CLASS Notes
1990s
^ Melissa Washington ’91 (Finance) was elected Board Chair for Leadership Greater Chicago.
Patrick Woock ’92 (Business Administration) published his book, Succession: Navigating Generational Success: A Comprehensive Guide for Family Business Leaders and Successors.
Dr. Byung-In Seo ’94 (Graduate Education) recently published her textbook, Building Disciplinary Literacy Skills: A Teacher's Guide for Secondary Students.
^ Wendy Hegarty ’92, Jill Karwoski ’01, Erin Murphy-Lorenz ’79, Laurie Schoenfeld ’94 ’01, (History) (Sport Management) (Spanish) (Mathematics and Graduate Education) were inducted into the Lewis University Academy of Coaches during the halftime of the women's basketball game on February 8, 2025.
David Salbego ’96 (Computer Science) began his tenure as the new Chief Information Officer and ITD Division Manager at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, NY.
Carolyn Brodnicki Serdar ’99 ’02 (Psychology and Counseling Psychology) was promoted to lead the Aspire Center at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis. Under her leadership, her team won the Pursuit of Excellence Award from the Career Leadership Collective.
2000s
Loretta Furtute ’04 (Elementary Education) was named a Golden Apple Finalist for Excellence in Leadership in 2025.
Katherine McCulley ’04 (Marketing) was inducted into the Illinois High School Volleyball Coaches Hall of Fame and the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame.
Claudia Chavez-Miranda ’05 ’10 (Elementary Education and Reading Specialist) received a 2024 ISBE Those Who Excel Award of Meritorious Service.
Michael Sommerfeld ’05 (Graduate Education) was named the new Director of Athletics for Lemont High School District 210.
Nigel Graham ’05 (Criminal Justice and Philosophy) was appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court as a Resident Circuit Judge for McDonough County in the Ninth Judicial Circuit by Justice Lisa Holder White ’90.
Kimberly Kries ’06 (Sport Management) was awarded Ira Jones Middle School’s Support Staff of the Year Award.
^ Michael Eck ’06 ’08 (Marketing and Business Administration) became the Chief Marketing Officer at Credit Union 1.
Kim Schuelke ’07 (Elementary Education) was awarded Creekside Elementary’s Teacher of the Year Award.
Rolla Sweis ’08 (Organizational Leadership) was announced as the President and CEO for La Rabida Children's Hospital.
Kristopher Garcia ’09 (Criminal Justice) was appointed Deputy Chief of Police
in Burr Ridge, Ill.
Traccye Love ’08 As a police sergeant for the Oak Park Police, Traccye was hired by Oak Park River Forest High School as its new Director of Campus Safety and Support.
Tania Forsman ’07 (Special Education) was named a Golden Apple Finalist for Excellence in Teaching in 2024.
^ Robert Culp ’08 ’19 (Elementary and Special Education and Educational Leadership) competed in the new CBS reality show, "The Summit", set in the New Zealand Alps.
^ Tosha Jackson ’09 (Educational Leadership) has been appointed Head of Schools at Daystar Academy.
2010s
^ Adrienne Guerrero ’10 (Organizational Leadership) presented "The Power of PAUSE: A Journey to Thoughtful Action" at TEDx Lewis University.
Amy Baldridge ’10 (Elementary Education) received a 2024 ISBE Those Who Excel Award of Meritorious Service. Amy is an ESL English/Language Arts Teacher at Brooks Middle School, Valley View School District 365U
Selena Landa ’10 (Elementary Education) was awarded the District 202 Award of Excellence.
William Johnson ’10 (Educational Leadership) was named Executive Director of Elgin High Schools for District U-46.
^ Lyndsey Powers ’11 (Multimedia Production) and Isaac Neven were married on June 25, 2023.
Michael McDougall ’12 ’16 (Aviation Administration and Aviation and Transportation) was named "2023 Airport Business Top 40 Under 40" by Aviation Pros magazine.
Rachel Stella ’13 (Mass Communications) was named the Director of Adult Faith Formation and Evangelization at St. Joseph Parish in Downers Grove, Ill.
Amber Witry ’14 (Counseling Psychology) received the District 202 Award of Excellence.
Angela Jonker ’14 (Business Administration) was promoted to the Department Manager of Convention & Event Planning at Lions Clubs International.
Kiantra Loza ’14 ’16 (Paralegal Studies, Criminal Justice and Organizational Leadership) was named Director of Admissions and Outreach, International Students and Campus Central at College of DuPage. Marc Loftus ’14 (Public Safety Administration) was nominated for appointment as Burr Ridge Police Chief.
