Meet Our Staff
Karen Smietanski
Karen Smietanski is the daughter of a US Navy WWII veteran. She is the proud mother of two grown sons. She was raised in a small farming community south of Springfield IL. Her passion has always been in helping people. Never in a million years did she know that would lead her to helping veterans every day. Karen is the Assistant Superintendent at the Veterans Assistance Commission of Kankakee County, Illinois. She has had the privilege of serving veterans since 2009. She is committed to improving lives of veterans and their survivors through evaluating their needs and aiding them to obtain County, State, and Federal VA benefits they are entitled. She ensures every veteran, surviving spouse and family member is taken care of and never feels alone. Every day she is finding new ways to get involved and help veterans and their families. Karen is part of two Non-Profit organizations that deal strictly with helping veterans and their families. As a part of Project Headspace and Timing NPO, she works with the advocacy program that brings in veterans working at local law enforcement agencies and hospitals to better assist suicidal/despondent veterans in crisis. She is the Court Coordinator for the 21st Jurisdiction for the Veterans Treatment Court, helping veterans get their lives back on track. She also graduated from the National Association of Drug Court Professionals Justice for Vets Mentor Boot Camp in 2013. In 2017, Karen was invited to try out to become a trainer for the National Association of County Veteran Service Officers. Now, she gets to teach people from all over the country the job she loves. Karen also serves as Treasurer for the National Association of County Veteran Service Officers.
Ashley Appleton
Ashley was born and raised in Southern California where she attended Mira Costa College out of Oceanside. Ashley moved to Illinois in 2017. She comes from a long line of proud military veterans. Her dad served two tours with the Army in Vietnam and her grandfather served during the Korean Conflict with the Navy. Ashley is also a proud mother of her 5-year-old daughter, Finley, of whom she spends most of her free time adventuring in outdoor activities and dance. Ashley began her journey with the VAC in 2020 as an Administrative Assistant. She quickly took to the office and is now an accredited Veteran Service Officer. She is committed to serving the veterans of the community.
Tyler Watson
Ty “Doc” Watson, originally from Fayetteville, NC, spent 14 years in the Navy as a Hospital Corpsman, with majority of his time spent with the Fleet Marine Force, including two deployments to Iraq. As was his passion for taking care of his Marines while serving, the transition to helping all veterans and their families at the VAC was seamless and welcoming for him. Ty volunteers in his spare time for Project Headspace and Timing NFP. Ty is married to Katelyn, an amazing and supportive wife, who is in the healthcare field as a RN. He is father to two smart and wonderful girls, Kayla and Addison. Aside from his passion in the Veteran community, Ty has an incredible love for sports including the Atlanta Braves, the Green Bay Packers and his favorite college, the Duke Blue Devils.
Christina Senesac
Chris Senesac is the wife of an Army Veteran, the daughter of a Vietnam Air Force Veteran and the granddaughter of a WWII Army Veteran. She is a mom of two amazing kids. Chris joins the VAC team with a passion to help others. Chris is excited to be the Administrative Assistant to the VAC, welcoming everyone who comes to the VAC. She is a true organizer and loves getting things set up and keeping everything running like a well-oiled machine. Chris found a passion for helping veterans through volunteering for Project Headspace and Timing NFP. She also volunteers with Let’s Ketchup NFP.