Dancing With the Geneva Stars: Meet Heidi and Michael Jacoby

• Editor's note: The official, online voting for Dancing with the Geneva Stars begins Jan. 3. Be sure to vote often, because your votes raise funds and help determine the winning dance team! In the meantime, you can get familiar with the couples by reading this series of profiles and warm up by voting in our unofficial Geneva Patch poll.

As of July, Heidi and Michael Jacoby celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary.

They met at the Music Department at the University of Iowa, and they both love music, singing, bicyling and wine tasting. They have lived in Geneva for the past 25 years, though they have not been able to attend a past event. Heidi is an election judge in the community and Mike is the executive director of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials and was a former superintendent of Geneva School District 304, Geneva Rotary board member and Geneva History Center board member.

The Jacobys love the feeling of a small-town community that Geneva has, as well as its family-friendly atmosphere, rich history and the beautiful Fox River. They came to Geneva because of Michael’s transition job from high school choral director in Morris, IL, to assistant superintendent for Geneva. They particularly take pleasure in the bike trails, Third Street and in Geneva.

Heidi and Michael are proud parents of five cats, a golden retriever and a Cockatiel bird, so it seems they will certainly have the loudest cheering section in February. They also, incidentally, have three children.

Anna Anderson, 28, is married to Geneva native Bryan Anderson. They have been married for four years and are living in Erie, PA while Bryan is in medical school on an Air Force scholarship.

James is 26 years old and single. He is living in Minneapolis pursuing he dream of music/sound production/mixing career. He is doing DJ gigs on the side for fun. Finally, Elyse is 25 years-old and recently moved to West Virginia to work for Hershey Chocolate Company. As of this writing, she is single and dating an NFL long snapper for the New Orleans Saints. She played volleyball while at Drake University and is now playing in league with UWV college players.

The Jacoby duo just might be the couple to contend with at the Dancing with the Stars events because they not only have taken dance lessons, but they were notable “stars” at college dances. They like to listen to Jazz, Big Band, Sinatra and James Taylor. When the Jacobys were asked to participate in this fundraising event, they thought it was a “perfect fit.” The two have been performing for most of their lives through musicals, conducting, producing, singing … and they couldn’t be more thrilled for this opportunity! 

This profile is courtesy of the Dancing With the Geneva Stars committee. The benefit helps the  and the . The 2012 competition will be held Feb. 4 at .