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CAST.IllinoisState.edu FORE CAST THE MAGAZINE OF THE COLLEGE OF APPLIED SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY | 2016
CAST.IllinoisState.edu
FORECASTThE mAgAzInE OF ThE COllEgE OF ApplIEd SCIEnCE And TEChnOlOgy | 2016
CONTENTSThe magazine of the College of Applied Science and Technology
2016 · published annually
Interim dean · Jan M. MurphyEditor · Kara Pool SnyderContributing writers · Kara Pool Snyder,
Rachel Hatch, Ryan Denham, Kate Arthur, and Steve Barcus
Copy editor · Kevin BersettDesigner · Evan Walles
Illinois State UniversityCollege of Applied Science and
TechnologyCampus Box 5000Normal, IL 61790-5000
CAST.IllinoisState.edu
FORECAST 1 DEAN’S mESSAgE 2 DONOr SpOTlighT
4 NEw FOOD SCiENCE lAb
5 TECh Alum mAkES rObOTS DANCE
6 2015 ACADEmy OF AChiEvEmENT
7 2015 hAll OF FAmE
8 wOmEN iN lEADErShip 9 Tami Haukedahl
10 Betsy Pech
11 Jedediah Cantrell
12 pASSiON mEETS purpOSE
14 2015 DONOr rOll
Illinois State University FORECAST 1
DEAN’S mESSAgE
Jan M. MurphyInterim Dean, College of Applied Science and Technology
ello and welcome to the 2016 edition of ForeCAST magazine, brought to you by the College of Applied Science and Technolo-gy (CAST) at Illinois State University! As the academic home to
eight departments and schools—Agriculture, Criminal Justice Sciences, Family and Consumer Sciences, Health Sciences, Information Technolo-gy, Kinesiology and Recreation, Military Science, and Technology—there is always something new happening in CAST. In this issue, you’ll read about three incredible CAST alumni who are paving the way for women in their field. You’ll also learn how one donor’s generosity is making a difference on campus, what we have planned for this year’s Science and Technology Week, and about our award-winning alumni, featured in our Academy of Achievement and Hall of Fame.
The College of Applied Science and Technology has a lot to be proud of as we continue to maintain national accreditation in 21 programs. Many people wonder why these seemingly unrelated departments and schools are grouped into one college, but the faculty and staff who call CAST home know that we actually have more similarities than differences. Our 30-plus programs of study hold over 20 national accreditations; we pro-vide students with cutting edge curriculum; and our technology-inten-sive programs are guided by active advisory boards. CAST programs are infused with experiential learning opportunities in state-of-the-art labo-ratories, and most students participate in culminating experiences such as professional practice internships and student teaching. Our faculty are active teachers and scholars who merge their applied research and their teaching in a way that invigorates the classroom.
It is my distinct honor to hold the title of interim dean of the Col-lege of Applied Science and Technology. I have called Illinois State home for almost 30 years. My roles in CAST have included serving as assis-tant dean, associate dean, and chair of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. I have also served as the associate provost for the University for more than 10 years, including time as interim provost. In addition, I have served as director of Campus Dining Services. I look for-ward to celebrating our great programs and college with you.
I sincerely hope you enjoy reading this latest issue of the ForeCAST, and please stay in touch. We love to hear stories from our alumni! Stop by next time you are on campus, or send your updates to [email protected]. Visit us when you can; think of us often; go you Redbirds!
Sincerely,
College enrollment has once again increased—to more than 4,500 students—currently making up 21 percent of Illinois State University’s student body.
Engineering technology and renewable energy undergraduates and one gradu-ate student in the Department of Tech-nology competed with other ISU Solar Car Team members at the Formula Sun Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. The team placed third.
Military Science has commissioned 45 officers into the United States Army over the last three years. Thank you for your service!
Over 90 percent of athletic training stu-dents from the School of Kinesiology and Recreation pass their national certi-fication exams on the first attempt.
Students from the School of Information Technolo-gy’s security club placed first in two regional security competitions in 2015, beating out computer security professionals and other students in finding security “flags” that could represent hacker activity hidden on computer systems.
In 2015 the medical lab science, health information management, and health education programs from the Depart-ment of Health Sciences all had 100 percent job placement rates.
Over 400 internship sites nationwide are available to Department of Criminal Justice Sciences students.
The Department of Agriculture’s Nation-al Agri-Marketing Association has been recognized as the Outstanding Chapter in North America for four straight years.
Ani Yazedjian, chair of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, received a nearly $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Ser-vices to provide education related to healthy relation-ships, job readiness, and financial literacy to at-risk youth in Champaign.
H
DiD yOukNOw
2 FORECAST College of Applied Science and Technology
Department of Agriculture | Department of Criminal Justice Sciences | Department of Family and Consumer Sciences | Department
of Health Sciences | School of Information Technology | School of Kinesiology and Recreation | Department of Technology
Department of Military Science | Department of Agriculture | Department of Criminal Justice Sciences | Department of Family and
Consumer Sciences | Department of Health Sciences | School of Information Technology | School of Kinesiology and Recreation
Department of Technology | Department of Military Science | Department of Agriculture | Department of Criminal Justice Sciences |
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences | Department of Health Sciences | School of Information Technology | School of
Kinesiology and Recreation | Department of Technology | Department of Military Science | Department of Agriculture | Department
of Criminal Justice Sciences | Department of Family and Consumer Sciences | Department of Health Sciences | School of Information
Technology | School of Kinesiology and Recreation | Department of Technology | Department of Military Science | Department of
Agriculture | Department of Criminal Justice Sciences | Department of Family and Consumer Sciences | Department of Health
Sciences | School of Information Technology | School of Kinesiology and Recreation | Department of Technology | Department of
Military Science | Department of Agriculture | Department of Criminal Justice Sciences | Department of Family and Consumer
Sciences | Department of Health Sciences | School of Information Technology | School of Kinesiology and Recreation | Department
of Technology | Department of Military Science | Department of Agriculture | Department of Criminal Justice Sciences | Department
of Family and Consumer Sciences | Department of Health Sciences | School of Information Technology | School of Kinesiology and
ThE COllEgE OF AppliED SCiENCE AND TEChNOlOgy hAS mANy gENErOuS DONOrS. One such donor, the Tawani Foundation, has been giving support to the Department of Military Science annually for over 10 years.
