05/26/2026
Thank you Studio Bliss Photography and The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce for highlighting our Executive Director and our very exciting projects! We are thankful to be led by a Director with experience and passion for the Foundation.
It is my honor to introduce you to Jarod Ingebrigtsen who is our next nominee for The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce Awards as Executive Director of the Illinois State Police Heritage Foundation. Jarod is a retired from the Illinois State Police after 26 years and found the Foundation to be the perfect way for him to give back to his community and the people he served with.
The Foundation was started by a group of volunteers who wanted to preserve the history of the department, provide support for Surviving Families of the fallen, educate the public and create a bridge to lasting relationships between our community and the police department.
In 2018, they opened Memorial Park off of 6th street, next to headquarters in downtown Springfield, with the names of 74 officers who have been killed or who have died in the line of duty since the Department's beginnings in 1922. They host a ceremony there every year in remembrance of the officers and in support of their surviving family members to ensure that their sacrifices are never forgotten. In addition to this incredible outdoor space downtown, the Foundation has provided financial assistance to not only the Gold Star families, but employees in need due to injury or hardship while employed with the police totally over $90,000 in assistance to date. And their newest project will be housed just down the road in a newly acquired property that will soon be renovated into a visitor's center for the community to come and learn how our police heroes lived. The display will include parts of their vintage fleet of squad cars and memorabilia collected over the years.
I can't wait to see this project come to fruition. Thank you for your service and all the hard work you do for the Foundation, Jarod. Congratulations on your nomination!
