Brent Scott, 32

By Lorna Collier

When Brent Scott went off to college in Missouri, he thought he’d never return to Rockford. But when he graduated, he realized his hometown “was a pretty good place to live,” so he moved back and married the girl who had been his sweetheart since eighth grade.

He also went to work at American National Bank, which became BankOne, which now is JP Morgan Chase. Today, 32-year-old Scott is vice president of commercial banking at Chase.

In 2003, Scott co-founded Next Rockford, a group targeting Gen-Xers like himself, with the aim of readying young people to assume leadership roles in the community. The group has grown from being a 10-member networking organization to an action-oriented team of about 80 people. Last year, the group raised $50,000 to fund a study showing how Rockford can attract and keep young professionals.

“We want to make the area a better place that our kids and families are going to want to keep living in,” says Scott, who fears that too many college graduates will choose to stay away from Rockford in search of better jobs.

Next Rockford members meet monthly with Mayor Larry Morrissey, and some serve on community boards. “We’re getting a seat at the table, where before we didn’t have a voice,” Scott says.

Scott also has been involved with the Boys and Girls Club in Rockford, where he is leading a capital campaign. He works with the YMCA Strong Kids campaign and served on the MELD board of directors for six years.

“I’d like to see Rockford continue to grow,” Scott says, “and I’d like to see the people in the Next Rockford group be leaders in the community.”