Dr. John E. Koenig, a native of Effingham, Illinois where he was raised the eldest of seven children by devoted parents of meager means. In high school, he was elected captain of the 1961 football and basketball teams, selected to the Chicago Tribune All-Star team, president of his class three times, and was awarded a football scholarship to Southeast Missouri State University where he graduated with a BS in Kinesiology, Biology, and Social Science in 1966. After a career in teaching and coaching, he and his family returned to Effingham in 1973 where he chaired a successful United Way campaign and organized the initial YMCA feasibility committee for Effingham County resulting in the building of a state-of-the art facility. Koenig earned a MS of Educational Administration degree from Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville, Illinois, and received a PhD with distinction in Educational Leadership from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale, Illinois in 1978, where he is the only two year recipient of the prestigious Raymond Foster Endowment for Excellence for Graduate Academic Studies. Koenig spent 20 years as a senior university administrator and professor in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana; 14 years as a secondary school administrator, teacher and coach; and eight years as a business executive. In addition to his work in education, Dr. Koenig administered programs and services for children and adults with special needs; was President/CEO of a nine-office family and children mental health center for indigent families in Florida. He also served as the CEO/President of an International Education Association, and was elected to several boards of directors. Koenig was a member of five renowned symphony orchestra choruses in Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Florida, and Colorado. Dr. Koenig retired in 2011 as a senior associate department chair and associate professor at Indiana University and is currently a business and education consultant.