The Tawani Foundation ROTC Awards program was founded in 1996 as a way to support the educational, civic, and leadership goals of cadets and midshipmen by recognizing outstanding per-formance. Retired Col. Jennifer N. Pritzker, Tawani Foundation’s founder and president, enlisted in the Army in 1974, having partic-ipated in ROTC while attending Loyola University Chicago. After commissioning in 1979, she spent over 25 years of service in airborne and infantry divisions before retiring from the Illinois Army Nation-al Guard in 2001. Her love of country and the duty to give back to local communities led Pritzker to establish the foundation with an emphasis on preserving military history and heritage by promoting the ideal of the “citizen soldier.” The ROTC Awards program is just one way she can achieve the foundation’s mission and give back to the community while simultaneously supporting our nation’s future leaders and those who choose to serve.
The Tawani Foundation’s gift is impacting a department that is turning around and impacting the world. Illinois State University’s ROTC program started in the 1977–1978 school year, with the first class commissioning in 1980–1981. The program includes cadets from Illinois State, Illinois Wesleyan University, and Bradley Uni-versity. Currently, the program has 125 students/cadets, and to date, the program has commissioned over 400 officers.
Within the ROTC program, over 50 percent of the students are on some type of scholarship, and 40 of them are also receiving a tu-ition waiver from Illinois State for the semester. The Tawani Foun-dation’s annual gift of $10,000 impacts 10 students per year. “The Tawani Foundation graciously allows us to split the funds as we see fit,” said Lt. Col. Andrew Bender, professor of military science. “This allows us to provide funding for more students.” The funds are split among 10 students that receive merit-based scholarships. Cadet Kayla Campbell was recently one of the recipients. A senior this year, Campbell is a cellular and molecular biology major.
The scholarship process looks at grade point average and also at a personal essay that applicants write. Campbell remembers her essay prompt well: “In a critical situation, would you choose your men or your mission?” Campbell explained that due to the Army’s ethos, the mission always comes first. “Sometimes in the field you have to make tough decisions and make sacrifices. If you remember the ethos, your mission comes first. If you do it appropriately, your men will be taken care of.”
Before joining ROTC, Campbell played soccer for the Redbirds. As an athlete and now as a cadet, Campbell’s extracurricular activ-ities keep her active on campus and in the community, leaving little time for a job. “I work hard to get scholarships so I can focus on my schoolwork and on ROTC. The scholarship from the Tawani Foun-dation helped give me some money to live on and took the pressure off, so I could focus on my priorities.”
Her priorities include science-intensive classes. Campbell lists ecology and organic chemistry as her current favorites, largely due to the quality instruction she is receiving. “In ecology class, Dr. (Bill) Perry is very funny, and in organic chemistry, Dr. (Shawn) Hitch-cock is so helpful. He really wants to make sure students do well.” Campbell is benefitting from the quality classroom instruction that has been one of Illinois State’s hallmarks for decades.
After graduation, Campbell is looking forward to what’s next: “I always liked thinking about having a career in the Army. I like the idea of protecting the nation.” Upon commissioning in the Army, Campbell is hoping to serve in the Chemical Corps, Military Intelli-gence, or the Medical Service Corps.
“The Tawani Foundation is honored to be a part of impacting lives by recognizing excellence and achievement, especially at the point where academics and service intersect,” said Kareema Adiele, grants manager at the Tawani Foundation. “Donations, of any kind and to any department, are an easy way for people of all walks of life to show support for important and impactful programs, which can inspire recipients to pay it forward through their own future philanthropic endeavors.”
DONOr SpOTlighTT A w A N i F O u N D A T i O N
If you would like to support the Department of Military Science or another area of interest in the College of Applied
Science and Technology, contact Heather Hartman at [email protected] or (309) 438-3134.
2 FORECAST College of Applied Science and Technology
By Kara Pool Snyder
Illinois State University FORECAST 3
Department of Agriculture | Department of Criminal Justice Sciences | Department of Family and Consumer Sciences | Department
of Health Sciences | School of Information Technology | School of Kinesiology and Recreation | Department of Technology
Department of Military Science | Department of Agriculture | Department of Criminal Justice Sciences | Department of Family and
Consumer Sciences | Department of Health Sciences | School of Information Technology | School of Kinesiology and Recreation
Department of Technology | Department of Military Science | Department of Agriculture | Department of Criminal Justice Sciences |
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences | Department of Health Sciences | School of Information Technology | School of
Kinesiology and Recreation | Department of Technology | Department of Military Science | Department of Agriculture | Department
of Criminal Justice Sciences | Department of Family and Consumer Sciences | Department of Health Sciences | School of Information
Technology | School of Kinesiology and Recreation | Department of Technology | Department of Military Science | Department of
Agriculture | Department of Criminal Justice Sciences | Department of Family and Consumer Sciences | Department of Health
Sciences | School of Information Technology | School of Kinesiology and Recreation | Department of Technology | Department of
Military Science | Department of Agriculture | Department of Criminal Justice Sciences | Department of Family and Consumer
Sciences | Department of Health Sciences | School of Information Technology | School of Kinesiology and Recreation | Department
of Technology | Department of Military Science | Department of Agriculture | Department of Criminal Justice Sciences | Department
of Family and Consumer Sciences | Department of Health Sciences | School of Information Technology | School of Kinesiology and
#iSuSciTechCheck CAST.IllinoisState.edu for more information about each event.
