Board of Directors
Charisa Ausfahl
President
Charisa Ausfahl is originally from Alvin, Texas. Her Dad, who spent his career at Johnson Space Center, taught…(more)
her to dream big dreams and follow the Lord. Her Mom, who devoted herself to being on the boards of several non-profits while still homeschooling Charisa and her two younger sisters from kindergarten through highschool, taught her a love and compassion for people. Charisa worked for the Shuttle Program Office at Johnson Space Center during the summers while she attended Cedarville University in Ohio. She graduated with a BA in Elementary Education, specializing in Behavioral Science. She married her college sweetheart Philip in 2001. Shen then worked for Caterpillar Inc in Marketing and Brand Management until 2004. They have 5 children, two of whom they adopted internationally. She opened Blessed Assurance Portraits in 2017 and rebranded to Charisa Studios in January of 2023. Charisa Studios is located in Washington, IL. Charisa and her family reside nearby in Metamora.
In the fall of 2023, Charisa became very alarmed at the number of teen suicides. As a mother of teens, this impacted her deeply. She began praying earnestly for the Lord to show her what part she could play in helping stem this tide. Purposed Generation was birthed from those prayers. He showed her He had placed this calling in her heart and had already given her the tools He wanted her to use to reach teens. She started offering teen sessions during the winter of 2024. She is so excited to watch as He continues to reveal more of His plan and grow what is now named Purposed Generation. She is so humbled and honored as the Lord has brought together an incredible Board of Directors with which to serve. To God be the Glory as we work to show teens they have been created by God for a purpose- their unique gifts, talents, interests and yes, even their quirks, make them rocking awesome!
Charlotte Silver
Secretary & Director
Charlotte lives at Camp Manitoumi with her husband Trevor and is a homeschool mom…(more)
She is passionate about Jesus, teen and women’s ministry, and creating welcoming spaces through her love of interior design. They also own Silver Touch Photography. She and Trevor have 5 daughters and one grandbaby, with two more on the way.
Terry Baum
Director
Terry Baum is President of Otto Baum Company, Inc. OBCI started in 1937 and has grown to be one of the nation’s top…(more)
mason contractors and also provides large-scale Concrete, Civil, and Restoration services. In 1992 Terry graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Operations Management from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, got married, moved to Tucson, AZ, and worked as a laborer for Sun Valley Masonry while his wife Janeen finished her bachelor’s degree in Nursing at the University of Arizona. Terry’s dad Kenny Baum, who at the time was OBCI’s VP, thought I’d be a good fit in the accounting department. Terry took his dad’s offer and they moved back to Morton after she graduated in May of 1993.
Terry’s first role was an accounting clerk whose main responsibility was to collect past due accounts receivable. Fortunately for him, OBCI was without a controller and the accounting team needed leadership. He found purpose in this effort and came alive in the accounting department. Soon he was asking a lot of questions, streamlining processes and consolidating responsibilities so the team operated more effectively. Moreover, while other family members focused on estimating and field operations, he was able to concentrate on other aspects of the business such as accounting standards, safety and risk management, fleet management, software & IT, HR and developing policies and procedures. Over time he took on the roles of controller, then general manager, and in 2007 he became the president.
Terry and his wife Janeen reside in Morton and are members of Bethany Community church in Washington. They have 7 children and 3 grandchildren.
Mailee Smith
Director
Mailee Smith is the Illinois Policy Institute’s vice president of policy and litigation. Mailee’s expertise has been featured…(more)
in hundreds of television, radio and podcast appearances, including Fox News, the Cato Institute and multiple Chicago and national stations. Her opinion pieces and legal analyses have appeared in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, National Review and the Chicago Tribune.
Mailee earned her law degree from Valparaiso University and her bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Greenville University. After law school, Mailee clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth L. Ryskamp in the Southern District of Florida. Prior to joining the institute, Mailee worked at a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, where she drafted legislation and served as the organization’s primary litigation attorney. Mailee is admitted to practice in the state of Illinois, the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th circuits. She is also an adjunct professor at Trinity International University.
Mailee is a pastor’s wife, and they have 3 children – a son in college and two daughters.
Justin Kauffman
Director
Justin is an experienced business leader and coach. He is currently the CEO of Apalis, a company developing a new…(more)
technology-enabled service Network to help farmers protect and sell their production.
He is passionate about helping leaders and employees embrace their unique strengths and find joy in their work. He has coached business leaders from around the world and currently works as an Executive Coach in Harvard Business School’s Executive Education program.
Prior to being part of the founding group of Apalis, Justin led Precision Planting, an agriculture hardware and software technology company. Justin was responsible for expanding their product and market presence throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia, and led a group of over 600 employees. Justin has had the unique experience of leading the Precision Planting organization through the acquisition process from private to public ownership, as well as the acquisition and assimilation of multiple businesses.
Justin is passionate about helping teams develop category defining product innovations and establishing a company culture that engages and inspires all employees. He specializes in working with early-stage businesses and entrepreneurs that are working to scale a business into new markets.
In addition to his work as a business and leadership coach, Justin has served on multiple governance and advisory boards for organizations in both the non-profit and business sectors. He also enjoys coaching youth basketball and baseball teams.
Justin has a BS in Business Management from Bradley University and an MBA from Biola University. Justin currently lives in Washington with his wife Katie and their four children.