Our Founders

 J.J. was born in Chicago and grew up in the Northwest suburbs.  After graduating from the University of Illinois in 1983 with a degree in Accounting he started his law enforcement career a Special Agent with the U.S. Treasury Department.  After four years with Treasury he transferred to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and served as a Special Agent, and later a Group Supervisor, for 25 years.  After his retirement from the DEA in 2012 he served another seven years as an Illinois State Police Inspector and Rock Island County Deputy Sheriff in a local drug task force, the Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group, retiring again in February 2020.  

 Rene is a retired Illinois State Police officer.  During his tenure, he was the Director of two MEG Units (Quad City Meg & Peoria MEG) and an instructor on Illegal drug trends and Officer Involved Critical Incidents.  He is married to Suzi, and they have three grown children and 5 grandchildren.  

Rene is currently involved with the Christian Cursillo movement and also volunteers as the property/grounds keeper at CRC.  

As a CRC Board member, his goal is to continue to support CRC as we move into the next phases of development. 

 Brad is a senior executive with 30+ years in leadership roles, Brad has consistently driven record-breaking growth by developing and implementing game-changing business growth plans across multiple industries.  Now, as President of Velocity GC, LLC, Brad leads Velocity in working directly with mid-market businesses regardless of industry or market, showing them how they can accelerate their profitable growth, too. 

Additional, Brad has experience as a top executive, building a start-up company to the independent industry leader

in corporate wellness, working closely with Private Equity and Venture capital firms to deliver investment growth initiatives, and in Sales and Sales Management roles at ADP.

Educational Background:

-Northern Illinois University, BS Marketing

-University of Chicago – Booth School of Business, Executive Program in Strategic Sales Management

Paul is a retired Chief of Police from Davenport, Iowa (2016-2022). Over his 34-year career with the Davenport Police

Department he has held every Civil Service rank within the Department 

Most recently Paul served as the Security Director at Rhythm City Casino (ret. 2025) and also works as a national training consultant for the Institute for

Intergovernmental Research (IIR).

Educational Background:

 - University of Northern Iowa                   (BA Criminology).

 - Western IL University (Master's of Law Enforcement Justice Admin.)

 - Harvard Kennedy

School (Senior Executives in State and Local Government course). 

-FBI National Academy Graduate (2018)

Paul has been married to Deb for over

30 years, and they have two adult children. Further, he has been involved with Quad Cities Big Brother and

Big Sisters for several years.

Julie Stark brings more than 30 years of experience in engineering, automation, enterprise technology, cybersecurity, and organizational leadership. She joined QCR Holdings in 2017 and now serves as EVP Chief Information Officer, where she leads technology strategy and supports teams through growth, change, and innovation. Throughout her career, Julie has focused on building strong teams, strengthening organizations, and helping people navigate change with clarity, care, and purpose.

Julie earned a BS in Aerospace Engineering from Iowa State University and an MBA from St. Ambrose University. She values lifelong learning and has continued to pursue leadership and technical education in areas such as enterprise architecture, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and banking technologies.

Julie is honored to serve on the board of Cornerstone Retreat Center in Orion, IL, supporting its mission to provide preventative and restorative emotional health and wellness services and education to first responders and their families. Her leadership experience in building strong teams and helping organizations navigate change aligns closely with Cornerstone’s goals of strengthening resilience, connection, and long-term well-being for those who serve their communities. Her connection to this mission is personal: she and her husband, Jim, have been married for 34 years, and Jim is a retired law enforcement officer of 29 years. Their son Pete is a firefighter in Colorado, and their son Carter and daughter-in-law Mikayla are physical therapists in Arizona. Julie is grateful for the opportunity to support an organization whose work has meaningful impact on first responders and their families.

Jim Stark is a dedicated public servant and community leader with more than three decades of experience in law enforcement, investigations, and public safety. He began his career with the Davenport Police Department in 1990, serving the citizens of Davenport for nearly 30 years before retiring in 2019 at the rank of Sergeant.

During his career with the department, Jim has served in several specialized assignments, gaining extensive experience in critical areas of law enforcement. His service included assignments with the Emergency Services Team, the Criminal Investigations Unit, the Narcotics Unit, and the FBI Federal Gang Task Force. These roles provided him with valuable expertise in complex investigations, tactical operations, organized crime, and collaborative law enforcement efforts.

In 2020, he joined VanDerGinst Law as an Investigator, where he continues to apply his investigative experience and law enforcement background to assist clients and support legal efforts.

Jim remains actively involved in the law enforcement community. He currently serves on the CRC Board and is the Vice President of the Davenport Police Retired Officers Group, where he works to maintain strong relationships between retired officers and the Davenport Police Department. Through his involvement, Jim helps foster communication, support, and continued connection among those who have dedicated their careers to serving the community.

Outside of his professional and civic commitments, Jim is a family man. He is married to Julie Stark, and together they have two sons and a daughter-in-law. Jim values family, service, and the lasting relationships built throughout his career and community involvement.