Contact Kara Pool Snyder at [email protected] with any questions.
professional Development DinnerMonday, April 11 • 5 p.m.Prairie Room, Bone Student CenterAttend this event to learn formal dining skills and conversational practices for interview and work settings while meeting College of Applied Science and Technology alumni.
keynote speaker Charlie millerTuesday, April 12 • 7 p.m.Bone Student CenterAttend the keynote speech by Charlie Miller, “one of the most technically proficient hackers on Earth,” according to Foreign Policy.
Neon at Night 5k Fun runWednesday, April 13 • 8 p.m.Student Fitness Center Enjoy a 5K run through Illinois State’s campus at night. This event is co-sponsored by CAST and Campus Recreation.
women in leadershipThursday, April 14 • 9 a.m.Club Room, Hancock StadiumSpend an energizing morning meeting CAST alumni and learning tools for women to succeed in the workplace.
Academy of AchievementFriday, April 15 • 8:30 a.m.Club Room, Hancock StadiumCelebrate CAST alumni during their induction to the Academy of Achievement. The academy brings together alumni who are thought leaders in their fields and who serve as inspiration to others with similar careers.
4 FORECAST College of Applied Science and Technology
mooth milk cascaded into a metal bowl so shiny it reflected the gen-tle movement of Rachel Vollmer as
she slowly poured. Turning on the mixer, Vollmer leaned her hand against the cool surface of a new stove nearby, standing at one of a half-dozen cooking stations in the spacious, new Foods Lab at Illinois State University.
“This place is incredible, and it is just what the students need,” said Vollmer, an
assistant professor of Family and Consum-er Sciences (FCS).
For those who remember the old foods lab, the new digs are a far cry from the gold and green linoleum—and the orig-inal intent—of the past lab. “This lab was first developed as a way to prepare peo-ple—prepare women—to be homemakers, so everything resembled a small, residen-tial kitchen,” said FCS Chairperson Ani Yazedjian. “Now you are looking at some-thing you would see in large-scale restau-rants, health care facilities, and hospitals. We’re preparing students for the changing food industry.”
The new lab includes commer-cial-quality stoves and dishwashing area. State-of-the-art cameras run throughout the lab, so instructors can display stations for all students to see on a large screen. “We’ll also have the capability of showing stations side-by-side and recording classes for online teaching and demonstration,” said Yazedjian. All tables and prep carts are on rollers, so the room can be rearranged to suit the various classes that will return to the lab this fall. The yearlong project is estimated at more than $750,000, fund-
ed by an allocation from the University’s Board of Trustees and from the College of Applied Science and Technology.
The upgrades reflect how the food industry has evolved over the last decade, said Nancy Koch, an FCS instructor who will teach in the lab. “This gives students the opportunity to work in a facility that is more up to code in terms of equipment, and realistic in feel to what they will see in the industry,” she said. Yazedjian added the boom in eating out follows family trends. “It used to be a big deal to get dressed up and go out to eat, but there are so many families where everyone is working, and
so many activities in which everyone is in-volved, that eating out has become a com-monplace event.”
That shift sparked the development of a new option in FCS called food and nutri-tion management that also began last year. “The industry is not what it was 10 years ago,” said Yazedjian. “Along with having some background in business, managers need to have some understanding of the kitchen and dietary needs.” The option fo-cuses on diet, much like the sequence for registered dietitians, but also includes a food management element that is desired in the marketplace.
“There is a big push for restaurants and commercial kitchens to cater to the di-etary needs of clients,” said Vollmer, as she poured a mixture into the ice cream maker. “It’s more than simply allergies, although those are important. It’s about understand-ing dietary challenges.” Yazedjian looked to the aging Baby Boomer population as an example. “As people get older, they tend to lose taste buds and salt their food more to get flavor,” she said. “We need to find ways to add flavor without elevating their sodi-um intake.”
Pointing to several batches of finished ice cream, Vollmer explained the tasty treat is actually a project for students. “They have to alter a basic recipe by substituting a possible challenge. In this case, they have to swap out the milk.” Next to several cups of creamy strawberry ice cream sit a dark-er, icier blend. “Some try cashew milk,” she said, scooping up a bit with a tiny, plastic spoon, “but they find out pretty quickly the fat and the protein contribute to the smooth mouth feel.”
It won’t just be FCS students who benefit from the new Foods Lab. Yazedji-an sees the lab as a community resource. “There are community groups we could not accommodate before because we did not have the space. So whether it is chefs teaching families how to cook around al-lergies, or a troop of Boy Scouts earning a badge, this would provide them with a place.”
FOOD MANAGEMENT SEqUENCE MAKING FUTURE SWEETER
By Rachel Hatch
NEw FOOD SCiENCE lAb
The upgrades reflect how the food industry has evolved over the last decade.
S
Illinois State University FORECAST 5
ndrew Siwicki ’14 may have the best job description ever: He makes robots dance on national television.
Well, that’s not all he does. Not even close. But just one year after graduating from Illinois State, Siwicki just took his industrial robotics expertise onto NBC’s America’s Got Talent, where he teamed up with dance group Freelusion for a stun-ningly choreographed routine. It was a ca-reer high—in a very young career.
“From programming the robot rou-tine and applying the necessary safeties, I would have never thought I would be this far in my career,” said Siwicki, a Momence native.
Siwicki traces his early success back to his education in Illinois State’s Depart-ment of Technology, especially its faculty and Caterpillar Integrated Manufactur-ing Laboratory. Siwicki worked in the lab, which has 10 state-of-the-art ABB indus-trial robots and a wide array of related equipment for student use.
