Our Staff Members

Dean Akey Director of Rescue Riders

Howdy, I am Dean Akey and I am a biker. This is the point where you all collectively say "Hi Dean". I have been riding 25 years and am a AMA, HOG &  Abate member as well as being a member of the Medical Reserve Corps. In addition to being a biker I own a Insurance Agency in Saint Charles Illinois. Prior to that I moved around with stops in Champaign, Decatur, Kansas City, Boston, New York and Saint Louis working in Energy Commodities & Derivatives. About four years ago I moved back to the Chicago area and soon tired of the Metra ride down to the Chicago Board of Trade and started my Allstate Agency. Time for a change. I attended Illinois State University for my undergraduate degree and the University of Oklahoma for my advanced studies in Economic Development. From 1982-1988 I served in the Illinois Army National Guard as a Artillery Forward Observer stationed at Fort Sill Oklahoma. I am the founder of the Rescue Rider program and have been active in fundraising efforts with numerous groups which help bikers.  I reside outside of Batavia with my wife Eileen and two children Clayton & Emma.

It's my pleasure to introduce you to John Yanez. John is no stranger to hard work starting out as a brick layers laborer. Over the years John as worked up thru the ranks to Customer Service Manager for Ryland homes. If you see me at any event John will be there. John actually holds a Patent for some kind of thingie which never really took off but hats off bro. John has been a very active rider as well as a member of Abate, HOG and AMA. If there is such a thing as a wingman John is it. By the way, you probably wouldn't know John by name. Several years ago my wife nicknamed him MC Pig. The MC stands for Male Chauvinist. Well some time back we dropped the MC part so if you see John just say "Hi Pig" Welcome aboard.

Asst. Director of Rescue Riders

It's my pleasure to introduce you to Patrick Hill. Pat started riding at fort Benning Georgia in 1982 and has been riding on and off ever since. So Pat is the real deal. Pat works for a company in Morton Grove, IL as an Industrial Maintenance Technician. Pat also owns a Website Design company has keeps our site up and running. Pat has lived in the Chicago Land area most of his life except for the 4 years he spent in the Army as a Tactical Field Radio Mechanic. Pat spent years in the medical field starting as a first responder in 1985. In 1999 Pat became a volunteer EMT and has very active helping those in need. Currently, Pat leads a 30 person Emergency Response Team.  I am amazed at how much Pat can accomplish in a day and his input has been invaluable to all of us.  Welcome aboard Pat.

John "The Commissioner" Cichon - It's my pleasure to introduce you to John "The Commissioner" Cichon. John has been an avid biker for over 30 years, certified SCUBA diver, with prior DAN (Divers Alert Network) membership, Kane County MRC member, and certified in advanced First AID, CPR, and Accident Scene Management. In addition to John's time in the private sector, he has held two local government positions including standing Computer Committee member and City Commissioner for seven years. You heard me right... he was a Commissioner which is how he earned his nickname. John is a partner and vice president of Daystar Computer Systems in Chicago which provides software and consulting for municipal, regional, and county government. He and his company, Daystar, are well respected across the country and has participated in regional public sector technology review panels and he has been invited as an authoritative speaker for the National Association of City/County Clerks and the National Association of County Information Officers. "Giving back to the community" has always been a driving force in John's life as he demonstrates with his continuous keen interest in public service both professionally and personally. As for the Rescue Riders, "Here is an opportunity to combine the interest in helping my community, the training to be of assistance in emergencies, combined with riding a bike whenever and wherever we're needed. I don't think I can do much better than this". John and wife Patti have been married since 1975 and have two children, Alex and Katie and giving back is a family affair. In fact, even 10 year old daughter Katie recently participated in a Rescue Rider practice drill as a young injured tornado victim. One interesting side note about John is he was in fact our first Rescue Rider victim. Several years back we were holding an emergency drill and the weather was lousy. Snow, 40+ mile per hour winds.. you know the drill. Well John dropped, and one of our lead Rescue Riders, Pat Hill was on hand to bandage John up and load him into an ambulance. This didn't slow John down as he keeps coming back for more, so we are blessed to have John with us. Welcome aboard John.

It is my pleasure to introduce you to Ed Richtsteig "The German".  Ed is a lifelong rider and extremely active in area biker events.  In addition to his work with the Rescue Riders, Ed also is the Chairman of the Illinois Moose Rider Association, President of the Batavia Moose Riders, a Board Member of the Fraternal Order of Police and is a Blue Knight.  Ed spends his down time as a Staff Sergeant for the Sheriff's Department.  Ed is a  big time contributor to many area bike events and is a great addition to the Rescue Rider team.  Ed is pictured next to Jesse James who is rumored to bounce most of his ideas off Ed prior to implementation.  I can neither confirm or deny if this is the case but the pic makes it seem legit doesn't it?

Hello, my name is Kevin Murphy, I go by either Stoneface or Murph I started riding on Super Bowl Sunday in 1985 when the Bears won the Super Bowl, and I took my friends Ninja out afterwards and became hooked. I have been involved with the HOG Chapter, and have been doing charity rides since 1999 when I got involved in the Little Angles Run. There were a couple of accidents along the way, and wished I could do something to help, but not having any training, was unable to assist. Which is how I came upon the Rescue Riders. I have been involved with them along with the Medical Reserve Corps since 2006. I own a company called KnK Specialties, which is a supplier of promotional products, as well as signs and vehicle lettering. I reside in Carol Stream, have been married for over 8 years to my wonderful wife Kim, and have 3 kids, Michael 18, Marissa 14 and Rachel 13. My wife rides along side me most of the time, and my daughter Rachel has participated in 2 of the 3 emergency drills thrown at us, one of which we saw temps in the 30's with snow.

Did you actually think the boys did the work?  Guess again.  I am happy to introduce you to Eileen Akey, Debora Yanez and Michele Schueler.  Eileen is a Registered Nurse in the Critical Care Unit at Delnor Community Hospital in Saint Charles as well as my wife and therapist.  Debora attended Ohio State University for her bachelors degree in Psychology which came as somewhat of a surprise to me as I thought Ohio State was only a two year school....   Debora is a mover and shaker who I am blessed to have with us.    Michele is Personal Lines Manager for Akey Financial Services and a lifelong resident of the Chicago area.  Michele brings energy and enthusiasm to the Rescue Riders and has been with us since day one.  Michele resides in South Elgin with her husband and two children.  When Michele is not fighting the good fight on behalf of bikers, she enjoys working with children of all ages including her husband Wayne.  I am blessed to have Michele as a part of the Rescue Riders.