As associate development director and marketing manager for the W. D. Boyce Council, Boy Scouts of America, Katie Jurgens oversees public relations and marketing activities for 14 districts across central Illinois; manages and mentors multiple college interns; and plans and executes more than 16 annual fundraising events, from golf outings to the organization’s largest fundraiser, the Distinguished Citizen Award ceremony. 

During her tenure, the W. D. Boyce Council celebrated 19 consecutive years as a Gold Council—the highest level within Scouting’s Journey to Excellence recognition program and the only council to be honored 19 years in a row. Jurgens herself has earned numerous individual awards, including National President’s Awards for Marketing Excellence in the categories of finance support, marketing collateral, marketing campaign and public relations. 

Active in the community, Jurgens has participated in the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassador program and serves on the board of the Young Professionals of Greater Peoria (YPGP) as social chair, planning and organizing monthly socials with local businesses. She also served on the steering committee that organized YPGP’s inaugural signature event, Monster Mash, in 2019, and is involved with Echelon Peoria, the emerging professionals’ arm of the Salvation Army, having served on its Red Hot Christmas committee for five years and becoming co-chair earlier this year.  

A 2019 graduate of the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce Community Leadership School, Jurgens was selected to participate on the CLS Planning Committee in 2020. She recently joined the Bradley Employer Advisory Board and Heart of Illinois Big Brothers Big Sisters, and has been a regular volunteer for other community events such as the Creve Coeur Club’s George Washington Day Banquet and Easterseals’ Black & Blue Ball. PM