Gary M. Skaggs.  Mr. Skaggs, a Sangamon County farmer from Pawnee, Illinois, has directed a diverse farming operation since 1976. He is a 1973 graduate of the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and has also completed Masters’ studies in Environmental Engineering from Southern Illinois University. He has also held positions as an engineer for Jenkins, Merchant & Nankivil and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Division of Water Pollution Control. He has also been active serving various utility cooperatives as past president and past director of Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative, past director of the Western Illinois Power cooperative and past director of Soyland Power Cooperative. Active in the community, he is a past master and currently treasurer of the Pawnee Masonic Lodge, past worthy patron of the Pawnee Order of the Eastern Star, and a member of Ansar Shrine.