Alumni Updates

Kenneth De Yong ’56 retired in 1984 from Knoxville after serving 35 years in the public schools.

Pamela Olson ’69 is the president of Inviting Growth LLC, in Chicago. The firm offers CEO and executive coaching, leads workshops, runs executive peer groups, offers consulting, and personal coaching.

Jeff Secord ’71, M.B.A. ’73, is the managing director for Clifton Gunderson Wealth Advisors where he is responsible for a five-person wealth management team with a combined $240 million dollars of assets under management, generating approximately $1.5 billion of revenue.

*Keith Steffen ’73 is CEO of OSF Saint Francis in Peoria. The 580-bed teaching/tertiary institution is served by more than 700 physicians, has a Level 1 Trauma Center, and is home to Children’s Hospital of Illinois.

*Peter Borowski ’74 is a nationally known expert on insurance company statutory accounting. He has held various management and executive positions at COUNTRY Financial in a career spanning more than 30 years.

*Bob Lakin ’74, M.B.A. ’76, is president of Commerce Bank, Illinois, which has 17 locations in the Central Illinois area, and more than 350 locations in the lower Midwest.

Dorothy Anne Blake ’75, M.S. ’78, was a business and driver education teacher in Illinois and taught at the International School of Brussels. She has served as the education director for the Children’s Theater of Cincinnati and for the Global Center. Blake is currently program manager for the Greater Cincinnati World Affairs Council.

*Mike Emmert ’75 is managing director-disputes and investigations practice for Navigant Consulting, Inc., where he provides accounting, finance, and other areas of expertise to corporations and corporate law firms in the resolution of litigation, other business disputes, or regulatory investigations.

 

Pat Catanzaro ’77 is the owner of Abacus Bookkeeping Consultants located in the San Francisco Bay area. The firm’s consultants are Certified QuickBooks Pro-Advisors with years of consulting and training experience in a variety of industries.

Erick Miner ’78 is the president of Central Illinois Trucks. A certified public accountant, he became the dealership controller in 1984 and was later promoted to company president.

*Sharon Rossmark ’78 is president and CEO of Zayos Global Ventures, LLC. Located in Glenview, this global liquidation and distribution business provides integrated e-commerce solutions for excess inventory and surplus assets.

Donald Schaffer ’78 is controller for TTX Company, North America’s leading provider of railcars and freight rail management services. Based in Chicago, the company owns and manages a fleet of more than 200,000 flat cars, boxcars, and gondolas.

*Mike DeWalt ’80 is director of investor relations at Caterpillar, Inc. The company is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, and industrial gas turbines.

Sheri Jones ’80 is a marketing and client services assistant at Sander Asset Management in Chicago.

*Kelley Smith ’81 is principal advisor for Kensington Realty Advisors, Inc., in Chicago. This SEC-registered investment advisor provides real estate investment management, counseling, and finance services to institutional investors.

Lue Thao ’81 is CFO for Golden Valley Heath Centers, a 30 clinic site primary care organization that serves close to 100,000 patients in Central California.

Sidney D’Rosario ’83 heads the Group IT function for a major utility and pipe manufacturing company in Dubai, UAE.

Daniel Plumb ’83 is president of Custom Filter LLC. Under his leadership, the company grew from 12 employees to a multinational company with 11 manufacturing facilities across the globe.

Chuck Killian ’84 is chief financial officer at Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plans in Studio City, California. More than 1,000 employer members and more than 40 unions and guilds representing 40,000+ workers are affiliated with the organization.

Tom Morehead ’84 is head of corporate human resources with the Career Education Corporation (CEC), which offers high-quality education to 116,000 students across the world in a variety of career-oriented disciplines.

*Karen Jensen, M.B.A. ’86, is president and CEO of the Farnsworth Group Inc., a full-service engineering, architecture, and survey firm. Its clients include farm communities, Fortune 500 companies, and the federal government.

Martin Koehler ’86 is managing director of Koehler Koehler Inc. in St. Charles. The firm is full-service employee benefits and financial consultancy.

