As director of recruitment with Northwestern Mutual Greater Peoria, Rose Freeman-Mellen is tasked with discovering driven, hard-working individuals who would excel as financial representatives and enlisting their talents for the Peoria office. As a recruiter for the firm’s college intern program, she increased college recruiting by 100 percent, placing the Peoria office among the top 20 programs in the nation. She also serves as a mentor to new recruits, providing guidance and support in the workplace.
A graduate of Mutual Fit, a company-wide leadership development training program, she was honored in 2014 by Northwestern Mutual Corporate with a growth ribbon, awarded to individuals who display a passion for personal and professional growth. This past summer, she was instrumental in planning and hosting a fundraiser for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, leading 20 college interns in raising funds for childhood cancer research.
Outside of work, Freeman-Mellen is a member of Rotary Peoria North, where she volunteers as a Rotary Reader, reading to fourth graders at Roosevelt Magnet School, and serves on the Rotary Rookies committee, a mentoring program for new members. Upon graduating from the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce Community Leadership School in 2013, she was asked to return as a three-year board member. She is also a graduate of Community Leadership School II, and now co-chairs the planning committee for this sequential pilot program.
In addition, Freeman-Mellen is active at her church, where she leads Bible study fellowship and mentors young women and other volunteers. She is a volunteer for the Dax Locke Foundation, a local charity that helps the families and children of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and others in need, as well as Camp Coco, a summer camp for St. Jude patients. She is also a trained dancer, sharing her talents by teaching dance to children. iBi
