Hank was born in Effingham and graduated from St. Anthony High School. He is married to Debbie, who was also raised in Effingham and is a graduate of Effingham High School. Hank and Debbie have three children, Jaclyn who resides in Ft. Collins, CO, Nicole, who resides in Durham, NC, and Andrew, who resides in St. Louis, MO.
Hank received a government degree from SIU-Carbondale in 1974 and a law degree from the University of Illinois in 1977. In 1979, Hank became the youngest person ever elected to the Effingham City Council. After four years as the Commissioner of Accounts and Finances, he became City Attorney, a position that he held for 19 years. Following this, he served as an economic development advisor to the City for several years.
Hank has served on numerous boards throughout the Effingham area and was a founding director of the Effingham Community Foundation. He served on the Board of Trustees of Lakeland College in the 1990’s.
Hank has an ownership interest in a number of small businesses. He has served as a Board member of Dieterich Bank since 1988 and retired as a business development specialist for the bank in 2020.