About Our Team

Ron Obernier, Team Leader

I’m Ron, and I’m a member of the Rotary Club of Fairview Heights, in the northeast portion of District 6510, Southern Illinois. I am a Paul Harris Fellow and am honored to hold several leadership roles at the district level.

I am 68 years young and have been married to my lovely English wife Lynda (from Southend-On-Sea) for 48 years. We live in the small town of Lebanon, 30 miles east of St. Louis, Missouri.

I am a retired director of aviation quality assurance. My career spanned 45 years, as a member of the U.S. Air Force and then with the U.S. Army as a civil servant.

I have multiple degrees, including applied aviation maintenance technologies and advanced powerplant technologies. I served at RAF Stations Wethersfield (63-67) and Woodbridge (74-79) and lived in Braintree and Snape.

We travel a lot and are spending our children’s inheritance as fast as we possibly can. Pottering in the garden is relaxing, and since I have discovered cooking, I am preparing to publish a recipe book.

I am excited about and feel it is a great honor to lead the Southern Illinois GSE Team. My responsibilities as Team leader are to aid, guide and assist the Team of young professionals.

I consider England my second home and look forward to returning.

Nicole Craig,  Educator

Most people call me Nikki. I am 40 years old, live in Anna, Illinois, am married and have two children: Noah, 10, and Payton, 17.

I have a Master’s of Science degree in curriculum and
instruction, a bachelor’s in elementary education and a special education endorsement. I am an early childhood instructor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the director of Anna Heights Early Learning Center in Anna.

I have had the joyful experience of working with small children for nearly 20 years and have taught university students for the past four years. I hold a firm belief that education is the most valuable experience we can have, and we never stop learning.

I enjoy exploring nature with picnics, hiking, fishing and boating, all of course while spending time with my family and friends. I am also active in my church small group and my children’s activities.

Having been sponsored by the Rotary Club of Anna-Jonesboro, this program will give me an opportunity to travel while being able to explore another culture and its educational values. I hope to learn new strategies for teaching, find diverse ways to implement curriculum and better understand another culture to enhance my communication and teaching abilities.

Courtney Goodman, Community Organizer

My name is Courtney Goodman, and I am 26 years old. I work as a community organizer for the Illinois Coalition for Community
Services, covering five counties in District 6510, Southern Illinois.

I received a master’s of public administration degree and a
bachelor’s degree in political science from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, while also serving in the Illinois National Guard.

I often volunteer, and I helped establish the Carbondale Walk MS fundraiser in 2008 in honor of a former professor.

When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time outdoors, traveling and listening to live music.

I am honored to be sponsored by Rotary Club of Carbondale-Noon as part of the Group Study Exchange to England.

I’m looking forward to learning about community development in the United Kingdom, especially regarding volunteerism, fundraising and collaboration.

I hope to come away with new methods of dealing with the ongoing economic hardships, as they relate to nonprofit management.

Ericka Iles, Dental Assistant

Hello, my name is Ericka Iles. I am 29 years old, single and have no children. I love to travel and started early! Born a military child, I spent childhood years on Zwiebruken Air Base in Germany. I traveled across the United States to Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas,
Lowery Air Force Base in Colorado and Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

I am employed by the U.S. Air Force and currently I work at Scott AFB as a periodontal dental assistant. I am responsible for patient care, maintaining infection control practices, taking radiographs, determining vital signs, records retrieval and creating impressions for diagnostic casts.

In 2006, I earned my state Certification of Dental Assisting, and I’m currently enrolled at the School of Metaphysics in Maplewood, Missouri, studying the science of the mind while serving as a Peace Ambassador representative. I am also studying to receive my national certification.

Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Fairview Heights, I am excited to be part of the Rotary Group Study Exchange to England. I am looking forward to observing the dental field and learning how my specialty is undertaken in the United Kingdom. I hope to come away with new perspective on dental patient care.

Adam Testa, Journalist

My name is Adam Testa, and a I am a 28-year-old journalist
at The Southern Illinoisan news organization in Carbondale.

For more than three years, I worked as a news reporter before
becoming an entertainment and lifestyles reporter. I write about
topics including health, religion, family and finance.

I have bachelor’s degrees in marketing and journalism from Eastern Illinois University, where I graduated in 2007. I have earned numerous local, regional, state and national awards, primarily for in-depth and investigative reporting. I hope to one day become an editor at a regional news organization.

Outside of work, I enjoy traveling, creative writing and reading. I also do graphic and web design and contribute to a variety of websites in different capacities.

Having been sponsored by the Rotary Club of Carbondale-Noon, I’m honored to be part of this exchange team and hope to gain insight into issues facing media in England from all perspectives: producers, consumers and the greater community.