Officers

Installation of 2023-2023 Officers (04/02/23)

L to R – David Roeth / Esquire, Michael Fleishour / Inner Guard, Mark Goddard / PER – 5th Year Trustee, Charles Keyser / Treasurer, Missy Dillon / Secretary, Robert Cameron / Lecturing Knight, Will Sidney / Loyal Knight, Beth Schnettler / Exalted Ruler, Ryan Jennings / Leading Knight (Not Pictured)

Exalted Ruler

Beth Schnettler – Exalted Ruler (Fidelity)

As Chief Executive Officer of the Lodge, the Exalted Ruler is ultimately responsible for the performance of Lodge programs and the reaching its goals.  The Exalted Ruler is the Chief Executive Officer of the Lodge and has ultimate responsibility for properly administering all phases of its activities, including Lodge functions and club operations, including: 01. Appointing the Tiler, Inner Guard, Chaplain and Esquire, and Members of the Committees required under Section 13.020 of the Laws of the Order, 02. Appointment of the Presiding Justice of the Local Forum and the Local Lodge Mediator, 03. Reviewing the Opening, Closing and Initiatory Rituals applicable to the station and sufficient familiarization with other rituals to permit impressive rendition of your parts in them, 04. Presiding at all meetings of the Lodge with appropriate attention to their agenda and enforcement of proper decorum, 05. Attending all meetings of the Board of Trustees of the Lodge as an ex‑officio member without vote, 06. Attending the Clinics of the District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler for the District in which your Lodge is located, unless excused for good cause, 07. Attending the annual and other required meetings of the State Association to which your Lodge belongs, 08. Preparing the official visit of the District Deputy to your Lodge authorized under Section 4.460 of the Laws of the Order, 09. Attending the Grand Lodge Session after your installation and participation in Grand Lodge proceedings as the official representative of your Lodge.

Our 15 Past Exalted Rulers are James Allmeroth, Michael Conley, Robert Dixon, Hal Dygert, Kurt Eggerding, A.J. Ford, Mark Gabauer, Mark Goddard, Frank Kilcullen, Jim Martin, Doug McWard, Kut Lord, Timothy Luby, Doug Reuther, & Dr. Mark Zust.

Leading Knight

Ryan Jennings – Leading Knight (Charity)

Previous Leading Knights include Beth Schnetter, Mark Goddard, AJ Ford, Kurt Lord, Skip Bray, Kurt Eggerding, & Doug McWard.

Loyal Knight

Wil Sidney – Loyal Knight (Justice)

Previous Loyal Knights include Ryan Jennings, Beth Schnettler, Ryan Jennings (’20), David Roeth, George Pfandler, and Dave McDonald.

Lecturing Knight

Bob Cameron – Lecturing Knight (Brotherly Love)

Previous Lecturing Knights include Wil Sidney, Ryan Jennings, A.J. Ford, Jeff Thompson, Jeff Thompson, & Kathy Dixon.

The Knights’ specific duties and responsibilities include:

01. Reviewing the Opening, Closing and Initiatory Rituals applicable to the stations and sufficient familiarization with other rituals to permit impressive rendition of them, 02. Studying the Laws of the Order, its Rituals, the By‑Laws of the Lodge, this and other manuals of the Order and Robert’s Rules of Order, 03. Assisting the Exalted Ruler in conducting the affairs of the Lodge, 04. Acting in the absence of the Exalted Ruler in the order of rank, including presiding at Lodge meetings, unless a Past Exalted Ruler has been designated for the occasions, 05. Observing proper protocol as set forth in the Grand Lodge Protocol Manual, 06. Proper discharge of duties as assigned. The Leading Knight must attend the Clinics of the District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler for the District in which the Lodge is located unless excused for good cause.

