Jim Paoni

Husband and Father
Skilled in Nonprofit and Social Service Management and Governance, Professional Development, and Technology Applications
Musician

I am a happily married father of one living in central Illinois and have worked in social services training and technical assistance for over 20 years. I have delivered trainings and presentations for hundreds of events. I have been a lead trainer for the substance abuse disorders prevention system in Illinois, managed training programs for Illinois' Community Action Agencies, and taught intermediate English as a Second Language classes at a community college. I am an expert in many areas of nonprofit organization management and governance, having worked in the social service field for most of my adult life. I have served on the boards of directors of nonprofit organizations including Heartland Peace Center and Friends of the Sangamon Valley. I am a Level 1 Certified Synchronous Training Professional (CSTP). I received a graduate certificate in management of nonprofit organizations from Sangamon State University (now University of Illinois at Springfield) and hold a bachelor's degree in liberal studies/sociology from California State University Stanislaus. I am an alumnus of the Education Policy Fellowship Program of the Institute for Educational Leadership and hold a lifetime California Community College Certification to teach adult non-credit courses for English as a second language (ESL). My family lives on our Riverwood Farms "farmette" where we also have horses, a mule, several chickens and ducks, a barn, pasture, wooded areas in the Sangamon River floodplain, and an older home we work to maintain and update. I began playing music in childhood and am an accomplished musician, songwriter and guitarist who also plays other instruments.