“It’s a pretty special space. It’s a show-case for us,” said Department of Technolo-gy chair Ted Branoff.
Siwicki majored in renewable energy, with a minor in engineering technology. He graduated early, but already had a job
lined up at ABB, the same company that produced Illinois State University’s robots.
When he’s not making robots dance, Siwicki is a robotics engineer and paint specialist at ABB. That means he’s in charge of the robots that precisely paint most of the cars you see on the street to-day. He’s based in Michigan but travels to plants around the country to work on ABB’s multimillion-dollar robotics sys-tems.
He says he “found his career niche” in Illinois State’s robotics lab, which exposed him to both sides of robotics—the ma-chine, and the underlying Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) that makes it work.
Even more so, he credits faculty mem-bers Kevin Devine and Dave Kennell with the kind of hands-on, problem-solving ro-botics instruction that prepared him well for his job at ABB.
“The way they taught classes is ex-actly how the real world is,” Siwicki said. “That’s exactly what I’m doing at ABB. I go to a plant by myself and have to figure it out.”
But back in September, he had to fig-ure out a new problem—how to get a ro-bot to dance in lockstep with Freelusion on America’s Got Talent. The dance group approached ABB about developing a ro-bot-driven routine for the reality show’s live semifinal round, and Siwicki was tapped for the job.
The robot, under Andrew’s pre-pro-grammed control, moved in perfect sync with the dancers, video content, and other visuals. But it wasn’t easy. Dancers often change their routine throughout the re-hearsal process, and Siwicki found himself making unrehearsed tweaks right up until showtime.
“The most challenging part was try-ing to make the robot not look like an in-dustrial robot, to make it move like a danc-er,” said Siwicki. “I’d have to think like a dancer too.”
While Siwicki’s TV gig may be unusu-al, his employability and career path are not, says Branoff.
“We have a large group of ISU alums working with ABB, and I was very pleased Andrew chose to start his career there,” added Devine. “I am not surprised he is doing well at ABB.”
TEChNOlOgy Alum rEADy FOr ANyThiNg
By Ryan Denham
The way they taught classes is exactly how the real world is.
A
EvEN DANCING ROBOTS
Illinois State alum Andrew Siwicki ’14, second from left, with Joshua Sean, Laura New,
and DJ Smart from the Freelusion dance group.
6 FORECAST College of Applied Science and Technology
2015mAC CONDill ’99, Department of Agriculture; owner and operator, The Great Pumpkin Patch
brAD lAuEr, M.S.’05, Department of Criminal Justice Sciences; vice president of northwest operations, U.S. Security Associates
mOlly mCguigAN ’05, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences; senior project manager, Compass Group
SArA griESEmEr ’03, Department of Health Sciences; research scientist in the special projects unit of the laboratory of viral diseases at the Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health
COry DOuglAS ’02, School of Information Technology; president, Area-Wide Technologies
DAviD pErry ’97, School of Kinesiology and Recreation; assistant principal, Neuqua Valley High School
kyrA TillmAN ’99, Department of Technology; vice president, BTM Industries
ACADEmy OF AChiEvEmENTInduction into the Academy of Achievement is an honor bestowed on graduates of the College
of Applied Science and Technology. Nominations are based upon an alum’s demonstrated signif-
icant contributions to a chosen profession/community and demonstrated commitment to Illinois
State following graduation. No more than 20 years may have passed since inductees graduated
from Illinois State. The academy attempts to bring together “thought leaders” in their fields who
serve as an inspiration to others to pursue similar career paths.
Find full bios at CAST.IllinoisState.edu/Alumni/Academy-Of-Achievement.
Illinois State University FORECAST 7
2015mArCOS FErNANDEz ’80, Department of Agriculture; associate dean and professor of animal sciences in the college of agriculture, Purdue University
lOuiS blADEl iii ’89, Department of Criminal Justice Sciences; special agent in charge of counterintelligence division in the New York Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation
bJ FriEDmAN ’75,Department of Family and Consumer Sciences; professor of nutrition and foods, Texas State University
AlAN JANSSEN ’75, Department of Health Sciences; senior health communications specialist in the global immunization division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Amy FOwlEr STADlEr ’86, School of Information Technology; managing partner, Lewis Fowler
mikE buCEk ’82, School of Kinesiology and Recreation; vice president of marketing and business development, Kansas City Royals
STEvE wArE ’84, Department of Military Science; executive vice president, Millennium Corp.
TOm SChilDgEN’77, M.S. ’80,Department of Technology; professor of technology, Arizona State University
hAll OF FAmEInduction into the College of Applied Science and Technology Hall of Fame is an honor bestowed on
current, past, or honorary members of the CAST community. Nominations can be based on outstanding
performance in one’s profession; demonstrated leadership in one’s profession or the community;
outstanding service to the institution; and statewide, national, or international recognition.
Find full bios at CAST.IllinoisState.edu/Alumni/Hall-Of-Fame.
illiNOiS SOybEAN ASSOCiATiON, corporate inductee
8 FORECAST College of Applied Science and Technology
ut of the eight departments in the College of Applied Science and Technology, seven are in male-dominated fields. More women are studying agriculture, technolo-
gy, computer science, and criminal justice, but they are still out-numbered when they graduate.
And 30 years ago, they were really outnumbered. Betsy Pech be-came one of the first women in the state to teach high school ag-riculture in 1978. Tami Haukedahl walked away with a degree in corrections in 1980 and joined the Illinois State Police, becoming
the first woman to patrol the Tri-State Tollway in the Chicago area at a time when there were no uniforms tailored for women. Jedediah Cantrell started as a nurse’s assistant in a nursing home, got her degree in health information management in 2001, and is vice president of operations for SwedishAmerican Health System.