1st Year Trustee

Jeff Thompson – 1 Year Trustee

2nd Year Trustee

Timothy Luby / PER – 2 Year Trustee

3rd Year Trustee

Michael Schnettler – 3 Year Trustee

4th Year Trustee

A.J. Ford / PER – 4 Year Trustee

5th Year Trustee

Mark Goddard / PER – 5 Year Trustee

The 11-member Board of Directors (BoD) consists of the Exalted Ruler, Leading Knight, Loyal Knight, Lecturing Knight, 5 Trustees, Secretary, & Treasurer have the following responsibilities:

– Control of the funds, investments and real and personal property of the Lodge, not otherwise provided by law, and shall receive and collect the income and rents therefrom.
– Executing all leases, contracts or other papers when ordered by the Lodge.
– The Board does not have authority for listing of Lodge real estate for sale and/or entering into any sales contract prior to approval of such action by a majority vote of the Lodge.
– The Board holds at least one regular meeting each month and as needed special meetings called by the Chairman. Minutes are kept of each meeting of the Board.
 – The Exalted Ruler will be given the same notice of all meetings of the Board, and in the same manner, as is given to the other members of the Board.
– The Board keeps a record of investments made under direction of the Lodge, showing original cost, the due dates and amount of interest or profit on investments, the date and amounts of deposits made by it and date and amounts of drafts drawn from the bank by order of the Lodge.
– The Board purchases all supplies ordered by the Lodge, and all paper, books and stationery needed by the Officers for the performance of their duties.
– The Board also holds the bonds of the Officers and provides a monthly written report of its transactions at the first regular meetings each month.
– The Board is responsible for establishing an Accident Prevention Program, with one member designated as Accident Prevention Manager, to continually review and implement a policy, in concert with Grand Lodge and State Association programs, to protect the Lodge from claims for accidents and injuries.
The Board performs other duties as may be required by the Laws of the Order and By-Law of the Lodge. The Board presents a segregated budget no later than the final regular meeting of the Lodge in April, making appropriations for each of the objects for which the Lodge must or may provide out of monies known to be in possession of the Lodge or estimated to come into it during the ensuing Lodge year.
A budget either in its original or modified form must be adopted by the Lodge at the meeting or at the next regular meeting.
After the budget has been adopted, all expenditures during the Lodge year must be kept within the limits of the appropriations made.
When a proposal is made for an expenditure in excess of the adopted budget, the proposal will be promptly referred to the Board of Trustees for consideration and written recommendation at the next regular Lodge meeting.
The proposal may be adopted by not less than a two-thirds vote of the Members present at a regular meeting.
The Budget may include an item for contingent purposes to cover emergencies and expenditures may be approved by a vote of two-thirds of the Members present at a regular meeting.
Unexpended appropriations at the end of the Lodge year will be available for appropriation in the budget for the next Lodge year.

Secretary

Missy Dillon – Secretary

The Elected Secretary’s specific duties and responsibilities include: 01. Keeping accurate minutes of all meetings, 02. – Maintaining accounts between the Lodge and its members, 03. Assigning a number to each Member which is shown on his membership card, 04. Maintaining a current mailing list for all Members consistent with the Chicago Lodge Membership System (CLMS) and as directed by the Grand Secretary, 05. Receiving all monies due the Lodge and paying them over to the Treasurer, 06, Informing applicants for membership of their acceptance or rejection, 07. Notifying all committee appointees, 08. Preparing the Annual Report to the Grand Lodge, 09. Preparing a period membership report on forms furnished by the Grand Secretary as of the 1st day of November of each year, 10. Reporting all expulsions and suspensions to the Grand Secretary, 11. Reading and answering all correspondence of the Lodge subject to the approval of the Exalted Ruler, 12. Giving bond of at least $5,000 or in greater amount as may be provided in the By-Laws, 13. Presenting a written report of the transactions of his/her office to the Lodge at the first session in April and October, 14. Receiving compensation as fixed by the By-Laws, 15. Performing all duties required by the Subordinate Forum, & 16. Attending all District Deputy clinics, unless excused for good cause.

Previous Secretaries include Sara Moss, Mark Goddard, Jim Creighton, Mick Conley, Becky Rosteck, & John Hogan.

