Mom, entrepreneur and community volunteer, Laura Weisskopf Bleill co-founded chambanamoms.com in November 2009, and has been the site’s Mom-in-Chief since 2013.
A former daily newspaper reporter, Bleill is a graduate of Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism who originally moved to Champaign-Urbana to start her journalism career as a sportswriter. With the exception of a two-year detour to Texas, Bleill has lived her entire adult life in Champaign (but had an apartment for 10 months in Urbana). Her work has appeared in publications across the country, including daily newspapers, magazines and online publications.
Bleill is now the director of external engagement at the University of Illinois Research Park, where she works to build community in this unique tech hub. She is active in many civic organizations, including serving on the boards of the Community Foundation of East Central Illinois, Experience Champaign-Urbana and Leadership Illinois. An avid volunteer, she enjoys supporting her children’s schools and sports teams, as well as Sinai Temple.
Fourteen years later, chambanamoms.com is a true family business. Bleill and her husband, Tony, live in Champaign with their three daughters, Nessa, Sarah, and Neena; and Mac, a silly aussiedoodle.
Contact Laura here.