*Stuart Schuette ’86 is COO of U.S. Foodservice, Inc., where he oversees the operational and administrative functions of more than 70 divisions and directs initiatives to position the company for future growth.

Dawn Cmiel ’88 is a project manager at The Nielsen Company in Chicago and recently completed her master’s degree in project management at DeVry University.

Gregory Kamp ’88 is a financial representative at Rabjohns Financial Group in Chicago.

Patricia Ebbers ’89 is a brand marketing director at the 61,000 member American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) in Chicago.

Mike James ’89 is an executive account director at the Chicago offices of Aspen Marketing Services, a leading global marketing services agency.

Mark Kennedy ’89 is national accounts manager of Simpson Strong-Tie Anchor Systems in Pleasanton, California. The company is the leading structural connector manufacturer for the construction and do-it-yourself (DIY) markets.

Robert Plank ’89 spent 15 years as a financial analyst with an insurance company in Chicago. He recently switched careers and transformed his passion for technology into a full-time career as the owner of a computer store.

 

Robert Zmudka ’89 is vice president and group executive for North American sales with GATX Corporation, which is a leader in leasing transportation assets and controls one of the largest railcar fleets in the world.

Julie Annette Jones ’90 is a legacy attorney with Protecting Legacy LLC located in Chicago. Jones and her colleagues designed a four-step process to help clients with their estate planning needs.

Lori Nelson ’91 is the vice president of National Accounts at BFC Printing in Batavia. This commercial printer and technology solution provider helps clients effectively manage their organization’s communications.

Angela Lehmann ’94 is an executive sales representative for Glaxo Smith Kline in Boston and Providence. She won the President’s Circle Award of Excellence in 2008 and 2009 for sales of dermatology products.

Mary Jo (Webber) Barney ’95 is the divisional department chair for Career and Technical Education at Plainfield South, North, Central, and East High Schools, District 202 in Plainfield. She enjoys coaching boys’ volleyball and girls’ bowling.

Randall Towles ’95 is an in-fleet service manager at GE Capital in Bolingbrook with expertise in deal fulfillment, inventory management, sales support, and the leasing, rental, and sales of equipment.

Jerod Ferry ’97 is an operations analyst at NAVTEQ, the leader in a growing global market for digital map, traffic, and location data. He resides in the Chicago area.

Mina S. Hernandez ’97 is a medical technology zone underwriting officer with Travelers Insurance in Hyde Park, Massachusetts. She is responsible for product development and the training and coaching of staff at the six offices she manages.

*Amar Kamath ’97 is vice president of marketing at BioReference Laboratories, Inc., in Elmwood Park, New Jersey, the third largest publically held clinical laboratory in the U.S.

Marie Pospichal ’97 is a social media consultant and a fundraising executive based in Chicago.

Rachel Rone ’97 is a financial consultant at RBC Wealth Management in Chicago, one of the nation’s largest full-service securities firms.

Andrea Warner ’97 is a lead senior consultant at Olenick Global

Bradley Cors ’99 is the owner of Cors Lighting and vice president of Cors Electric. He is a “Top Rated Seller” and a “Platinum Power Seller” for commercial and industrial lighting products on eBay.

Joseph Davis ’99 is the assistant vice president of U.S. Equities Realty in Chicago. The company serves as strategic real estate advisors to clients throughout the United States and in South America.

Scott Ryan Racette ’99 is a clinical sales
representative with Intuitive Surgical. Over the last six years he has ranked in the top 5 percent of the sales force and mentored more than 33 new sales representatives.

Jennifer (Richardson) Hohmann ’01 is a site manager/manager trainer with Zano Salons. She is a top salon owner in the metro-Chicago area.

Brian McCoy ’01 is a claims supervisor with Shelter Insurance in Ballwin, Missouri, and plays an influential role in customer service, technology, and training. McCoy has been a storm captain and adjuster for natural catastrophes including Hurricane Katrina and the recent tornados near Joplin, Missouri.

