The Rescue Riders Staff

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 and Emma.

John Yanez Director of Member Services

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.

Patrick Hill Director of Information Systems

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 Cichon Director of Operations

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.

Teresa McClelland RN, TNS National Director of Training

Teresa started riding at the age of 12 on ATC's and dirt bikes. She Currently Rides a 2006 Honda Shadow Aero 750 VTC. The Riding Community knows her as "Trauma Mama"! Teresa is an experienced Trauma Nurse Specialist, EMS Educator, CPR and ACLS Instructor. She also is a Lead Instructor for Accident Scene Management Inc., and teaches "A Crash Course for the Motorcyclist" to riders and EMS providers. Being a member of the Emergency Nurses Association, she is an Injury Prevention Educator for community awareness. In early 2008, Teresa scored her Monday- Friday gig and currently works as a Clinical Coordinator with Loyola University Medical Center. On the weekends she combines her two passions of Trauma Education and Riding. Teresa joined the Rescue Riders last year in efforts to prepare more riders with education and awareness from a Medical / Trauma perspective. "WOO HOO! No more weekends or holidays at the Hospital! I believe the first responder of a Motorcycle crash is another Motorcyclist and I truly LOVE what I do!" As Director of Training, she can tell you the who, what, when, where, and how to get your training to become a Rescue Rider.

Kevin Murphy Director of Relations & Associations

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.

Tim Yoakum Director of Public Service

Hi, my name is Tim Yoakum, my friends call me T. J. I've been riding motorcycles for 36 years. I started out with a minnie bike then moved on to play on the dirt track with a 125 cc. I have had a few different bikes over the years but I am currently riding a 1999 HD superglide that I have customized over the last few years. I work for the DuPage County Sheriff's Office as a Deputy Sheriff. I've been employed with the Sheriff's Office for 13 years and have spent the last 6 months in the courthouse working towards retirement with a little less then 7 years to go. I am also the President of the Blue Knights Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club Chapter 2 out of Elgin Illinois.
The Blue Knights are involved with fundraising event's through out the year helping individuals, family's and organizations that need our support. Our chapter has law enforcement officers from Kane county and DuPage county at the city,county and federal levels. I had the pleasure of meeting Dean "Bull" Akey a couple of years ago through a mutual friend. Dean explained an his ideas, reasoning, philosophy and hopes and dreams for the Rescue Rider program. The most profound statement he had made to me was, "As a biker, you tend to ride with your friends and family most of the time, it makes sense to be prepared to help the ones you love incase of an accident". With that I took his advice and enrolled into the accident scene management coarse. I believe in what the Rescue Rider program represents in the motorcycle community and I am proud to be a part of it. In the Blue Knights we have a saying, "There are no strangers, just friend we have not met yet". I look forward to meeting you in the future.

Brad Morris Murphy Director of Public Service

I am 53 yr old retired. Ex U.S. Marine Force Recon. I am currently an Activities Officer and Road Captain for my local H.O.G. Chapter. I am Red Cross Certified in First Aid and Adult C.P.R.. I also carry an A.E.D. with me when on Charity/Poker Rides. My current ride is a 2006 HD ElectraGlide Classic. I have taken the Basic Riders Skills Course and am currently seeking my Ohio State Certification for Instructors.

Steve Briscoe Director of Leadership Services

Steve Briscoe resides with his wife Margie in Decatur, IL. He retired as a First Sergeant after 23 years service in the US Army and currently works as a DA Civilian for Army Sustainment Command at Rock Island Arsenal. Military training as a Combat Lifesaver and as a Winter Operations Survival Instructor are listed among a number of "additional duties" while serving in the Infantry community throughout his military career. He started riding in 1973 while stationed at Ft Carson, Colorado on a 125 Honda dirt bike and over the years rode first one thing then another. Current rides are a 2006 customized Springer Standard and a 2006 Ultra Classic that has been converted to a Trike. Steve is a certified SCUBA Diver with ratings that include, among other things, Technical, Deep, and Cave Diver; he finds as much enjoyment under the water as he does riding. His only claim to fame, other than finding the perfect lady to marry, is an appointment to the Fraternal Order of Kentucky Colonels; appointed by the Governor of Kentucky after a deployment for Operation Enduring Freedom in 2002. He is a member of the local HOG Chapter, IL ABATE and CMA. He enjoys the simple things in life: like old black and white movies or to see how long he can go unshaven before getting "that look" from his wife. He stumbled onto Rescue Riders while doing a "Google" search and has since made it a focal point of his riding experience. He's also the ugliest person I have ever met.

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