Who are WTVP's 8 new board members? Here's a look at their backgrounds

WTVP-TV has welcomed eight new members to its board of directors following the resignation of 11 board members last week as the station continues to navigate a financial controversy and crisis.

WTVP's new board members include a former state senator, former television anchor, a doctor and a host of others from around the Peoria area.

Those new board members will be tasked with seeing the station back to solid financial footing as the Peoria Police Department and Illinois Attorney General's Office continue to investigate the station's financial practices.

The Illinois Valley Public Telecommunications Corporation's bylaws state that board directors can resign at any time via written notice. New board directors must be approved by a 2/3 affirmative vote of the board.

In this case, the board voted to approve the eight new members. Eleven members, including board chair Andrew Rand, then submitted their resignations. The board directors' resignations will be effective Feb. 13, while Rand's will be effective Feb. 16.

Board members serve a three-year term but in the case of someone filling a board vacancy, they would serve the remainder of the term of the person they're replacing.

Here's who WTVP's eight new board members are, according to their bios on station's website.

Win Stoller

Stoller is a former Republican state senator from Germantown Hills. He was first elected to office in 2020 and served one term representing the 37th District before deciding not to seek reelection. Stoller centered his time in office around seeking legislation to make life easier on small businesses in Illinois, sponsoring a bill in 2021 that allowed small business owners to qualify for a federal tax cut. Stoller is the CEO of Widmer Interiors in Peoria.

John Wieland

Wieland is the new board chair of WTVP. He is the CEO of MH Equipment, a company that sells and rents out various forms of work equipment such as fork lifts and rail car movers. Wieland said his main focuses for the station are returning it to strong financial grounds and repairing its reputation.

More: WTVP is at the center of a financial crisis. Here's what we know so far

Martin Johnson

Johnson is a Peoria minister, serving as the senior minister for New Beginnings Ministries of Peoria. An Air Force veteran, Johnson is also the founder of the Nannie M. Johnson Community Center. He is also the lead chaplain for the Peoria Police Department, Peoria Fire Department and the Peoria Adult Transition Center.

Dan Pearson

Pearson might be a familiar face to some as he was a sports anchor at KWQC, an Iowa station that serves the Quad Cities, for 24 years out of a 29-year career. Following his retirement, he spent 12 years as a leader with local chapters of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Heather Acerra

Acerra is a benefits consultant for Cottingham and Butler. She is also the co-owner of Lux Blox, a children's building toy.

Andy Chiou

Chiou is a medical doctor and is the president and CEO of Illinois Surgical Specialists. He is also the medical director for the Peoria Vein Center. Chiou also served in the Air Force, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Daysha Warr

Warr is a claims specialist for State Farm and the founder of PEVAS, a ministry and marketplace advisory business.

Rick Lavender

Lavender was a technician for AT&T for 36 years and also worked as a network equipment contractor. He is a board member for the Peoria Bell Credit Union.

More: Released WTVP board minutes show station borrowed money, liquidated assets to stay afloat

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: New WTVP board members come from diverse backgrounds