Chris Ayers is proud to serve the Bloomington-Normal community as a Financial Advisor, where he has worked and raised a family. His wife Kristen continues to teach special needs students at Bloomington Junior High, and his son Caden is local, too, in welding training. Daughter Kelsie is a nurse at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

Chris is active in the community; when not working in the office or spending time with his family, you can find him volunteering for the Salvation Army or participating in community events.

Bob has been a Financial Advisor with Thrivent since 2015. He grew up in Central Illinois and graduated with a degree in Finance from Illinois State University in 1989. He and his wife, Yvette returned to Bloomington-Normal in 1999 where they raised their 3 children, Haley, Alex & Maddie. Yvette has been a medical transcriptionist for over 20 years. They are actively involved in their local church, Vale Church. Haley and Maddie both live in the area and are in education. Alex is a Mechanical Engineer in Louisville, KY. 

Bob & Yvette have been actively involved with local dog rescues for several years. In addition to their three foster failures, they have fostered over 200 dogs over the years. When not in the office, Bob enjoys spending time with family (including the dogs) and any outdoor activities – especially working on his golf game.

As a lifetime resident of Bloomington-Normal, Renae Etka is proud to serve Thrivent members in her lifelong community. She has a Bachelors Degree from ISU in Public Health and enjoys spending time with her family and grandkids, traveling, golfing and volunteering. She currently serves on the Board of Home Sweet Home Ministries.

Tony joined the Heart of Illinois Associates in 2017 after several years in the banking industry. He is married to his beautiful wife, Danielle, and they have three children, Willow, Knox and Piper. Tony and his family are members of Crosspoint Community Church in Eureka, IL. When he is away from the office, Tony enjoys spending time with his family, golfing, and cheering on the St Louis Cardinals.

Kyle is originally from Dixon, IL, but moved to the Bloomington area with his wife in 2011 after they were married in 2007. He joined Thrivent in 2022 after a decade working in banking. Emily has been a hairstylist for over 20 years, and now works at Hello Beautiful in Bloomington. They have two children, Berkley and Hudson, who are students at Cornerstone Christian Academy. They are both very active in sports, particularly softball and baseball. Kyle is an avid Chicago sports fan, and spends his free time running and trying to golf.

Julie graduated from Illinois College with a bachelor’s degree in business and economics. She has spent her career in the banking and financial industries. She is married to Mike who is in software sales at SAS Institute.

They have 3 grown children, 2 beautiful granddaughters and a spunky mini Goldendoodle. Beyond work, Julie is deeply involved in her her community, where she actively volunteers and strives to make a positive impact.

Originally from Michigan, Cassie joined the team in 2025 after working in the music retail industry for many years. She is an Interlochen Arts Academy graduate. She also attended the University of North Texas for music performance where she studied euphonium, tuba and trombone.

She is married to her husband, Nic who is a professor of German at Illinois State University and Heartland Community College. In her free time she enjoys playing euphonium in the Bloomington-Normal Community band, experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, and taking her wonderful dog Lilly on adventures.