Christine attended Illinois Central College, where she obtained an associate’s degree in accounting. After gaining some work experience, she pursued further education and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois – Springfield. Furthering her skill set, Christine passed the CPA exam and became a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Illinois for eight years.

Christine’s professional journey began at Clifton Gunderson & Co. in Peoria, IL where she worked for seven years in the administrative offices under the Controller, handling accounts payable and payroll. She then spent approximately a year at QST Corporation in Peoria, IL, where she worked on accounting for multiple entities during the electric deregulation pilot in Illinois.

Christine then returned to Clifton Gunderson & Co., where she served twelve additional years as a member of the firm’s technology group as the Office Administrator, Marketing Coordinator, and HR/Financial Reporting specialist. The technology group managed internal computer systems and provided technology consulting services to clients.