Illinois Odyssey of the Mind: Volunteers Who Care
Since 1984, volunteers in the Land of Lincoln have delivered the Odyssey of the Mind (OM) program to K-12 students (and even some college teams). Whether in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, the St. Louis Metro-East area, the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign area, Rockford, the Quad Cities, Peoria, and everywhere in between, the educators, parents, friends, alumni, and others who volunteer each year are committed to helping young people discover their passion and thrive via their participation in OM.
Illinois Odyssey of the Mind (OM) is administered by Illinois Knowledge Quest (IKQ) an affiliate of Creative Opportunities Unlimited, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our by-laws can be found here, and our articles of incorporation are available here.
Below, you will find the friendly names, faces, and contact information for our volunteer leadership team responsible for administering OM in Illinois. Please feel free to reach out with any questions you have about the program, about bringing OM to your school or community, and/or about ways you can volunteer to help Illinois Odyssey of the Mind carry out its mission!
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Association Director: Diane Karraker (director@illinoisodyssey.org)
Co-Director: James Mourey, Jr. (contact@illinoisodyssey.org)
Secretary: Ellen Krasin (secretary@illinoisodyssey.org)
Treasurer: James Mourey, Sr. (treasurer@illinoisodyssey.org)
Tournament Director: Allan Welch (tournamentdirector@illinoisodyssey.org)
Volunteer Coordinator: [open position] (volunteer@illinoisodyssey.org)
Tech and Social Media: Rob Mills
Coach Training: Tammy Alves
Northern Regional Director(s): Kathryn Schoedel & Pete Schoedel (northern@illinoisodyssey.org)
Central Regional Director(s): Ellen Krasin & Allan Welch (central@illinoisodyssey.org)
Southern Regional Director(s): Becky Rasmussen (southern@illinoisodyssey.org)
Alumni Rep: Jacob Rasmussen
PROBLEM CAPTAINS
Spontaneous Problem Captain: Jenny Hefty
P1 Problem Captain: Michael Dachniwksy
P2 Problem Captain: Kathryn Schoedel
P3 Problem Captain: Johnny Rasmussen
P4 Problem Captain: Pete Schoedel
P5 Problem Captain: Allan Welch
ADDITIONAL TEAM MEMBERS
Northern Support (Chicago): Bryan Heidel
Northern Support (Chicago Suburbs): Carolyn Brougham
Southern Support (Belleville, Swansea): Kelly Mourey
Southern Support (Mascoutah, O'Fallon, Shiloh): Alaina Carriel
Southern Support (Edwardsville, Troy, Collinsville): Chrissy Bartnick