Treasurer

Charles Keyser – Treasurer

The Treasurer’s specific duties and responsibilities include: 01. Receiving all monies of the Lodge from the Secretary, and giving the Secretary with a receipt,02. Paying all approved bills against the Lodge on vouchers signed by the Exalted Ruler and the Secretary. The Lodge By-Laws may provide for payment of recurring bills after approval of the Board of Trustees without obtaining Lodge prior approval. The Payment shall be reported at the next Lodge meeting, 03. Maintaining an accurate record of receipts and disbursements, 04. Giving bond of at least $5,000 or in a greater amount as may be provided in the By-Laws, 05. Acting as Treasurer of all Committees unless otherwise provided by the By-Laws, 06. Signing all checks unless the By-Laws also provide for a member of the Board of Trustees designated by the Treasurer to sign. The Trustee shall give bond in the same amount as required of the Treasurer. A Lodge may authorize the Treasurer to establish and replenish a checking account, not to exceed $1,000.00, for the sole purpose of paying for club supplies and inventory. With the approval of the supervising and managing body of the club, the Treasurer may authorize another officer or the club manager to be a signer on this account only. Should the By-Laws require more than one signature, the additional signatories shall not be permitted to be an immediate family member of the first signatory, 07. Receiving compensation as provided for in the By-Laws.

Previous Treasures include Mike Egel, Bill Unwin, & John Simpson.

Chaplain

Scott Surgener – Chaplain

The Chaplain’s duties and responsibilities include: 01. Reviewing the parts of the Opening and Closing and Initiatory rituals applicable to the office and being sufficiently familiar with other rituals to permit impressive rendition of the parts, 02. And although not required by the Laws of the Order, it is customary in most Lodges, where invocations and benedictions are part of the various social activities, that the Chaplain performs this function with suitable words of his or her choice.

Previous Chaplains include Julius Adewunmi, Mike Egel, Meredith Crenshaw, Lizzy Dixon, & Bridget Barolak.

Esquire

David Roeth – Esquire

The Esquire is appointed by the Exalted Ruler whose duties and responsibilities include: 01. Organizing the Lodge for meetings, 02. Preparing candidates for initiation, 03. Examining and introducing visiting members, 04. Supervising the balloting, 05. Transmitting official messages as directed by the Exalted Ruler, 06. Reviewing the parts in the Opening and Closing and Initiatory rituals applicable to the office and being sufficiently familiar with other rituals to permit impressive rendition of the parts., 07. Performing other duties as are inherent in and pertain to the office, or required by the Laws of the Order, or the By-Laws of the Lodge.

Previous Esquires include Mick Conley, Doug Reuther, & Mark Gabauer.

Inner Guard

Paul Runge – Inner Guard

The Inner Guard is appointed by the Exalted Ruler and has the following duties and responsibilities: 01. Reviewing the parts of the Opening and Closing and Initiatory rituals applicable to the office and being sufficiently familiar with other rituals to permit impressive rendition of the parts, 02. Maintaining his/her position at the inner door of the Lodge, allowing none but those who are qualified to enter, and executing the orders of the Exalted Ruler and the Lodge, 03. Performing other duties as are inherent in and pertain to the office, or required by the Laws of the Order, or the By-Laws of the Lodge.

Previous Inner Guards include Jerry Wittenauer, Andrew Linhardt, Alex Stirrat, & Susan Flowers.

Tiler

Michael Fleishour – Tiler

The Tiler’s duties and responsibilities include: 01. Guarding the outer door of the Lodge at all meetings and permitting no person to enter without previous announcement through the Inner Guard, and permission of the Exalted Ruler, 02. Requiring all Members to show their membership cards and requiring visiting Members to register in the book kept for that purpose, 03. Remaining at his/her station until the close of all meetings, 04. Assuming charge of all jewels, regalia and other like Lodge property and seeing that they are in proper condition for all meetings of the Lodge, 05. Furnishing all necessary paraphernalia by order of the presiding Officer, having charge of the keys to Lodge doors, and seeing that all Lodge property is safely stored before leaving the Lodge room.

Previous Tilers include Matt Minton, Matt Robinson, Ryan Jennings, Joe Reuther, Brett Miller, John Simpson, Katie Reuther, & Bill Unwin.

