Charles “Chuck” Canfield - Class of 1985
Charles Canfield is a globally recognized leader in the field of corporate governance and has exemplified good character and volunteerism to help other people throughout the world, especially those in developing countries.
Chuck participated in numerous activities at Fenton including wrestling, in which he was All-Conference his senior year. He also served as vice president of the Student Council. Following his graduation from high school, he entered Elmhurst College and earned his bachelor's degree in Accounting, passing the uniform Certified Public Accountant exam upon graduation. While at Elmhurst College, Chuck was captain of the wrestling team and compiled a 70-24-1 record and was named NCAA Academic All-American, First Team in 1987 and was named Scholar Athlete of the Year in 1989. Chuck was vice president of student government at Elmhurst, vice president of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity and inducted into the Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Society.
Mr. Canfield served as a U.S. Peace Corps Economic Development Volunteer in Ukraine, which was the first form of technical assistance that the United States had ever provided to the Soviet Union’s successor states. While in the Peace Corps, Chuck worked on a project that spearheaded legal reform initiatives, including developing the Constitution of Ukraine, establishing a law school and a human rights monitoring agency. Following his service in the Peace Corps, Chuck worked on several U.S. Government funded efforts to facilitate market oriented reforms in the Ukraine. Subsequently, he went on to earn his Juris Doctor degree cum laude from Northwestern University School of Law, where Chuck was named to the Dean’s List every semester and was recognized for the best senior research article.
Following law school, Chuck practiced corporate law for the Chicago-based Mayer, Brown, Rowe and Maw until he returned overseas to work in the field of economic development with the goal of reducing poverty and improving people’s lives. Chuck is currently a Senior Corporate Governance Officer for the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group based in Hong Kong. In his international development work, Chuck has drafted law and regulations for ten different countries including: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, China, Georgia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Russia, Ukraine and Vietnam. He is a renowned expert in the field of corporate governance and is often selected by notable organizations to deliver corporate governance presentations to international conferences around the world. Chuck has learned how to speak Ukrainian and Russian and is currently learning how to speak Mandarin.
Elizabeth Miltz Haase - Class of 1976
While at Fenton, Elizabeth was involved in several activities including Intramural Tennis, Orchesis Dance Club, Thespian Society and the National Honor Society. She loved performing in the plays and musicals during her high school years and was voted Best Actress for Anne Frank and an Honor Thespian.
Mrs. Haase graduated from Northern Illinois University with a B.S. in Special Education, Hearing Impaired and a minor in German and has completed graduate hours in Autism and Library Science. She is currently in the Wisconsin Metropolitan School District where she teaches deaf and hard of hearing students as well as students with other cognitive physical disabilities. Her teaching experience includes itinerant, interpreter, cross-categorical, consultant, self-contained and resource positions and she has worked with bilingual deaf students and their families including Hmong, Spanish, Nigerian and Laotian. Elizabeth has coordinated lectures and visitations by deaf and hard of hearing persons, managed and maintained students’ use of hearing aids and cochlear implants and other adaptive equipment/devices for students with hearing or other physical disabilities. She has taught sign language classes to professionals, parents, community members, camp staff and regular education students and has inserviced school staff, students and parents on topics related to hearing impairment.
Elizabeth is a member of the Wisconsin Hearing Impaired Network, serving in several capacities including teacher member, inservice committee chairperson, newsletter editor, regional contact representative and convention chairperson. She is a member of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, Wisconsin Speech, Language and Hearing Association, Illinois Teachers of the Hearing Impaired and a lifetime member of the International Foreign Language Honor Society—Phi Sigma Iota.
Mrs. Haase has participated in community theater and has volunteered for the Girl Scouts, her church, the local Humane Society and zoo.
Russ Rodriguez - Class of 1975
Russ Rodriguez won three Emmy Awards for Sports Broadcasting “Bull, White Sox and Cubs Broadcasts” and “It Sounded Like a Freight Train” (a documentary on tornadoes produced with Tom Skilling of WGN. He has been the television director and technical manager for a variety of different entertainment and sports programs including major music festivals across the country. These events include Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo , Austin City Limits, Coachella, Mile High Music Fest and South by Southwest to name a few.
Mr. Rodriguez is currently the owner of Aesthetic Abstractions, Inc. providing television production services nationally for news, sports and special events. Clients include ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox Sport, Showtime, MTV, Disney and Univision. He has personally covered the Super Bowl, MLB World Series, The Final Four, Olympic Figure Skating and Down Hill Racing, LFL, SFL and Indy Racing. He has also directed many well known artists such as Paul McCartney, Sting, Prince, Dave Matthews Band, Anuna, Green Day and The National. He is also the President of Exodus—a drum core and marching band born in the inner city, giving at-risk youth an opportunity to succeed and develop life skills through music.
Russ donates his video taping and production skills to the community to tape events for the Bensenville Community Theater, Alchemy Theater (Wood Dale), Bensenville Library, Bensenville Elementary School District 2 and the Bensenville Historical Society. He served for ten years as a member and Chairman of the Bensenville Police and Fire Commission and was responsible for reshaping the community’s law enforcement direction and focus. Russ also served for six years as a member of the Bensenville Zoning Board of Appeals as well as the Community Development Commission and worked to create the revitalized new downtown area. He is a past member and president of the District 2 Board of Education for over 20 years and has coached girls basketball, boys baseball and girls softball teams for 30 years in the Bensenville Boys Athletic Association.