At our October 2022 meeting, Chris Janota was nominated and voted in by his fellow board members to become our ninth President since the Society's inception in 1985. He was a resident of Park Forest early in life. His grandparents came to Park Forest in 1952 and remained here their whole lives, making many contributions to the village.

Chris is the grandson of Ray and Deloris Janota. Ray was the first faculty member hired at Rich Township High and chose the school colors. Deloris established the speech pathology program for District 163. He is the son of Bill and Lorraine Janota.

Chris reached out to volunteer for the board back in 2017 as a tribute to his grandparents’ love for Park Forest and was surprised to learn Ray had been an early and longtime member of the board and had designed the Hall of Fame logo. 

Chris is our first descendant of a former board member to serve. He received an economics degree from Northern Illinois University and is the founder and President of Envoy Wealth Management in Crown Point, Indiana. He and his wife, Megan, reside in Northwest Indiana.  

In June 2022, his accomplishments were recognized by InvestmentNews, which nominated Chris into their "40 Under 40" Class of 2022.

The board appreciates Chris for his business acumen, his experience handling all things financial, and his willingness to take on any task he has been asked to do. He has inherited the kindness and sense of humor we knew with Ray and Deloris, who were longtime active members and volunteers for the Society.

Chris has been the one who has taken PFHS into the YouTube realm and has labored long and hard to get our programs launched. With a President who is the same age as the Society, we are excited to see what the future holds.