The Board of Directors

The Board, subject to control by the Lodge, has the following responsibilities:

01. Control of the funds, investments and real and personal property of the Lodge, not otherwise provided by law, and shall receive and collect the income and rents therefrom, 02. Executing all leases, contracts or other papers when ordered by the Lodge, 03. The Board does not have authority for listing of Lodge real estate for sale and/or entering into any sales contract prior to approval of such action by a majority vote of the Lodge. 04. The Board holds at least one regular meeting each month and needed special meetings called by the Chairman. Minutes are kept of each meeting of the Board, 05. The Exalted Ruler will be given the same notice of all meetings of the Board, and in the same manner, as is given to the other members of the Board, 06. The Board keeps a record of investments made under direction of the Lodge, showing original cost, the due dates and amount of interest or profit on investments, the date and amounts of deposits made by it and date and amounts of drafts drawn from the bank by order of the Lodge, 07. The Board purchases all supplies ordered by the Lodge, and all paper, books and stationary needed by the Officers for the performance of their duties, 08. The Board also holds the bonds of the Officers, and provides a monthly written report of its transactions at the first regular meetings each month, 09. The Board is responsible for establishing an Accident Prevention Program, with one member designated as Accident Prevention Manager, to continually review and implement a policy, in concert with Grand Lodge and State Association programs, to protect the Lodge from claims for accidents and injuries, 10. The Board performs other duties as may be required by the Laws of the Order and By-Law of the Lodge, 11. The Board presents a segregated budget no later than the final regular meeting of the Lodge in April, making appropriations for each of the objects for which the Lodge must or may provide out of monies known to be in possession of the Lodge or estimated to come into it during the ensuing Lodge year, 11a. A budget either in its original or modified form must be adopted by the Lodge at the meeting or at the next regular meeting, 11b. After the budget has been adopted, all expenditures during the Lodge year must be kept within the limits of the appropriations made, 11c. When a proposal is made for an expenditure in excess of the adopted budget, the proposal will be promptly referred to the Board of Trustees for consideration and written recommendation at the next regular Lodge meeting, 11d. The proposal may be adopted by not less than a two-thirds vote of the Members present at a regular meeting, 11e. The Budget may include an item for contingent purposes to cover emergencies and expenditures may be approved by a vote of two-thirds of the Members present at a regular meeting, 11f. Unexpended appropriations at the end of the Lodge year will be available for appropriation in the budget for the next Lodge year.

House

Doug Reuther (PER) – House Chair

The House Committee is responsible for managing and supervising the Club facility, including decisions pertaining to employment relationships and the fixing of prices for goods and services, and hearing complaints for violations of House Rules. Members serve at the pleasure of the Exalted Ruler and may be removed by him/her at any time, with or without cause.
 
Previous House Chairs include Brandon Gray, Matt Minton, Robert Dixon, Mark Goddard, Loren Hewitt, & Doug Reuther.

2022

Introducing your fiscal 2023 Officers

Pictured (L to R); Mark Goddard (Exalted Ruler), AJ Ford (5th Year Trustee), Will Sidney (Lecturing Knight), David Roeth (Esquire), Julious Adewunmi (Chaplain), Beth Schnettler (Leading Knight), Matt Minton (Inner Guard & House Chair), Sara Moss (Secretary), & Ryan Jennings (Loyal Knight).
Not Pictured; Charles Keyser (Treasurer), Tim Luby (3rd Year Trustee), Paul Runge (Tiler), Jeff Thompson (2nd Year Trustee), Michael Schnettler (4th Year Trustee & Site Strategy Chair), & Ben Yousef (1st Year Trustee).

2021

New Officers Installation 04/05/21 #1. (L to R)

Jerry O’ Connell (Tiler), Jerry Whittenauer (Inner Guard), Doug McWard (PER), Cis Russell (PER, Affton #2635), Ryan Jennings (Lecturing Knight), Mike Egel (Treasurer), AJ Ford (Exalted Ruler), Chris Miller (PER, Affton #2635), Michael Schnettler (Trustee), Beth Schnettler (Loyal Knight), Mark Goddard (Leading Knight), Julious Adewunmi (Chaplain), Mark Gabaeur (PER & Trustee), Keith Freeman (DDGER, Affton #2635), Sara Moss (Secretary), David Roeth (Esquire), Carol Meatte (PER & past DDGER, Manchester 2058), Mick Conley (PER), & Tim Luby (PER & Trustee).

New Officers Installation 04/05/21 #2. (L to R)

Jerry O’ Connell (Tiler), Jerry Whittenauer (Inner Guard), Ryan Jennings (Lecturing Knight), Mike Egel (Treasurer), AJ Ford (Exalted Ruler), Mark Goddard (Leading Knight), Beth Schnettler (Loyal Knight), Michael Schnettler (Trustee), Julious Adewunmi (Chaplain), Sara Moss (Secretary), & David Roeth (Esquire).