Eva Rice ’01, M.B.A. ’02, is manager of global talent acquisition at Halliburton, specializing in selection, systems, and compliance. She now resides in Huston.

Nathan Wight ’01 is director of advancement for the College of Pharmacy at Purdue University. In addition to his fundraising responsibilities, Wight spearheaded an
initiative for more than 50 fundraisers at Purdue to coordinate their own professional development.

 

John Zaiser ’01 is a financial representative with COUNTRY Financial and operates his own office in Mackinaw. He was one of the top 100 agents in the nation in 2006 and 2007. He served as an agency training consultant. Last year he returned to the field and earned a third All-American award and a trip to Rome.

Mark Ingold ’02 is accounting manager at The Baby Fold in Normal. Ingold coaches youth sports and serves as a Junior Achievement classroom consultant.

Jenna Wojciechowski ’03 is a marketing communications manager for Wolters Kluwer Law & Business, a leading global information services and publishing company, managing marketing campaigns for Hospital and Corporate—within the firm’s Business Compliance department.

Debra Brendich ’04 is an office manager and national account executive with the Freeman Company, a national sales group located in Chicago.

Josh C. Clark ’04 is an audit manager at Kerber, Eck & Braekel LLP, a top 100 CPA firm. He is also the treasurer for Downtown Springfield, a group dedicated to the revitalization of the city.

Matthew S. Dionne ’04 is a law clerk to the Honorable David R Herndon, Chief Judge for the United States District Court for the southern district of Illinois. A graduate of the law school at Indiana University, Dionne is licensed in Illinois and Missouri and serves as the bench and bar liaison for the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis.

Kori Elise Freund ’04 is sales manager at CDW. She began with CDW in 2004 as an account manager. In her current role she has management responsibility for $65 million annually.

Joshua Mlynarcik ’04 is a demand planning manager at World Kitchen LLC for the recently acquired Snapware brand, responsible for the integration of the brand with annual sales volume of more than $60 million. Mlynarcik also has supervisory responsibility for Wal-Mart and Grocery distribution channels with annual sales volume of $130+ million.

Adam Redenius ’04 is a project manager with River City Construction supervising building and renovations totaling $100 million. He achieved OSHA certification and completed the Associated General Contractors Supervisory Program. His projects include ISU Genevieve Green Gardens, Monsanto Facility Expansion, State Farm Park Beach House and Lazy River, and ISU Watterson Commons.

 

Steve Fiala ’05 is the owner of D.P. Dough Calzones in Champaign, the first in Illinois. He launched Fiala Productions, a source of high-quality videography for jobs ranging from weddings to professional instructional videos for the University of Illinois.

Lisa Stahl ’05 is a Group Universal Life national account representative at MetLife in Chicago.

Gregory Straub ’05 is an account executive at CareerBuilder. His record for exceeding sales goals for the past five years has resulted in promotions, recognition as a President’s Club winner, and as a top sales professional each year.

Kevin Conner ’06 is an account executive for commercial accounts with the Travelers Companies, Inc., in Chicago.

Anna Hanna ’06 is a production manager at Americaneagle.com, a website development company located in Park Ridge. The firm has completed more than 5,000 Web projects for clients, in nearly every industry, from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies.

Tony Ligori ’06 is the Chicago representative for artist Arlene Ligori of Aligori Studies.

Scott C. Martin ’06 is the district director of technology at Prairie Grove Consolidated School District 46. He began his career as a business education teacher with Prairie Grove.

Toby Petzel ’06 is a senior production specialist at Risk Specialists Companies Insurance Agency, Inc., in Chicago.

Sean Buchanan ’07 was the top fundraiser for a 5K supporting Children’s Memorial Hospital. He was honored at Wrigley Field in May where he, along with Chicago Cubs Chairman and CEO Tom Ricketts, presented a $40,000 check to the organization.  Buchanan is a financial analyst for ULINE.

