Meet the team that brings you chambanamoms.com. Our team consists of local parents that have a passion for connecting families to all of the amazing activities, classes and resources for raising a family in Champaign-Urbana.
Mom-in-Chief: Laura Weisskopf Bleill is the co-founder and CEO of chambanamoms.com. A former sportswriter who has two journalism degrees from Northwestern University, Laura founded chambanamoms.com in 2009 after being frustrated by the lack of information for families in our community (you can read more about that here). Laura has worked in academic communications and marketing for the past 10 years; some of you may know her as the Director of External Engagement at the University of Illinois Research Park. Laura is a social media junkie who loves to laugh with friends and travel. She spends most of her free time running around town with her three daughters.
Managing Editor: Tony Bleill. Tony is not the first dad to work for chambanamoms.com, but he is the First Dad. Editor, content manager, and account executive, Tony is managing multiple aspects of the site. He spent 20 years as a sportswriter at three daily newspapers before joining Mervis Industries for three years, leaving in April 2015 to join “the family business.” A graduate of Ball State University, he spends his free time teaching the finer points of Chicago Blackhawks hockey to his three daughters while simultaneously picking winners of thoroughbred races.
Happiness Manager: Jennifer Newell. Jennifer, a townie, has been a fan of chambanamoms.com since its inception. Her former business was one of the website’s first advertisers. Jennifer is responsible for working with advertisers on developing and implementing marketing campaigns with chambanamoms.com. Jennifer loves spending time with her husband, kids, and going to the beach. She spends her free time chauffeuring her two kids to and from activities and loving the #chambana community.
Chief Content Strategist: Amy Cunningham. Amy has checked the chambanamoms.com event calendar nearly weekly since becoming a mom – only years later to become the site’s calendar editor. Two years later she has grown into a position that touches every aspect of content produced by the team. Amy spends her time with her husband, son and daughter — preferably outdoors — and enjoys planning (and taking!) trips with her family. You can also find her teaching fitness classes throughout town.
Chief Operations Wizard: Mindy Borden. Mindy works with businesses and organizations to coordinate our Playdate Series and customized events. She holds degrees from Indiana University (occupational therapy) and the University of Illinois (education). She works part-time for Champaign Unit 4 as an occupational therapist. Mindy loves living in Champaign-Urbana and enjoys spending time with her husband, two girls and the family parakeet, Mr. Pickles. Her favorite place to be is at the beach with her family.
Calendar Editor: Anne DeAtley. Anne never thought she’d leave Minnesota, but after meeting her townie husband and settling in Chambana she can’t imagine raising their four boys anywhere else. Anne works on our events calendar and social media. When Anne is not busy chasing her kids around, you can find her curled up with a book and dreaming about a beach vacation.
Social Media/Editorial Coordinator: Kathy Richards. Kathy moved to Chambana with a medically fragile infant in tow. She embraced the challenge of making a home here for her family — which now includes two teenagers and an entitled dog — and was an original chambanamoms fangirl. As an elected member of the Unit 4 Board of Education, Kathy started and maintained a blog to help unite the community behind the goal of funding and building better schools. Since joining chambanamoms, she manages the team’s Facebook presence as well as writing content. Away from the computer, she works in the garden of her historic home, photographs nature, and looks forward to the day when she can return to performing in area musical groups.
Business Manager: Amy Armstrong. Amy is the numbers brains behind our operation. She is our one-woman accounting department who invoices clients as well as pays our bills.
