The Beacon Place Board of Directors is a group of highly talented and committed individuals with a passion to support the children and families in the local community. It is their goal to ensure that Beacon Place stays financially strong, is well supported and connected to resources, and is positioned to deliver outstanding  programs and services that ensure the children and families in our area truly see a path toward a brighter tomorrow. As Beacon Place grows, our need for additional board members grows as well. If you are interested in learning more about potential Board of Director opportunities, please contact admin@beacon-place.org.

Rev. Sean Miller, Board Chair

Sean Miller was raised in Deerfield and graduated from the University of Colorado, receiving Phi Beta Kappa membership and graduating Suma Cum Laude with degrees in music and religious studies (B.A. ’00). Following graduation, Sean attended McCormick Seminary in Hyde Park and graduated with a Master of Divinity (’04). Ordained in 2005, Sean’s ministry has taken him from Arlington Heights as a youth pastor to Potomac, Maryland and Greenwich, Connecticut where he served as Senior Minister. He has served congregations from 40 to 2,000 members and has taken on numerous leadership roles throughout his ministry.

Today, Sean serves as the Co-Minister of the Community Church of Lake Forest & Lake Bluff – a longtime partner of Beacon Place. Sean is enthusiastic about the future of Beacon Place and is happy to serve on the Board of Directors.

Brad Berke, Board Member

Brad Berke brings broad business expertise to the board through his roles leading top-level executive searches for chief supply chain officers and chief procurement officers for a broad range of clients across many industry sectors, including automotive, consumer durables, consumer packaged goods, financial services, food, industrial, life sciences, luxury, and retail. He is currently serving as Vice Chairman, Global Supply Chain Officers in the Chicago Office of Korn Ferry.

Brad has served on the Beacon Place Board since 2020. He first became connected to Beacon Place through his daughters and wife who have been active volunteers since 2018. Brad, his wife Dayle, and their two daughters reside in Riverwoods, Illinois.

Scott Carter, Board Member

Scott Carter joined the Beacon Place board in 2023 and brings with him broad expertise in organizational operations and leadership.  Scott has led two different businesses in the human resources services sector that served small and mid-sized organizations.  More recently, he joined Risk Transfer Advisory (RTA) Group as its Chief Operating Officer. At RTA, he is responsible for helping the portfolio companies in which they invest scale their operations and optimize their people strategies to improve overall business performance.

Scott also serves on other Boards in his community and is an active member of his church.  He, his wife Julia, and their four children reside in Lake Forest, Illinois.

Chris Fisher, Board Member

Chris Fisher joined the Beacon Place board in 2022 but has been a volunteer and advocate for the work of Beacon Place since 2015. Chris has worked in the financial advisory industry for over 25 years, founding his own firm, Fisher Financial Partners, Inc. in 2004 to deliver pure, independent financial advice. He joined forces with his friend and business partner Paul Housey and they formed their current firm ISTO Advisors – a moniker that stands for In Service To Others – which represents an ethos that Chris embraces personally and professionally.

Chris is active in his church and community and has served on several not-for-profit boards including the Board of Directors of the Allendale Association.

Chris resides with his wife Lesley, also a Beacon Place volunteer and advocate, and their three children in Lake Forest, Illinois.

Barbara LaFasto,  Board Member

Barbara LaFasto is one of the original co-founders of Beacon Place in 2012 and served as executive director from 2016-2019 and board president in 2015 – 2016 and then again in 2019. She received a Bachelors degree from Western Illinois University and in 2007 she retired after 25 years in human resources and compensation management for companies including Rust-Oleum, Baxter Healthcare and Hewitt Associates. Since then she has devoted her time to philanthropy volunteering at a local homeless shelter and for the last eight years working with children and families in Waukegan through Beacon Place. She has helped create and run many of the organization’s foundational programs and is a true advocate and partner for the families in this community. Barbara lives with her husband Frank and family in Lake Forest and Littleton, CO.

Beth Pierson,  Board Member

Beth Pierson joined the Board of Beacon Place in 2023 and brings diverse experience from a career that has spanned business, education, and non-profit work along with volunteer leadership. She is currently the Manager of Strategic Partnerships for the Youth Conservation Corps in Waukegan. She has also worked as a School Director for the Schuler Scholar Program at Cristo Rey St. Martin Prep in Waukegan, as a classroom teacher with the Schuler Scholar Program at North Chicago Community High School, and in a variety of marketing and operational roles in the for-profit world. She has served in many volunteer leadership roles, including President of the APT at Lake Forest High School, Chair of Lake Bluff Middle School PTO, and a current role on the D115 Finance and Operations Committee with the D115 Board of Education. She has a BA from Kenyon College, an MA from the University of Pittsburgh, and an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

 Beth and her husband Craig have two almost-grown children (both of whom have spent many hours as volunteers at Beacon Place) and live in Lake Bluff, IL.

Mary Tomanek, Board Member

Mary L. Tomanek, is currently serving as Institutional Consulting Director & Senior Vice President within the Graystone Consulting, Chicago NW team. She has had over thirty-five years of experience in the financial services industry, most of which has been in institutional consulting. In 2020 and 2021 Mary was named to the Forbes Top Women Advisors List and her team was named to Barron’s list of Top Institutional Consultants 2016-2022.

Mary has been a strong advocate for women, both in her professional career and the financial industry, and through personal commitments as well.  Over the years, she and her husband Ron have been avid supporters of a number of charities and they, and their children, have been strong supporters of Beacon Place as it has grown as an organization over the last several years.  Mary served as an advisor to the Board of Directors of Beacon Place for several years before taking an official role in 2022.

Mary earned a B.S. degree from Western Illinois University and she and her husband reside in Lake Forest, Illinois.

Past Board Members:

Beacon Place has been shaped by tremendous leaders who have dedicated their time and expertise to guide the agency as one of the most impactful youth and family community service organization in Lake County, IL. We are thankful their years of leadership service and acknowledge these individuals here.

Founding Board Members:

The following individuals provided the initial vision and guidance for the agency. We thank them for their ability to dream big and make hope for brighter future a realty for so many.