2026 RISE Executive Committee

Nicholas Koch was born and raised in Chatham and is a proud Glenwood High School alumni. Following high school, Nicholas attended the University of Mississippi where he majored in criminal justice and minored in professional writing. During college, he served as the philanthropy chair for his fraternity. After graduating, Nicholas worked on a ferry in Cooper Landing, Alaska at a popular fishing destination on the Kenai River. At the completion of the Alaskan salmon season, he moved to Alton, IL with his now wife to work as a federal background investigator for a government contractor.

Nicholas is currently an Insurance Consultant at Troxell where he educates, advocates and protects what matters most to his clients. Offering commercial insurance as well as home and auto insurance, Nicholas ensures his clients are properly covered.

Nicholas currently volunteers with several different organizations and he is excited to bring his passion and experience of organizing volunteer opportunities to the greater Springfield area. Nicholas believes Springfield has a strong sense of community and looks forward to helping connect young professionals with local charitable organizations and events.

Josh Johnson was born in Springfield, IL and graduated from Mahomet-Seymour high school. After high school, he attended Lincoln Land Community College and received his bachelor’s degree in business administration at the University of Illinois-Springfield. While in college Josh began his banking career in 2019 as a Customer Service Associate. Josh is now a Mortgage Loan Officer at Hickory Point Bank & Trust for the Springfield area. Josh currently serves on the boards of the Central Illinois Foodbank and the Springfield Housing Authority. He looks forward to being on the Committee and expanding awareness of RISE to more young professionals.

Dr. Allison Long was born and raised in Springfield.  She graduated from Glenwood High School then attended Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee.  She played softball at Rhodes and majored in Biology.  She continued her studies at SIU School of Dental Medicine.  While attending SIU, Dr. Long held multiple leadership positions in national dental organizations.  She was awarded ‘SIU Distinguished Student Service Award’ for her contributions.  She graduated in 2022 and is now a dentist with Prairie Dental Group in Springfield.
 
When deciding where to live and work after graduating, Dr. Long states, “it was an easy decision to move back to Springfield.”  She was attracted to the community aspect of our “Big Small Town”.  Since attending the very first RISE event, Dr. Long has enjoyed meeting many like-minded individuals in the community.  She looks forward to being on the Committee and expanding awareness of RISE to more young professionals.

Anna Marriott was born and raised in Springfield, IL and graduated from Sacred Heart-Griffin High School. She went on to attend Maryville University in St. Louis, where she received her bachelor’s degree in marketing. Anna is currently a Digital Marketing Specialist and SEO & Content Strategist at LRS Web Solutions, where she helps businesses and organizations strengthen their online presence through website content, search engine optimization, social media strategy, email marketing, and digital reporting.
 
After moving back to her hometown, Anna joined RISE as a way to get more involved in the Springfield community and connect with other young professionals. Since joining, she has met many wonderful people, including several she now works with regularly.
 
Anna is passionate about being involved in the Springfield community and helping young professionals feel more connected, confident, and engaged. Through her involvement with RISE, she looks forward to supporting events, sharing the stories of local young professionals, and helping grow awareness of the organization throughout the community.

Mary Pantle is currently the President of Blue Empress, an emergency management consulting firm with the mission of helping small businesses develop resilience to crises.

She holds her BA in Political Theory from Michigan State University and her MSc In Threat and Response Management from the University of Chicago.

Prior to her role at Blue Empress, she worked at the Michigan and Illinois state houses offering constituent services, policy development and analysis, communications, and community engagement, in addition to running several winning political campaigns. She also has done advocacy and consulting work. 

Reed Carlson was born and raised in Springfield, IL and graduated from Springfield High School and then graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a degree in accounting. While at SEMO, Reed served as President of both his fraternity and the professional accounting society. He is currently a CPA and Senior Accountant at Sikich. Reed enjoys being involved in the community and creating both professional and personal relationships while being involved with RISE.

Kirsten Taylor was born and raised in Highland, IL and graduated from Highland High School.  She graduated from Lincoln Land Community College with an Associate’s Degree in Business and from the University of Illinois Springfield with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration. While at Lincoln Land, Kirsten played on the women’s basketball team. She is currently a Mortgage Lender at Hickory Point Bank & Trust. Kirsten enjoys being involved in the community and creating both professional and personal relationships while being involved with RISE. Outside of RISE, Kirsten enjoys coaching a youth volleyball team, going to the gym, and hanging out with friends and family.

Rachel Selvaggio, a Springfield native, attended Sacred Heart-Griffin High School and holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Communication Studies and a Master of Business Administration, both from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She is currently serves as AVP, Corporate Trainer for INB.  Rachel is able to provide RISE with educational event expertise, providing event insight and speaker recommendations for the group.