Our Team

Jane A. Hays

Special Projects & Initiatives

After almost three decades in leadership with The Downey Group, Jane is now Senior Advisor for Special Projects and Initiatives. As such, Jane consults with clients, DGI, and outside advisors on unique or complex cases where her insight provides added value and trusted perspective. As a consultant, Jane provides counsel, analysis, advice and opinion on matters relating to life, disability, and long term care insurance products, and the use and design of these products for wealth creation and preservation, business succession and continuity, and philanthropy.

Jane has been a Chartered Life Underwriter since 1994. Before joining The Downey Group, she practiced law as a partner at Thomas Mamer law firm, Champaign, IL, concentrating in public pension matters and general civil practice, particularly in estate planning, business representation, and commercial real estate.

Jane is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (magna cum laude, Phil Beta Kappa) and of the University of Illinois College of Law (magna cum laude, Order of the Coif.) She has been a licensed attorney in the State of Illinois since 1979.

Jane is currently a member of the Executive Committee, and Chair of the Risk Committee of Delta Dental of Illinois.  She is also a member of the Board of Directors and of the Governance and Finance and Audit Committees of LIndsey Communities, a residential life care enterprise in Urbana, Illinois.  Jane has served in Board leadership with many organizations, including The State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (“SURS,”) The Illinois Board of Higher Education (“IBHE,”) The Carle Foundation, (a large downstate Illinois health care enterprise,) The Illinois Humanities Council, and the United Way of Champaign County; and she taught for ten years as an adjunct lecturer in law at the University of Illinois College of Law.

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