Scott Davis ’07 is a financial advisor for Clifton Gunderson Wealth Advisors where he earned the annual Teamwork Award. The Illinois CPA Society presented Davis its Time and Talent Public Service Volunteerism Award for sharing his financial planning expertise with young adults.

Steven Dubiel ’07 is a senior construction underwriter at Chartis, a property-casualty and general insurance organization serving more than 40 million clients in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions.

Brock Eastman ’07 is a product marketing manager at Focus on the Family. He’s written a Christian book series, along with nine other titles, in a two-and-a-half-year period. The first book in the series was released last June.

Bill Gugerty ’07 is a Fulbright Scholar in Moldova performing case study and comparative research of microfinance institutions. He is in a master’s program in international relations at Central European University in Budapest.

Erica (Claxton) Haack ’07 is a senior
human resource specialist/recruiter at game developer Volition, Inc. She has been promoted three times and received the President’s Award for her outstanding impact to the studio in 2009.

Michelle (Stoll) McDole ’07 is the first female Conco Paints sales representative and a recipient of the Conco Paints Sales and the Service Excellence Award.

Laure Meade ’07 is a senior risk analyst at Telephone and Data Systems (TDS) which provides wireless, phone, and broadband services to more than seven million customers nationwide.

Tom Menning M.B.A. ’07 is the director of logistic services at ArrowStream in Chicago. His innovations at the company have led to more than a 50 percent improvement in the transaction cycle.

Tim Pantaleone ’07 works in the Money Movement Initiatives program at State Farm. He recently transferred back to State Farm Corporate to train for future management positions. Pantaleone, who has won several company awards including the Florida Zone Horizon Award, is an active volunteer with the Special Olympics.

Mark Anthony Cassata ’08 is a commercial real estate broker in Madison. In 2010 he was included in Greater Madison’s In Business magazine’s 40 under 40 young professionals to watch.

Corbin J. Pitts ’08 is a Cisco territory manager. After graduation he completed a highly competitive training program in Holland and went to Miami as a territory manager focusing on the English speaking Caribbean, part of Cisco’s emerging markets group.

Curtis Schatz ’08 is the director of key accounts for Edward Don and Company, the world’s leading distributor of foodservice equipment and supplies. He has been awarded the Bell Ringer Award for his achievements at the firm.

Derek Starnes M.B.A. ’08, is a senior technology manager, IT quality assurance at WellPoint, a Fortune 50 company and the nation’s largest health insurer. A former Marine, he is actively involved in the United Way and Sheltering Wings.

Aaron Drendel ’09 started the nonprofit “Canoe for the Cure,” and raised more than $7,000 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation by canoeing the entire length of the Mississippi River. Drendel entered the Navy SEAL program in August.

Robert Duerr ’09 is a benefits associate with Mesirow Financial Inc., a diversified financial services firm headquartered in Chicago.

Howard Gross ’09 is a digital analytics associate at MindShare, a marketing and advertising company located in Chicago. Gross is also cofounder of Burling Brothers, Inc., a computer software company.

Jacob Guimond ’09 is a carrier liaison with Assurance and key facilitator between the company’s sales and service teams and its insurance carriers.

Ross Hancock ’09 is an account manager at RJ Reynolds Tobacco. He began as a Territory I manager and in less than a year was promoted to a Territory II Manager.

Ben Libert M.B.A. ’09, works at Illinois State in the Research Ethics and Compliance Office which oversees university-wide compliance with federal, state, and university policies regarding the conduct of ethical research.

Marci Hill ’09, M.B.A. ’11, is assistant director of the Karin L. Bone Athletic Study Center serving student athletes at Illinois State.

Kathleen Shevlin ’09 is an associate human resource manager at Proctor and Gamble where she develops and deploys long term team effectiveness plans, creates and leads policy training, and expands sustainable recruiting strategies.

Angelica Alday ’10 is at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Leanne Petschow ’10 is a brand manager at ABS Graphics, a fully integrated communication, marketing, and media print company located in Addison.