PEORIA MAGAZINE February 2023

R oberta English is no stranger to big cities. She’s lived in Chicago, Dublin, London and Washington, D.C., to name a few. But friends and family in central Illinois brought her back to the Peoria area year after year, and she grew to love it. In 2011, she pivoted from television journalism to nonprofit work, which opened a path to Peoria. In 2013, she moved here full-time, taking a position with Neighborhood House as its director of community outreach. She left the operation as its chief operating officer in 2019. "NeighborhoodHouse is definitely still a place that has my heart," she recently reflected. "I think I grew into the person I amat NeighborhoodHouse. …Andwhat a place to learn about nonprofits — a place that is really friendly and generous."

S P O T L I G H T

ALLERGIC TO ANIMALS BUT NOT TO WILDLIFE CEO Roberta English has big plans for Wildlife Prairie Park’s 45th year

BY LAURIE PILLMAN PHOTO BY RON JOHNSON

82 FEBRUARY 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE