New Finance, Insurance and Law Advisory Board Members

Four Bloomington-Normal business professionals are the newest members of Illinois State University's Finance, Insurance and Law Advisory Board.  The 19-member board provides the Department of Finance, Insurance and Law with input on current business practices and standards and helps develop professional enrichment opportunities for students.

The newest members of the Finance, Insurance and Law Advisory Board are:

Sheri Bane, director of commercial agribusiness underwriting at COUNTRY Financial in Bloomington.  Bane began working for COUNTRY Financial as a farm underwriter in 1985 and has held various analyst, supervisory and management positions within underwriting, research and development, and marketing during her 24 years with COUNTRY. In her current position she oversees the commercial insurance, farm and crop insurance, commercial and agribusiness product development, corporate loss control and premium auditing departments for COUNTRY.

Virginia Eves, assistant general counsel at the Illinois Agricultural Association & Affiliated Companies in Bloomington.  Since 2000, Eves has been an attorney with COUNTRY Financial, practicing in regulatory law for financial services companies including broker-dealer law, banking law, securities law, insurance law and privacy law. She is also assistant secretary for COUNTRY Mutual Funds Trust, a member of the COUNTRY Mutual Funds compliance committee, and a member of the COUNTRY Mutual Funds valuation committee.

Angela Sparks, vice president of operations in property and casualty underwriting at State Farm Insurance Companies in Bloomington.  Sparks joined State Farm in 1989 as an actuarial analyst.  During her career with the company she has held management positions in the State Farm Bank, property and casualty underwriting and auto claims.  Prior to her State Farm career, Sparks worked as a property and casualty actuarial analyst at Aetna Life and Casualty Company in Hartford, Connecticut.

Christiane M. Stoffer, associate general counsel at State Farm Insurance Companies in Bloomington.   Stoffer heads the investments unit of State Farm's corporate law department where she leads a group of attorneys responsible for the legal work associated with the company's investments in mortgage loans, real estate, private placements, common and preferred stock, private and preferred equity and other investment vehicles. She also represents various State Farm entities in financial transactions involving derivatives, repurchase agreements, loan participations, securitizations, lines of credit and letters of credit.