Heroes Breakfast 2025

Thank you for joining us at the

23rd Annual Heroes Breakfast
Wednesday, April 30, 2025

For the past 23 years, we have honored individuals and groups for acts of immense bravery, dedication and service to the community. Thank you for helping us celebrate the 2025 Class of Heroes!

Event Photos

Watch the Hero videos

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Honoring the 2025 Class of Heroes

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Help provide immediate relief where it is needed most!

Now through April 30, your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $120,000!

Thank you to our generous Inspiring Action Sponsors
Make It Better Foundation
Edwardson Family Foundation
Patrick M. and Jennifer Gallagher
Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan

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Jon Farney | 2025 Heritage Award Recipient

President and Chief Executive Officer, State Farm

Jon Farney is President and Chief Executive Officer of State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company. He has more than 30 years of experience with State Farm and within the insurance and financial services industry.

Farney joined State Farm in 1993 and has served in a variety of executive leadership positions including assistant vice president - securities products, assistant vice president - planning & analysis, vice president - financial operations and operations vice president - underwriting. He served as senior vice president, treasurer and chief financial officer for eight years before being elected President of State Farm Mutual in January 2024. He assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer in June 2024.

He received a bachelor's degree in accounting from Illinois State University, Normal and earned his MBA from the University of Michigan. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and has earned the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI) designations.

He is a member of the Business Roundtable.

Jennifer F. Scanlon | 2025 Honorary Chair

President and Chief Executive Officer, UL Solutions

Jennifer F. Scanlon is president and CEO of UL Solutions and a member of the board of directors, roles she has held since 2019. With her deep commitment to science and technology and her extensive experience leading industrial companies, Scanlon leads UL Solutions in its mission of working for a safer world. Under Scanlon's leadership, UL Solutions completed a successful initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in April 2024.

Before joining UL Solutions, Scanlon served from November 2016 to April 2019 as president and CEO of USG Corporation, a then publicly traded manufacturer of building products. Scanlon spent a total of 16 years at USG and steered the company through a major international expansion, digital transformation and sustainable products evolution.

Scanlon advocates fiercely for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. She dedicates herself to promoting increased diversity in STEM fields, fostering greater diversity in the workforce and improving organizations' ability to meet the needs of a global customer base.

Scanlon currently serves in key roles for numerous organizations: the Commercial Club of Chicago (Chair of the Civic Committee), the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (Vice Chair of the Board), the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (Class C Director, Chair), the TIC Council (Vice President of the Global Board) and the University of Notre Dame (board of trustees member). Scanlon is the Secretary-Treasurer of the board of the US-China Business Council and was appointed to the U.S.-India CEO Forum. She previously served as a member of the board of directors of USG, from September 2016 to April 2019.

Scanlon earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts in Government and International Relations and Computer Applications from the University of Notre Dame.