Find out How tHey did it.
o
Breaking the MoldBy Kate Arthur and Steve Barcus
Betsy Pech Agriculture
Jedediah CantrellHealth Information
Management
Tami HaukedahlCriminal Justice
Illinois State University FORECAST 9
When Tami Haukedahl ’80 graduated with a degree in corrections, women were more likely to be matrons in prison than sworn police officers. But the Redbird basketball player knew what she wanted to be since she was a teen and she learned from for-mer head coach Jill Hutchison to stick to her game plan. After more than 27 years with the Illinois State Police, she retired to become deputy chief of police at Elgin Community College.
Q At a time when women were be-coming nurses or teachers in droves, what attracted you to the police force?
A I was one of the lucky ones. I knew I wanted to be a police officer when I was 15. I knew no police officers. Police work drew me because I could help peo-ple. I was so fortunate to get my dream job with the state police.
Q What was your first assignment with the Illinois State Police?A I started out on the tollway system around O’Hare; they call it the spa-ghetti bowl. You have 50,000 to 70,000 cars and trucks pass through your 12-mile patrol area in an eight-hour shift. Any-thing that would happen in a city that size also happens in cars—homicides, suicides, crimes, babies being born, drunk drivers, crashes.
Q How did your career evolve?A After seven years, I became a ser-geant, and eventually a master ser-geant, and then shift commander. I had an opportunity to join the Division of Inter-
nal Investigation in ’93. I did investigations on state employees or DCFS (Department of Children and Family Services), or Public Aid, or state police troopers accused of wrongdoing. After three years, I went to
the Illinois State Police Crime Lab in Chi-cago. It was so interesting. I was eager to start every day and see where it went.
Q What personal philosophy guided you?A I was able to help people in a lot of ways, whether it was changing a tire, which I did hundreds of times, or just listening to someone who needed an ear, or helping crime victims. I had such a sense of satisfaction from it. My parents had a tough time understanding that I would be willing to lay my life down for what I believe in.
I had some moments of sheer terror. One night I arrested an armed robber and I thought it would end terribly. He robbed a toll plaza at gunpoint. The tollway is a controlled-access highway, so there was no exit between me and him. He had to drive by me and I pulled him over and the gun was on the front seat. We all ride by ourselves. We’re highly trained, so you al-ways revert to your training. You harness your adrenaline like athletes do.
Q Did you experience any gender discrimination or bias from male officers?
A At 23 years old, I was the first wom-an on the Tri-State Tollway and I was working with experienced troopers, most of them Vietnam vets. There were no bathrooms for women. There was one locker room that we all had to share, com-plete with a bunch of urinals. Our uni-forms were tailored for men, and the hair standard was the same as males so I looked like a 10-year-old boy.
My first supervisor, a sergeant, was quite skeptical about women being state
troopers. One day he asked, “What is the academy sending me here?” I told him I’d give 100 percent and he wouldn’t regret it. At the end of my career, I was fortunate enough to be the commander of the Toll-
way District. That sergeant was still in the district. He came in to my office and said I had a lot to overcome and he was proud of me.
Q What did ISU do to help prepare you for your career?A My education at ISU really laid the groundwork for me to be successful in law enforcement. The faculty was an all-star group and being able to apply that knowledge and use it in a practical way is the basis for my success.
Being in sports definitely helped too. I understood how I’d fit in with the team, what I brought to the table, and what I needed someone else for. Jill Hutchison was my coach, and you don’t get any better than that. She’d drill in our heads that we had a job to do, and to just keep focused,
and execute the game plan. That helped me throughout my career.
The lessons I learned on the court and in the classroom brought me my success. There’s no doubt about it.
At 23 years old, I was the first woman (trooper) on the Tri-State Tollway.
Tami Haukedahl
10 FORECAST College of Applied Science and Technology
Betsy Pech ’78 thought she wanted to be a veterinarian in high school. She never considered a career in agriculture, because that’s not something high school girls thought about in the ’70s. Physics ended her dream of becoming a veterinarian, and she attended two colleges before transfer-ring to Illinois State, where she discovered ag education. Pech became one of the first women in the state to teach high school agriculture and won numerous awards, in-cluding Top Vocational Agriculture Teach-er in Illinois and the Honorary Holbert Award from Illinois State’s Department of Agriculture, the department’s highest honor. After 34 years of teaching at Harts-burg-Emden High School, she retired in 2014 and lives in rural Lincoln with her husband of 35 years, Randy. They raise Hereford cattle.
Q What was the first surprise about teaching a male-dominated subject?A I was probably the first female pro-duction ag teacher in Illinois. It ab-solutely didn’t dawn on me that there weren’t any females out there. I’ve always been around males, working on a farm, so it didn’t dawn on me that I was going to be stranded out there by myself. There were a couple of times when someone tried to put me in my place, male teachers, but the kids were fine, that wasn’t an issue at all. It wasn’t enough to discourage me.
Q What did you want your students to learn about agriculture, and how did that change as fewer students came from farms?
A About three years ago we graduated the last of the farm kids, but luckily, it’s still a rural community. I always told my students you live in the best of areas—you can drive down the road and see corn, and soybeans, and tractors, and 30 miles away, you can be in a city of 100,000. But the people who live there don’t know what your life is like.
My last five or six years of teaching, I had almost every kid in high school. It was an elective, and I wanted the kids to enjoy learning about agriculture. It’s my passion. Four years ago we went to the Farm Prog-ress Show, and I took two buses, freshman through seniors. There were only three or four kids left at the school.
Q Did any of your students pursue ag-riculture, and what advice did you give them about ag education, which often requires extra hours with FFA and compe-titions?
