Mike Tennant
PresidentMike@InsureChampaign.net
Mike has been servicing and selling the insurance needs of his clients since 1983. His areas of expertise are apartment buildings, contractors, workers compensation liquor liability, auto, and general liability. He has been and will continue to be a strong advocate representing his insured’s at the time of a claim and has received high praise for his efforts. When he is not at work, Mike enjoys cooking, fishing, and golfing. He is married to Judy and has three sons, Ryne, Graham, and Jace. Mike is also a proud grandfather to his four — soon to be five — grandchildren.
Rachel Smithenry
Personal Lines ManagerRachel@InsureChampaign.net
Rachel has been a Licensed Insurance Agent since 1999 and oversees the Personal Lines Insurance Division. By working as an independent agent, she is able to write Home and Auto Policies that usually exceed the client’s expectations. She is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University and resides in rural Champaign County with her husband, Ken. Rachel and her husband have three children and one beautiful grandson.
Graham Tennant
Commercial Insurance AgentGraham@InsureChampaign.net
Graham, originally from Champaign, graduated from the University of Illinois in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in Finance. Shortly afterwards he began working in Chicago, IL for one of the largest insurance brokers in the world, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Graham joined InsureChampaign in 2012 and focuses on the student apartment program, main street businesses, and local contractors. Graham resides in Champaign with his wife Hillary and their children.
Chris Hall
Commercial Insurance AgentChris@InsureChampaign.net
Chris Hall joined InsureChampaign as a Commercial Agent in 2015. Chris started in the insurance industry in 2003 and was affiliated with an agency in the Effingham area before joining our agency. Chris has specialized in the past with clients’ insurance needs for property owners, contracting, trucking, manufacturing, and auto dealerships. Chris will continue to expand his customer base in Champaign-Urbana as well as sell Home and Auto Insurance. Chris currently resides in Mattoon and has two children, Landry and Cannin. In his spare time he enjoys being with his children, as well as fishing and golfing.
Tucker Strang
Commercial Insurance AgentTucker@InsureChampaign.net
Born and raised in Champaign, IL, Tucker attended Arkansas Tech on a baseball scholarship his first two years before transferring to the University of Illinois and completing his undergraduate degree in Economics in 2009. Tucker has been with InsureChampaign since 2010 and focuses on the Jimmy John’s Franchisee National Program as well as main street businesses. In his free time, Tucker enjoys spending time with his family, playing music with the band, and enjoying the outdoors.
Rachel Barnes
Personal Lines AgentRachelB@InsureChampaign.net
Rachel Barnes has been a Licensed Insurance Agent since 2018. She joined InsureChampaign in November of 2021, focusing directly on home and auto insurance. She also oversees all the claims and processes them on behalf of our clients. Prior to working at InsureChampaign, she spent four years working as an auto and home agent for a direct writer. Rachel was raised in Mahomet and graduated as a Bulldog. She is a Cardinals and Steelers fan. Currently, she resides in Champaign with her husband, Tyler, and their daughter Maelynn. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time with her family and friends.
Amy Smith
ControllerAmy@InsureChampaign.net
Amy graduated from Southern Illinois University and manages our Accounting Department while also assisting with the Fast Food Franchise audits. She manages the day-to-day operations of the agency, while working with Mike Tennant on administrative tasks.
Elliott McGill
Group Health and Benefits AgentElliott@InsureChampaign.net
Elliott grew up in Champaign and attended Eastern Illinois University on a swimming scholarship. After graduating in 2009, Elliott became a coach at EIU and got his Master’s in Sports Administration. Following a 12 year coaching career, with stops in Texas and the University of Illinois, Elliott joined InsureChampaign in our Employee Benefits Division in early 2021. Elliott is working under the tutelage of Larry Crews, a 40-year plus veteran of providing Group Health and Benefits to Central Illinois businesses. As well as working with Jill Pankau, a service representatives for clients with over 20 years of experience. This opportunity of working with two of the best in East Central Illinois has allowed Elliott the unique experience of being trained by Jill and Larry as they are an encyclopedia of knowledge. Elliott resides in Mahomet with his wife, Emily, and their children, Grace and Chipper.
Jill Pankau
Employee Benefits Client Account RepresentativeJill@InsureChampaign.net
Jill has been a Licensed Insurance Agent since 2003. Jill joined InsureChampaign in September of 2019 to work in the Employee Benefits Division. Jill has been working in employee benefits for over 17 years and had prior experience on the medical carrier side. Jill is from Champaign and lives with her husband Steve; they have three children and eight grandchildren. She enjoys cooking, gardening, trying to keep up with all the grandchildren’s sports, and traveling to the beach with her husband.
Kimberly Walsh
Personal Lines CSAKim@InsureChampaign.net
Kim started with InsureChampaign in 2014. She found her niche in the Personal Lines Department and assists clients with Auto, Home, Boat, and other Recreational Vehicle Insurance. Kim resides in St Joseph with her precious dog, Sunny. She stays very active with her niece and nephew’s sports and activities.
Jeni Shreves
Commercial Lines CSAJeni@InsureChampaign.net
Jeni is a licensed CSA with InsureChampaign. She is working closely with the agency’s Commercial Insurance Agents to learn all the aspects of the insurance industry. Jeni also contributes to the Franchise and Accounting Department. She resides in Rantoul with her husband and dogs.
Julie Parker
Commercial Lines CSAJulie@InsureChampaign.net
Julie Parker has over 20 years of experience and works alongside Chris Hall and Graham Tennant to provide excellent customer service to their clients. Since joining InsureChampaign, Julie has been instrumental in the renewal of clients in the Commercial Lines Division. Julie resides in Rantoul and has two children, Megan and Ryan, along with daughter-in-law Paige. She is also a grandmother to her two beautiful grandsons. She likes to cheer on her nephews in basketball and baseball, participate in 5Ks, spend time with family and friends, and cheer on the RTHS Eagles Basketball.
Kathy L. Saad
ReceptionistKathy@InsureChampaign.net
Kathy started with Insure Champaign January 2020 as the front desk receptionist. She has over 30 years in the insurance business in Commercial & Personal Lines. Kathy was ready for a change and a less stressful position. Her main responsibility is ordering motor vehicle reports for our franchise department. Kathy has lived in Champaign all her life. Her great niece, Marisa, lives with her, plus her two fur babies Alexandra and Honey B. She also enjoys spending time with her friends/family and gardening.
