vice-President of the Local. Steven has also served on the Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Firefighters’ Pension Fund since 2019. Steven has held every position on the board, including the President’s position for the last 2 years.

Steven earned his bachelor’s in fire service management from Southern Illinois University in 2020. He has also earned his associates in applied science – fire science from McHenry County College in 2014. As a tier 2 member, Steven understands the importance of long-term investments and has a history of protecting retirement securities. Dependable and transparent are two principles that Steven holds throughout every venture he takes on. Steven also enjoys spending time with his wife Natalie, and his children Addison and Sienna.

Jason Skilondz

Lieutenant Jason Skilondz is a 15-year veteran firefighter with the Wheaton Fire Department, a Fire Investigator for Wheaton & DuPage County Fire Investigator’s Task Force, the Treasurer for Wheaton Firefighters Union Board Local 3706, and the Board President for the Wheaton Firefighters’ Pension Fund. Jason began his firefighter career as a volunteer for the Plainfield Fire Protection District and also volunteered for Little Rock Fox Fire Protection District. He achieved his associates degree in Fire Science at Joliet Junior College. During Jason’s 13 years on the Pension Board, he has attended every annual pension conference to keep current on new developments pertaining to the Article 3 and 4 pension systems. During his tenure, the Wheaton Firefighters’ Pension Fund has actively grown their investment assets from $13 million to $50 million and increased their funding level from 68% to 83%. Jason has a passion for investing at an early age which was instilled in him by his father who was a financial advisor. Jason uses his passion, education, and experience to ensure the firefighters he represents have an understanding the importance of investing in their futures and the pension fund he cares for is well secured.

Candidates for the Beneficiary Trustee Position

Gregory Knoll

The FPIF Board of Trustees and its staff congratulates Trustee Gregory Knoll on his re-election to the FPIF Board of Trustees. Trustee Knoll qualified for the ballot without opposition, and the Election Panel deemed him elected to the Beneficiary Trustee Position at its meeting on October 6, 2022. He will begin his four-year term on January 3, 2023.

Gregory Knoll has served as the Beneficiary Trustee on the FPIF Board of Trustees since January of 2021. He has over 38 years of service in two municipal fire departments in the Chicago south suburban area. He has served continuously as an elected Article 4 Trustee on the Homewood Firefighters Pension Board since 1976, and has also served as an appointed Article 4 Trustee on the Riverdale Firefighters for another five years. In 1999 Greg was appointed to the Article 3 Homewood Police Pension Board and he continues to serve in that position.

Greg has multiple associate degrees from Prairie State College, a bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University, and a master’s degree in Public Education from Governors State University. He also has numerous certifications through the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

Candidates for the Executive Trustee Position

Douglas Krieger

Doug Krieger has and continues to serve as the City of Naperville’s City Manager for the past 13 years. Prior to that he served as the Director of Finance for Naperville for five and a half years. Doug has served as Trustee for the Naperville Firefighters’ Pension Fund and also as Trustee for the Naperville Police Pension Fund. Each of these funds currently has well over $200M in assets. Doug served as a member of the Pension Fairness for Illinois Coalition from 2008 to 2010. Prior to joining the City in 2003, Doug spent nine years with PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLC and Coopers & Lybrand LLP in the Audit and Business Assurance Services group as a Certified Public Accountant, auditing a number of different defined benefit and defined contribution plans. Doug also served as a naval officer in the submarine service of the United States Navy. Doug received a Bachelor of Science degree with Merit in Political Science from the United States Naval Academy and his Masters in Business Administration, with concentrations in Finance and Accounting, from the University of Chicago.

John Perry

John is a current IFPIF Board member who has worked to reduce costs (IDOI fees) and improve communications (website upgrades coming).

John is Trustee/Treasurer of the Lisle Woodridge Fire Protection District (LWFD). The LWFD team increased funding for pensions by $4.5 million per year, achieved accreditation, and retained ISO-1 status since John joined the District.

John managed in Woodridge and Park Forest for 37 years, until retirement in 2009. John served in several municipal leadership roles:

Founding member and chair of the Intergovernmental Risk Management Agency (IRMA).
President of the Illinois City/County Management Association (ILCMA).
Charter member of the Illinois Public Employer Labor Relations Association (IPELRA).
Chaired IML Mangers Committee.

These leadership roles speak to John’s readiness to serve IFPIF. John’s experience as a District trustee and municipal manager gives him perspective to understand pension success.

John holds a BA is from the University of Chicago and MPA from the Maxwell School at Syracuse. John authored Blueprint for Building Community: Leadership Insights for Good Government (2010). He served as Rotary President three times.

John and his wife Pam have two adult children. Pam rides horses. John plays bass guitar at church and Blues Band Live at the Old Town School.

Voting Instructions

Voting instructions are attached to your ballot.

Mark your selection by filling in the box next to the candidate of your choice.
Do not mail or return to the FPIF office.
Detach ballot and place in the enclosed return envelope. Mail to Survey & Ballot Systems, PO Box 46430, Eden Prairie, MN 55344. Ballots must be received no later than December 1, 2022.
You must sign your enclosed return envelope for your ballot to be valid.
You may, at your own expense, utilize an expedited or commercial delivery service to return your ballot. If you utilize an expedited or commercial delivery service, you must still place your ballot in the enclosed return envelope and sign the return envelope in order for your vote to be counted.

If you did not receive a ballot, received an incorrect mail ballot or if you incorrectly marked or spoil your ballot prior to returning it please call (630) 785-2567 to request a new ballot.