Brianne Meyer ’15 ’17 (Mass Communications and Project Management) and her husband, Andy, welcomed their first baby boy into the world on August 14, 2024. "Meet our future Flyer, Riley!"
Kelly Rohder-Tonelli ’15 (Organizational Leadership) was named the 2024 Athena Award recipient by the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce.
Lawrence Kane ’15 (Public Safety Administration) was sworn in as the Buffalo Grove Fire Chief.
^ Isaac Jean-Paul ’16 (Sociology) competed for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Paralympics and won the silver medal in the men's long jump T13.
Joel Martin ’17 (Educational Leadership) received a 2024 ISBE Those Who Excel Award of Meritorious Service.
Kendall Dale ’17 (Illustration, Computer Graphic Design and General Studio Art) shared insights on his design journey and early career in technology at Lewis University’s Tech & Design symposium. The discussion centered around the potential effects of AI on the future of design, exploring both its advantages and challenges.
Nycole Torres ’17 ’20 (History and Secondary Education)is the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager at the League of Women Voters.
Alicia Hays ’18 (Elementary and Special Education) was named a Golden Apple Finalist for Excellence in Teaching in 2024.
^ Elizabeth Mateo ’18 (Middle Level Education) was named Lewis University's 2023 the 2023 Educationis Lumen Award winner.
^ Jordan (Styczen) Winiecki ’18 ’19 (Social Work) and Danny Winiecki got married on June 8, 2024, in Carbondale, Ill.
^ Anthony Borowczyk ’19 (Computer Science) made the 2025 Forbes "30 Under 30" List for games.
Ashley Bihun ’19 (Radio-TV Broadcasting and Marketing) was promoted to the Operations Manager for WGN Radio. Former General Manager of WLRA Radio Station, Bihun started an internship with WGN Radio while she was a student at Lewis and was hired upon graduation.
Berenice Diaz ’19 ’22 (Early Childhood Special Education and Reading Specialist) received her district’s Pam Surber Award of Excellence, which recognizes instructional staff for their unwavering commitment to student and family engagement, instructional excellence, prioritizing the academic, social, and emotional needs of children, and ensuring equity for all children.
^ Lauren Brennan ’19 ’22 and Trevor Nash ’20 (Radio-TV Broadcasting and Business Administration) (Marketing) got engaged on March 28 in Pensacola Beach, Fla.
Roy Selvik ’19 (Public Safety Administration) was promoted to the Chief of Police of Addison, Ill.
2020s
^ Jacob Kerschner ’20 (Mathematics) who was named to Volleyball Magazine's list of 2024 College Coaching Hotshots.
Kayla Feigl-Ramos ’20 (Marketing) was promoted to Area Finance Manager at Penske Truck Leasing.
Kayla Kobal ’20 (Elementary and Special Education) was awarded Walker's Grove Elementary Teacher of the Year.
Jaylen Bush ’21 (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) started a new role with United Airlines as a Senior Representative - NOC Security Desk.
James Subka ’22 (Aviation Flight Management) became a Volunteer for the Air Wisconsin Safety Action Program (ASAP).
Kyla Chalmers ’22 ’23 (Forensic Criminal Investigation, General Studio Art and Criminal Justice) joined One Family Illinois as a Child Welfare Specialist.
Matthew Helwig ’22 (Economics) signed with the Minnesota Twins.
Harvey Campos-Chavez ’24, Megan Vesta ’23, and Will Debolt ’23 (Mathematics and Physics) (Computer Science and Mathematics) (Mathematics and Secondary Education) in partnership with Dr. Amanda Harsy, published a chapter in Springer Nature's Handbook of Visual, Experimental and Computational Mathematics: Bridges Through Data.
Jaikumar Durairaj ’23 (Aviation and Transportation) has been appointed as an Airline Captain at SkyWest Airlines.
Mariano Agustin Sosa ’23 (Business Administration and Marketing) is the Special Project Assistant at the Romeoville Area Chamber of Commerce.
James Subka ’22
(Aviation Flight Management) became a Volunteer for the Air Wisconsin Safety Action Program (ASAP).
^ Anthony Beimal ’23 and Candy Barraza ’22 (Digital Marketing) and (Criminal Justice and Psychology) were wed on September 20, 2024.
Samara Martinez ’24 (Radio-TV Broadcasting) was hired as the Social Media and Marketing Director at Semper Fi Land Services.