A Quite a few went into agriculture, one is a veterinarian, several work in the seed industry, and several went into diesel mechanics. One of my disappoint-ments is I haven’t had students go into ag education. But I have sat down with col-lege students and told them if you’re going to get married, you have to have a spouse who’s very understanding of an (ag educa-tion) career.
If you do it the way it’s supposed to be done, you’re going to be gone evenings and Saturdays. One of the other things I told them is that if you go to a rural school district, you need to know how to teach mechanics. You don’t have to be a master; you just have to know enough to teach the class. I just built and wired a playhouse for my grandchildren. Those are things I taught my students and I taught myself by going to workshops.
Q What do you miss about teaching now that you’ve entered your sec-ond fall without a classroom?
A I miss the students. I miss the cama-raderie of the teachers, but I do not miss the paperwork. It was probably about January last year that it finally hit me that I do like my evenings at home. I do like my Saturdays. I have four grandchildren. But I had a fantastic career. I loved every minute of it. I couldn’t have written a better script for my life.
Betsy Pech
Interested in learning more about how our al-ums are succeeding in their fields? Join us for our Women in Leadership event during SciTech Week. Learn more on Page 3 of this issue or at CAST.IllinoisState.edu.
Illinois State University FORECAST 11
Jedediah Cantrell’s career is rooted in more than 20 years of experience in health care. Beginning as a nurse’s assistant in a nursing home, Cantrell ’01 took on roles in laboratory science before pursuing her Bachelor of Science in health information management at Illinois State. After grad-uating, she applied her education and ex-perience, gaining increasing responsibility in the health information management (HIM) field. Today Cantrell serves as vice president of operations for SwedishAmeri-can Health System, headquartered in Rock-ford, where she is responsible for hospital internal operations and clinical services throughout the health system and provides oversight of the SwedishAmerican Region-al Cancer Center. Additionally Cantrell is active on a number of community boards and in a number of organizations. She re-ceived her executive MBA from Bradley University.
Q Was moving into a leadership role always a goal?A It was. Early in my career, I wanted to move into leadership and make decisions. Be careful what you ask for. But, the move toward leadership is what led me to HIM. One thing I always appre-ciated about HIM is the variety—you can focus on data analysis, patient records, coding impact, revenue cycles, clients, and IT. It is a diverse field. Between my desire to get into management and do something different every day, HIM was a perfect fit for that.
Q What is your favorite aspect of your job?A What I enjoy most is that we’re in an exciting time right now in health care. The changes we are undergoing are related to redesigning how we deliver pa-tient care, how we are reimbursed for that care, how we partner with other health
care entities, and how we work to provide positive health care experiences. You wrap that up and try to figure out how to pro-
vide the best experience for our patients while managing a financial environment that’s changing. All of the moving parts can be challenging, but I enjoy working with my team as we figure out “the how.”
Q What’s your greatest success?A I’m a strong believer that mentor-ship and reaching back to help oth-ers is critical in the advancement of our communities. I try to make it a point to spend time with students and people who are early in their careers. I spend time with mid-level professionals and I partici-pate on education and community boards because it is important to give back. To see people advance and stretch beyond them-selves counts as success for me.
Q How do you find time to give back?A It can be tough. Not only do I have the roles I hold at SwedishAmeri-can and on community boards, I am a wife and mother of three: TJ (23), Saniya (5), and Kimoni (3). My husband, my family, my community in Rockford—I have a strong support system that allows me to make time for others. Again, having a strong team at work who are experts at what they do is essential as well, and I rely on them.
Q A study by the Pew Research Center noted that while women make up the majority of the labor force, only 22 per-cent of senior management positions are held by women. What are your thoughts on this?
A Unfortunately, it’s our reality. In health care it’s what I see every day. Although the number of males in health care related roles is growing, most health care workers are women, but that ratio is not necessarily reflected in leadership po-sitions. In most health care organizations when you look at the board of trustees, board of directors, and executive leader-
ship team, there aren’t many women pres-ent in those roles. I am proud to say that SwedishAmerican has done a very good
job of diversifying their board of directors as well as their executive leadership team. There has been an effort to make sure that our leadership is diverse and reflects the communities that we serve. There’s still work to be done in the industry.
Q What do you think is the greatest challenge facing today’s workforce?A My career journey has not been a short one. When students or early careerists ask me how I got where I am in my career today, I have to remind people that I’ve been in health care for 22 years. Sometimes students graduate and want to walk straight into a leadership role. Quite honestly, you have to work your way through the ranks and pay your dues first.
Q What advice do you have for stu-dents and young alumni?A You have to do what you love doing, and not chase the money. When you’re doing something you love, some-thing that drives you, something that gives you a sense of satisfaction while you’re do-ing it, the money will follow.
Jedediah Cantrell
Most health care workers are women, but that ratio is not necessarily reflected in leadership positions.
12 FORECAST College of Applied Science and Technology
piCk A JOb yOu lOvE, AND yOu’ll NEvEr wOrk A DAy iN yOur liFE. whAT mighT SOuND likE A quOTE FrOm A COmmENCEmENT SpEECh Or SOmE-ThiNg FrOm AN iNSpirATiONAl CAlENDAr ACTu-Ally riNgS TruE FOr SChOOl OF iNFOrmATiON TEChNOlOgy Alum brANDON DEwiTT ’05. As chief technology officer (CTO) for MX in Lehi, Utah, Dewitt often finds himself saying, “I’ve never been to work a day in my life. I hang out with creators who have found a purpose.”
MX has almost 200 employees, but the company is still con-sidered a startup. As such, he has trouble defining his main re-sponsibilities as CTO. “Some days a salesman, some days a janitor, some days a coder, some days a friend, but I’m always a builder and a creator.”
