Board Members
Tom Costello and his wife, Irene, have been married for 22 years and are the prod parents of 20 year olds twin boys; Mike and John, who both have Autism. He is a Managing Director at Duchossois Capital Management. He received a BA in Economics from University of Chicago and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He and his wife are founders of the Twin Hearts Autism Foundation and they are active supports of Misericordia. Tom has been actively involved with 21st Century Dads Foundation since 2019. He was involved with the first SFN Mastermind Group and was featured in episode #69 of the SFN Dad To Dad Podcast.
Richard Gathro and his wife, Kathy, reside in Largo, FL. They have been married for 45 years and are the proud parents of two adult children: Kate and Will, who has schizencephaly. Rich spent a good portion of his professional career in Washington, DC and in leadership positions with a variety of organizations including; Pepperdine University, Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, Nyack College, Fund for Integrated Education and Council for Christian Colleges & Universities. Rich has been involved with 21st Century Dads Foundation since 2019. He was featured in episode #54 of the SFN Dad To Dad Podcast and he is a member of SFN Mastermind Group I.
Gary Grube is the father of one and founder of Caerus Institute. Gary graduated from University of Illinois, has a Masters of Electrical Engineering from Illinois institute of Technology and a MBA from the JL Kellogg Graduate School of Management. He began his career at Motorola in 1980 rising through the ranks where he served as a Motorola Senior Fellow and Chief Technology Officer before retiring in 2008, with more than 100 patents to his credit, the most in Motorola’s history. Since 2009 he is founding president of Caerus Institute, an intellectual property consultancy where he has produced more than 300 additional patents for a wide range of clients. He also owns a state-of-the-art organic micro greens farm in Lahaina, HI.
David Hirsch and his wife, Peggy, have been married for 39 years and are the proud parents of five adult children, and two grandchildren. David graduated from University of Illinois and has a MBA from the JL Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. He was previously a CPA & tax accountant with Price Waterhouse. Since 1985 he has been a wealth manager, previously with; Shearson AMEX, Smith Barney, Credit Suisse and currently at UBS Financial Services. In 1997 he helped found Illinois Fatherhood Initiative and in 2015 the 21st Century Dads Foundation. He’s the author of 21st Century Dads: A Father’s Journey To Break The Cycle Of Father Absence and gave a TEDx Talk entitled: Why We Need To Break The Cycle Of Father Absence. He is also host of the SFN Dad To Dad Podcast.
Wayne Messmer is the father of two daughters, grandfather of four and a native Chicagoan. Wayne graduated from Illinois Wesleyan, has a Masters of Education from Loyola University (Chicago) and Ph.D. from LaSalle University. He is a Certified Speaking Professional, host of the Wayne Messmer Radio Show, author of The Voice of Victory, Sr. Executive VP & Founding Partner of the Chicago Wolves, founder of Wayne Messmer & Associates a financial services firm, a veteran broadcaster, a professional actor: “Damien” A one-man play by Aldyth Morris and most widely know as “Chicago’s Original Voice of the National Anthem.”
Brian Page and his wife, Natalie, reside in Orland Park, IL, have been married for 36 years and are the proud parents of three children; Harold, Benjamin (who was born with a brain bleed) and Autumngrace. He works at Elim Christian Services and Shepherd’s College. He received a BA in Business Administration & Marketing from Tennessee State University and MBA from Regent University. He is also volunteer with special Olympics Illinois and is founder of Finishing Well Men’s Advance. Brian has been involved with 21st Century Dads Foundation since 2018 and was featured in episode #29 of the SFN Dad To Dad Podcast.