At last week’s monthly meeting, two new candidates were appointed to the DeKalb County United Board of Directors. Brian Gerken and Ashley Murcia have joined the leadership team with immediate effect.
Club President John Hall said, “I’m beyond excited to see how our Board has shifted over the past few months with some outstanding people joining the club. Brian and Ashley will bring fresh ideas and a lot of passion to the group and will be part of shaping what the next few years of DeKalb County United looks like. I could not be happier to have great people working behind the scenes to make this club a success.”
Brian Gerken is an NIU Police Officer. He has experience in events including coordinating logistics of charity events and is a former Assistant State’s Attorney and graduate of NIU College of Law. Brian is a DeKalb resident and has strong ties to NIU as his wife also is employed by the University. They have two daughters. (This is his actual Facebook profile picture so we knew he was a good fit.)
Brian said, “What I hope to add to the organization is a love of soccer and a willingness to put in the work needed to make DKCU better than it was when I started.”
Ashley Murcia joins the Board and also is the Communications & Community Engagement Manager for The Suter Company in Sycamore. She has been involved with Feed My Starving Children, Sycamore St. Mary’s Catholic School, and First Lutheran Church. She recently completed her Masters Degree in Communication. She resides in Sycamore with her husband and two sons.
“I'm honored to be considered to help become a part of the team that is going to continue to grow DKCU, and hope that my long-standing community commitment and philosophy help demonstrate my passion for helping our community thrive and grow,” said Ashley.
Outside of the Board room, the club has stepped up the organization of the staff as well. While the club enjoys one of the larger volunteer groups in amateur soccer, as planning for 2025 gets underway a more structured approach has been implemented. General “Directors” have been chosen to lead various areas of the club’s operations. Each will engage the club’s larger volunteer staff to support projects and activities as needed.
“We intend to empower our staff members to lead the club forward. A stronger group of leaders can provide greater structure, guidance, outreach, and management of all the things that need to be done to make DKCU what it is, and what it can be,’ said Hall. “Our volunteers, from the Board to the interns, are amazing. We’ve become more than just a soccer club… but a family. As we begin to look at what the next 5-10 years look like for the club and how we can be a community resource while competing with the very best amateur soccer clubs in the region, making this structural change will only make our organization that much more dynamic in those efforts.”
John Hall will assume the new role of General Manager and will oversee all aspects of day-to-day operations and implementation and work with other directors to ensure the club meets established goals and implements mission-focused plans to grow the club’s impact in the community and remain sustainable for the long term.
Vice President Ramneek Chitkara will serve as Soccer Operations Director and lead coordinated efforts with leagues, venues, players, and coaches, and manage other administrative duties. Ram has volunteered for the club since late 2018 and has ridiculously high energy…we’re not kidding.
Fay Malkosh, who became head of Match Day in 2024, will continue as Match Day Director and she’ll be responsible for managing the experience for players, fans, and guests. Fay joined the club’s volunteer group in 2018 and has a long history of fan experience with DKCU.
Nik Myles will continue as Marketing Director, a role he’s held since 2019. He’ll continue to bring his style and “voice” to social media channels and online platforms.
Andrew Grum, a former intern for the club, resumes his role as Sponsorship Director. “Grum” as we call him, will lead a more partnership-driven initiative to engage local businesses and nonprofits.
Andy Hayes, the club’s Treasurer, will also serve as Finance Director and will coordinate day-to-day expense tracking with all departments.
PJ Hamilton has been named Men’s Director of Soccer and Head Coach. PJ joined the club in 2019 as a reserve coach, then served as first-team assistant in 2021, and has been at the helm for the club’s last two seasons, which happen to be the two most successful in club history.
Dan Carl, a two-time league and Illinois State Cup Champion with DKCU Women’s team, will serve as Women’s Director of Soccer and Head Coach. Dan has been with DKCU since 2021 and the trophy cabinet speaks for itself. He also serves as Director of Soccer for the DKCU Academy.
ABOUT DKCU
DeKalb County United is a minor-league soccer club. Founded in 2017, DKCU is a non-profit 501c4 volunteer-run organization committed to uniting our community through soccer. With men's and women's teams and in partnership with a full youth academy, the club looks to provide our supporters with a fantastic match day atmosphere at NIU while providing DeKalb County businesses and organizations with support through our joint-fundraising efforts, engagement, and marketing to promote local initiatives.
DKCU is 100% community-funded through memberships, sponsors, ticket sales, and outreach events hosted by the club. More information can be found at dkcunited.com or www.dkcuacademy.org.
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