Board Members

LINDA PACHA – Chairperson, Co-Founder and President

Co-Founder Linda Pacha is the President of Nick’s Network of Hope, a public speaker, and author of Saving Ourselves from Suicide—Before and After: How to Ask for Help, Recognize Warning Signs, and Navigate Grief, an Amazon best-selling book. Pacha has firsthand knowledge of the devastation caused by a loved one’s suicide and the excruciating pain from losing a child. In 2013, her teenage son, Nick, died by suicide while away at college. Through her book, the charity’s website, public speaking, and organized community prevention events, she provides resources, education, and support about life challenges to many—with an emphasis on mental health awareness, suicide prevention, and grief and loss. Specifically, Linda publicly speaks for schools, municipalities, medical and mental health organizations, churches, etc., telling her son’s story, providing awareness for risk factors and warnings signs, and sharing preventative tips realized through hindsight. Linda also gives talks on how to navigate the grief journey to find hope and joy again. As a suicide-loss parent, she has many extensive, ongoing, one-to-one private conversations with people who are either struggling to stay or who have lost a loved one to suicide.

Prior to receiving her law degree, Linda obtained a Bachelor of Science in psychology and completed postgraduate work in clinical psychology. She practiced law for several years before raising her family and has done all kinds of charitable work throughout her life, helping people of all ages. Linda and her husband Tom have lived in Naperville for the past 32 years. She is the forever grateful mother of Kelli and Nick.

TOM PACHA – Director, Co-Founder, Secretary-Treasurer

Co-Founder Tom Pacha, MBA, is Secretary/Treasurer of Nick’s Network of Hope. Tom began his career in the banking industry doing business lending. He then spent the next 30 years in commercial real estate (CRE) finance and investment. He held various executive positions with Heller Financial/GE Capital, Fremont Investment & Loan, and iStar, which provided loans, equity, or outright purchases of CRE, high rise condo, and master planned communities. Over the course of his career as Chief Credit Officer, he approved over $25B of new investment opportunities, as well as directed strategy for existing investments. Early in his career, he was directly responsible for $2B in workouts and repositioning of distressed properties and operating companies. While he enjoyed dealmaking, his passion was mentoring and teaching younger co-workers about real estate and the art of the industry.

Now retired, Tom focuses on charitable work through Nick’s Network of Hope. Since 2001, he has served on the Investment Board of the Western Province of the Congregation of the Mission (The Society of St. Vincent DePaul). Tom resides with his wife Linda in Naperville Illinois and is the proud father of Nick and Kelli.

ROBERT “RUDY” RADASEVICH – Director

Rudy Radasevich has nearly forty years of professional experience in Commercial Litigation and Financial Restructuring & Bankruptcy as an equity partner in the Chicago law firm Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LP. As a litigator, Rudy represents the firm’s business clients as plaintiffs and defendants in complex commercial disputes before state and federal courts, arbitration panels and appellate courts throughout the country, including cases before the Supreme Court of the United States and the Illinois Supreme Court. Rudy also manages a comprehensive bankruptcy practice focused on the representation of secured creditors, creditors’ committees, trustees and defendants in adversary cases in business-related bankruptcy proceedings.

In addition to his litigation and bankruptcy practice, Rudy provides “big picture” strategic counseling to businesses concerning a variety of risk-mitigation and operational matters, including corporate governance and fiduciary obligations, creating and implementing critical organizational policies, and developing and integrating cutting-edge information technology systems. Since 2013, Rudy has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America in commercial litigation.

Rudy has a strong commitment to community service. In addition to his service as a Director for Nick’s Network of Hope, Rudy also sits on the board of directors and is currently Co-Chair of the board of the Foundation for Hearing and Speech Resources, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children affected by hearing and communication disorders through support, education, and advocacy. Rudy also volunteers for Equip for Equality, a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance the human and civil rights of children and adults with disabilities in Illinois.

On the personal side, Rudy and Eileen live in the same house they built in Naperville 35 years ago and feel blessed that their three daughters and their husbands and ever-increasing number of grand kiddos all live in the Chicagoland area.

KIRK BOOHER – Director

Kirk Booher is a CPA and commercial real estate finance executive who has worked at Arthur Andersen, Prudential Insurance, Heller Financial, Merrill Lynch Capital, and BB&T Bank, holding various management positions, as well as personally originating over $3B of investments. Currently, through his company Logan Pass Capital, he is the owner-operator of commercial properties with holdings primarily in Wisconsin and Florida. Kirk also does strategic consulting for Walker and Dunlop Investment Partners and Logan Pass Construction.

Kirk has numerous years of experience and involvement in the not-for-profit sector. In addition to his service at Nick’s Network of Hope, Kirk serves as a director for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Foundation. He has also dedicated his time serving on several boards for youth sports. Kirk and his wife Lynn live in Madison, Wisconsin near their two adult children Drew and Brad, and grandchildren.

SANDY WELLS – Director

Sandy Wells, MBA, has over 35 years of experience as a seasoned leader in education and family care solutions. Sandy has spent her career partnering with forward-thinking organizations by providing innovative programs to help families, employees, and employers work together to solve the childcare needs of working families.

As Chief Development Officer for Bright Horizons (national leading childcare provider), a company she has been with for over 30 years, she leads a team of professionals dedicated to creating high-quality childcare, education, and work/life solutions for clients and partners. Sandy and her team have established and maintained strong relationships with more than 1400 leading employers across nearly every industry. She is responsible for driving client strategic growth at Bright Horizons by expanding services and partnerships across their large employer market. Sandy has successfully collaborated on the launch of several new products and services that help working families and employers.

Prior to her current role at Bright Horizons, Sandy developed and managed her own successful childcare center, which she grew to multiple employer-sponsored centers. Before that, she spent eight years as a management consultant with Deloitte and many years as a systems consultant with Hallmark Cards. She is the proud parent of two adult children, three adult stepchildren, and grandmother to nine beautiful grandchildren. Sandy and her husband Mike live in Austin, Texas.

SUE SMITH – Director

Sue Smith, MT (ASCP), MBA (retired) had been in healthcare for over 40 years, driven by her avid interest in the physical and mental well-being of others, especially children. As Laboratory Director for the Advent Health hospitals in Kansas City, she ran a multi-million-dollar reference lab service for 16 years and gained national recognition for team management, lean manufacturing, and health training.

Sue has served as President for both the Kansas City Clinical Laboratory Management Association and Merriam Kiwanis. Smith remains very active in her community with volunteer work. She is the proud mother of three adult kids and grandmother of seven wonderful grandchildren.