Slate of Officers, 2018-2019
MICHELLE BUCKWALTER-SCHURMAN of Illinois
Slated Position: NFRW 1st Vice President
Michelle Buckwalter-Schurman was elected NFRW member-at-large at the 38th Biennial Convention in Phoenix and took office in January 2016. She is the director of NFRW Region 1, which includes Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. As part of her current duties, she also serves as adviser to the NFRW Legislative and Research Committee.
Buckwalter-Schurman is proud to be a native of Illinois, where she lives with her husband. Both are loyal Illinois State University (ISU) alums. Buckwalter-Schurman earned a bachelor's degree from ISU in political science and a juris doctorate from Northern Illinois University (NIU) (graduating magna cum laude). She has practiced law for 20 years.
Buckwalter-Schurman works as an attorney and managing partner of Nelson, Kilgus, Richey & Buckwalter-Schurman. She practices primarily in the areas of family law, probate, adoption and guardianships. She also serves as a mediator and arbitrator in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Judicial Circuits.
As a Republican, Buckwalter-Schurman has been a member of the NFRW since 2005. She was elected and honored to serve two terms as president of the Illinois FRW from 2012-2016. Previously, she served as secretary at the state level, and as president, secretary, legislative chair and scholarship chair for Carroll County Republican Women. She has worked with various campaigns in any capacity needed since she was a college student.
Buckwalter-Schurman is a member of the American Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, Carroll County Bar Association and Whiteside County Bar Association. She is a proud founding member of the Ladies of Whiteside County, a charitable and fun group of female lawyers working on various community projects in her community. Her previous executive board involvements include: president, Whiteside County Bar Association; vice president, Morrison Chamber of Commerce; advancement coordinator, Milledgeville-Chadwick Cub Scout Pack 55; and, president, Morrison Community Day Care Center.
Buckwalter-Schurman is a member of the SS John and Catherine Roman Catholic congregation, where she serves as a Eucharistic minister. Married for 17 years, she and her husband are raising three active and informed children: Grant, Blake and Olivia. Her children are by far her greatest accomplishment and the very reason she devotes her time to the party -- to keep their rights free and their world safe.