Steve Nailor elected president of UM Men Foundation

NASHVILLE, Tenn.––Steve Nailor, president of the National Association of Conference Presidents of UM Men, was elected president of the UM Men Foundation at the March 5 annual meeting of that fund-raising organization.

Steve retired from Commonwealth Edison in 2001 after 35 years as director of public affairs in that Rockford, Ill.-based company. Following his retirement, he established Nailor and Associates, a consulting business working with city, county and state legislators for the Rockford-Winnebago County Better Roads Association.

Skillful fund raiser

Steve is skilled in fund development having chaired a 2009 successful effort to raise $5.2 million for Wesley Willows Town Center, a Rockford retirement center offering various levels of care. He also chaired the fund-development committee of the Belvidere Economic Development Board.

Under his leadership, UM men of the Rockford District raised $150,000 for the Society of St. Andrew and other hunger-relief efforts during the last 11 years. He also served as interim president of Rockford Chamber of Commerce. He has also served on the governing boards of 10 Illinois Chambers of Commerce across Illinois, He previously served as a director of First Star (now U.S.) Bank in Stephenson County.

Steve served as president of the Rockford Symphony Orchestra Board from 2014 to 2017, and he was president and chairman of the Illinois Electric Council in 1995-97.

Service to the church

Steve served the UMC as a four-time delegate to General and Jurisdictional Conferences, and a chair of the Northern Illinois Conference Committee on the Episcopacy; as chair of the conference committee, he also served on the North Central Jurisdictional Committee on the Episcopacy, the group which assigns bishops to their episcopal areas. During the North Central Jurisdictional Conference, Steve served as treasurer of a 1992 committee working to elect the Rev. Charles Jordan as a bishop, and the 1996 committee to elect the Rev. Jonathon Keaton. Both efforts were successful.

Steve also served a 7-year term on the Board of Directors of the National Council of Churches.

Honors

Freeport Mayor James Gitz declared January 19, 2002 as “Steve Nailor Day” to recognize his contributions to the city. In 2010, he received a Rotary “Service-Above-Self “Award for outstanding community service. In the same year, he was named citizen of the year by the Freeport Chamber of Commerce.

Succeeds Glenn Wintemberg

Steve succeeds Glenn Wintemberg, who served as leader of the 21-member board of directors from March 2016 to March 2020. During his four years of service, the foundation provided financial support for the Scouting Ministries Center and the Men’s Ministries Center while increasing the total managed by the foundation by $313,443 to a Jan. 31 total of $2,518,460.

Glenn also established the Glenn and Benda Wintemberg Endowment, the UM Foundation Heritage Society, the paver project, and he led efforts to rebrand the Life Membership Award as the Life Achievement Award.

Foundation officers

President––Steven Nailor, East Rockford, Ill.

Vice President––Dan Ramsey, Houston Texas

Secretary––George Hohmann, Charleston, W.Va.

Treasurer––Steve Ranous, Syracuse, N.Y.

Assistant Treasurer––Gard Wayt, Shreveport, La.