Three Naperville residents have been selected to head up the plans for the city’s bicentennial celebration in 2031.
Stacey Fontechia, Atusa Freyer, and Paul Hinterlong were chosen out of a number of applicants by a selection committee made up of members of the Downtown Naperville Alliance, Naperville Chamber of Commerce, Naperville Park District, Naper Settlement, and City of Naperville staff, according to a news release from the city.
A mix of sales, marketing, and service to city
The three bring a variety of backgrounds to the table, with a mix of sales, marketing, and city service expertise.
Fontechia has been a Naperville resident for more than eight years, currently serving as the sales and sponsorship manager for the Naperville Park District. In that role, she works on partnership and advertising opportunities and helped secure the naming rights partnership for Wintrust Athletic Field.
She’s also the chair of the sponsorship committee for the communications and marketing branch of the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association, and was the recipient of the Communications & Marketing 2025 Rising Star Award.
Freyer is a lifelong Naperville resident and the chief marketing officer of LifeSculpt MedSpa and Wellness. She’s also the founder of Salt Society: Fitness & Wellness Experiences & THRIVEFest.
She acted as the senior director of marketing and member relations for the Naperville Country Club’s 100th anniversary celebration in 2021, and is on the board of the Naperville Chamber of Commerce, in which she served a two-year term as chairwoman of the Women in Business Committee.
Hinterlong has been a Naperville resident for 60 years and is a former Naperville city councilman. He was also a member of the Naperville 175th Birthday Heritage Committee, serving as co-chair of Naperville’s 175th Birthday Electric Light Parade.
He’s served on multiple city and event boards and commissions, including the Naperville Healing Fields and the Centennial Beach 75th, and was an Aquathon committee member for the Naperville Park District 40th anniversary.
Specific roles the three chairs will play in the Bicentennial Celebration Committee
For the Naperville 2031 Bicentennial Celebration Committee, Fontechia will be Fundraising & Resources Chair, Freyer will serve as Communications & Marketing Chair, and Hinterlong will be the History & Heritage Chair.
The three are expected to be officially confirmed by the Naperville City Council at the May 5 meeting.
The committee will organize community celebrations and projects around the 200th anniversary, and also coordinate fundraising efforts for those events.
Additional community members will be used to lead and serve on subcommittees. The three main chairs will help in those recruiting efforts.
Photo courtesy: City of Naperville: (l to r) Stacy Fontechia, Atusa Freyer and Paul Hinterlong.
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