Founded in 2010, MX’s main goal is to offer digital money management solutions that amplify user loyalty and drive an in-crease in profitable revenue. MX partners with digital banking providers and financial institutions to enhance the account hold-er experience and position banking partners as true advocates for end users. MX strongly believes that finance can be simpler, more useful, and even enjoyable.
Some might think making finance enjoyable is an oxymoron
that would be impossible to overcome, but employees at MX are up for the challenge. The team at MX believes that “it’s every-one’s job to get things done,” Dewitt said. Days at MX kick off with a 15-minute, stand-up meeting where engineers share what they accomplished the previous day, and what they hope to exe-cute today. “We share concerns, ask for assistance on significant problems, and brainstorm solutions.”
Dewitt often follows up the stand-up meeting with an hour or two of writing code. “I got into starting companies to write code that changes how humanity interacts with daily life,” said Dewitt. “Part of my happiness is found in tackling hard problems in maintainable and scalable ways. I need to spend time coding every day.”
Dewitt is mindful of spending time on things that make him happy, especially after receiving a wake-up call that made him re-alize what matters most in life. “I had been through a few careers at this point, and I had never purchased a car,” said Dewitt. “I decided to ‘reward’ myself for the success I had experienced. I went to the BMW dealership and negotiated to get a BMW X5, white with a brown leather interior, and pick it up the following Monday.”
“As I was headed to pick up the car on Monday morning, I received a call from my doctor, who said I needed to go to the hospital,” Dewitt said. “I told him I had another appointment and
By Kara Pool Snyder
Part of my happiness is found in tack-ling hard problems in maintainable and scalable ways.
Brandon Dewitt's Instagram account captures everything from
chemotherapy treatments to speaking at the RedbirdHacks conference,
and many moments in between.
12 FORECAST College of Applied Science and Technology
M E E T S
P A S S I O N
P U R P O S E
Illinois State University FORECAST 13
that I couldn’t come in; he informed me that I needed to go to the hospital as soon as possible. I canceled my car appointment and headed to the hospital to learn that I had a fast-growing cancer.
“After sitting and crying for half an hour, I called my mother and told her the news. Then I called and canceled my BMW order. When I ordered the BMW, I was focused on what was materially important to me, instead of how the decisions I made influenced and impacted the world around me.” Dewitt eventually ended up purchasing a hybrid car that gets 44 miles per gallon and an elec-tric smart car.
Dewitt was diagnosed on September 8, 2014, and spent three months in daily radiation and weekly chemotherapy treatments. He was still working and in communication with his team at MX, but staying quarantined from the office was difficult. Dewitt re-mains grateful for the support he received from his co-workers. “I had visitors during that time, and the entire company supported me throughout the whole journey,” said Dewitt. “They even wore ‘Just Dewitt’ shirts every chemotherapy treatment.”
Dewitt shared his story with Illinois State Information Tech-nology students at RedbirdHacks, a hackathon hosted at Illinois State in April 2015. “Brandon has always been an innovative think-er and an excellent programmer, but his battle with cancer turned him into a great role model,” said Mary Elaine Califf, director of the School of Information Technology. “I’ve seen him talk to stu-dents both before and after. Before, he was an interesting speaker who does some exciting things; now, he’s the kind of speaker who touches hearts and lives.
“He’s still the entrepreneurial brilliant programmer, and yet, he also has figured out what else matters in life and is willing to talk to students about those things.”
“My experience has caused me to live and work with more purpose,” Dewitt said. “I realized I wanted to read more; I real-ized I wanted to be the person that I have always imagined I could be (without the typical excuses); I realized the everyday interac-tions of life are not boring, but they should be cherished and pur-poseful.”
Dewitt’s goal of reading more started during his hospital vis-its, and one book he got his hands on was This is Water, by David Foster Wallace, a former Illinois State University professor. “It has become required reading at MX and informs how we interact with one another at the office and in our daily lives,” said Dewitt.
After his diagnosis, focusing his efforts became a main pri-ority for Dewitt in his life. “When I was diagnosed with cancer, I realized pretty quickly that life is not infinite,” he said. “This was an inspiration to magnify the impact of my efforts, but also to focus them. The seconds we have left are a finite resource and saying ‘no’ is a necessity if we are going to optimize the use of
those seconds.”This focus extends to the office. “Every week at MX, we visit
with financial institutions and organizations that are looking to solve big problems in new and innovative ways. Our biggest chal-lenge is not generating opportunity, but deciding when to say no to one,” said Dewitt. “My natural curiosity and excitement about building, creating, and solving problems makes saying ‘no’ a chal-lenge.”
Dewitt’s natural curiosity for learning meant that he saw more of Illinois State’s campus than some students. While he end-ed up as a computer science major, he initially began his journey at Illinois State University in the School of Music. “The intersec-tion of art and science at the University has made the most signif-icant impact on my success,” said Dewitt. “As humans, we are not single-track; we require both sides of our minds to be engaged.”
This way of thinking started early for Dewitt: “I wrote my-self an email before starting my first entrepreneurial endeavor, and I still live by it today. Every time I read it, I realize how pre-scient my younger self was; the naivete of my youth still guides my present.” The email references to-dos that engage both the right and left sides of the brain: Be passionate to the point of ridicule; statistics don’t lie, so learn to read them; practice objectivity; and remember that “integrity matters more.”
The last point on Dewitt’s list encourages him to “find out what’s real, what matters, and what you value.” It is clear that cre-ativity is one thing that rises to the top of that list for him, day in and day out. “When I leave the office, I feel the true fulfillment that comes with knowing that what was built today did not ex-ist yesterday, and the momentum we have built over time can continue to grow,” said Dewitt. “Planting the seed of creation is something that can never be undone and fulfillment that is rarely matched.”
