Central Illinois Veterans Commission welcomes Ret. Colonel Jim P. Allen to its board of directors

[April 04, 2023]   The Central Illinois Veterans Commission (CIVC) is pleased to announce that Jim P. Allen, Colonel (Retired), US Army Reserves and Civilian Technical Director for the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center has been elected to the board of directors.

Jim retired in 2022 after 32 years of military service in the Army, Army Reserves, and National Guard, culminating as a Faculty Instructor for the Army War College. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Illinois, and now serves as a full time civilian Technical Director of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (ERDC-CERL) in Champaign, IL. As Technical Director, he is responsible for technical leadership of programs in Combat Engineering, Warfighter & Emergency Support, and Training Lands & Heritage, where he leads a highly interdisciplinary team of approximately 150 Federal and contracted staff.

Jim has served in numerous roles at the federal, state, and local government levels to include assistant Logan County Engineer, Illinois Department of Transportation section chief, USDOT-Federal Highway Administration field engineer, and his current role as an Army technical director. His military experience includes deployments with the 1st Cavalry Division, Engineer Brigade; 416th Theatre Engineer Command; 412th Theatre Engineer Command, and NATO international officer exchange program, along with commands at the company and senior field grade officer levels. His military awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Assault Badge, and the Combat Action Badge.

Jim resides in Lincoln with his wife, Natalie Beth, of over 28 years, where they raised their three daughters, Lurena, Haley, and Madelyn. He enjoys physical fitness, military history, time with his family, and promoting veteran wellness.

The Central Illinois Veterans Commission was established in 2018 to provide Central Illinois veterans with the tools and support systems to enable them to move forward to obtain permanent sustainable housing. The organization has completed three homes in Lincoln, Illinois that have been given to local qualifying veterans in the last two years. Two new homes are being planned at this time, with construction expected to begin in the spring of 2023. Learn more at www.civeteran.org

[Patti Becker]