When asked what advice he would give to someone who is considering starting their own company, Dewitt said, “Do it! Start a business, or go learn at a startup company how to start a busi-ness of your own. There is no time like the present to lose every-thing in the pursuit of purpose.”
This was an inspiration to magnify the impact of my efforts, but also to focus them. The seconds we have left are a finite resource and saying ‘no’ is a ne-cessity if we are going to optimize the use of those seconds.
Illinois State University FORECAST 13
14 FORECAST College of Applied Science and Technology
2015 DONOr rOll JANuAry 1, 2015–DECEmbEr 31, 2015$50,000+Jacqueline Q. Karch
Foundation †
$10,000–$49,999 Anonymous †
Harold Balbach
Caterpillar Inc.
CoBank
Paul A. Funk Foundation
Lois Jett † John Deere Foundation
John Deere World
Headquarters
Cathie and Wayne
Lockwood † Estate of Phebe Scott
Charlotte and Joe
Talkington † Tawani Foundation
$1,000–$9,999 Anonymous
1st Farm Credit Services
Susan Adams
Joyce and Edward Allen
Antonio and Georgiann Amorin
Archer Daniels Midland Co. †
Association of Facilities
Engineers
Bear Construction Co.
Martin and Sherri Bozer
Theodore and Darlene
Branoff Paul Brauchle and Marguerite
Boyd Ray and Patricia Brownfield
Bulley & Andrews LLC
George and Kristine Byrns Mary Elaine and Michael
Califf Harry and Mary Campbell † Gerald and Sandra Carlson Jessica and Jason Chambers John and Wilma Chambers
Sheryl and Robert Chambers
Carol and Gerry Chrisman † Richard and Juliann Cole
Combined Central IL
Construction Industry Fund
Construction Management
Student Association
Janet Cook Mary Crane
Donald and Gloria Eklund
William and Barbara Engel
Executive Construction Inc.
James Eyrich
Farm Credit Illinois
Deborah Garrahy and Amy
Hurd GB Enterprises Inc.
Duane and Heather Gieseke
Clarice Giffhorn
Matt and Jill Ginder
GROWMARK Foundation
Larry and Susan Hageman
Haskell
Doris Henderson Peggy Hundley IAA Foundation
Illinois Farm Bureau
Illinois Soybean Association
Industry Advancement
Foundation
Integrity Technology Solutions
Dan and Pamela Kelley †
Betty Keough † Betty Jean Keough Trust
Jerry and Connie Kerber † Joyce Kief Venkatesh Krishnamurthi and
Nagu Reddy
William LaBounty † Larry H. Hageman Farms
Parker and Sharon Lawlis Mary Liverman
Dorothy Loepp †
Loepp Revocable Trust
Harry McKee
Clarence and Lila Moore Katherine and Richard Moore
Larry* and Sandra Morton
Jan and Scott Murphy † NAMA-Chicago Chapter
National Electrical Contractors
Assoc-IL Chapter
Pepper Construction
Kay and Craig Pierson
Pro*Cal Inc.
Progressive Impressions
International
Robert and Kimberly Rhykerd Jeffrey and Julie Ricketts
River City Construction
Judith Rothermel Robert and Laurie Seymour
Michael and Evelyn Shade
Sheffield Safety & Loss
Control LLC
Ronald and Suzanne Sherman
Greg A. and Stacy E. Smith
Snyder Family Foundation
NFP †
Jack and Jean Snyder
State Farm Companies
Foundation †
Kenneth and Julie Stier Michael and Janice
Talkington †
Peter and Anna Tapling
Turner Construction Co.
Tammy VanEgtern
Gary and Jannes Weede † Aimee Wertz-Lutz
Western Construction Group
David and Sue Wildt
Paul Wojcieszak
Alice and Edward Woll
Jeffrey A. Wood † Jennifer Wood
Daryle Wragge
$250–$999 Anonymous Anonymous
Mary Jo and Sandy Adams Advantage Industrial Systems
AgStar Financial Services
Travis Albin
Nancy Allison
John Anderson
Mark and Gina Anderson
Anning-Johnson Co.
Sean Arians
Association of Professional
Energy Consultants
Travis and Ginnell Barke Kurt Baum
Brent A. and Jeri Mullins
Beggs Cathy and Dewayne Bess Carl and Barbara Black
Michele Blubaugh
Bodine Electric of Decatur
Richard and Ida Boggs
William Borror
Brandenburg Industrial Service
Company
Joseph and Sheryl Brenneman
Brent Farms
Gary and Janet Brent
John and Sue Buckley
Builtech Construction Inc.
Geoffrey Campbell Joe and Clair Cannon
Carissa Carlson Carpenter Contractors of
America Inc.
Central IL Health Information
Management Assoc.
CGB Enterprises Inc.
Frank and Theresa Chadwick
Clark Construction Group
Jeffrey and Susan Clark Norma Clark
Laura and David Coe
Marty and Debra Coe
Mac and Ginny Condill
Connelly Electric Inc.
Daniel and Kathy Cotter
CPI Daylighting
Catherine and Michael Crane
Custom Underground Inc
D R Horton-America’s Builder
William and Janelle Dale
Lawrence Danielson
Anne Davis
David and Vianne Dawson
Lisa DeBruine
Steven and Christel Denault
Keith Detwiler
Development Solutions Inc.
Steven and Jananne Dietrich
Jennifer and Steve DiPasquale
Richard Dirker
Discover Financial Services-
Trust
Jacqueline and Scott Dixon
David and Jill Dueringer Kathleen Dumler
Steven and Linda Dyer
Teri and Kevin Ehrenhardt
Daniel Elkins and Amelia
Noel-Elkins F H Paschen
Danny Faber
Farnsworth Group Inc.
FCL Builders LLC
Juan and Sheila Fernandez
Gary and Judith Fish Patricia and Elvin Florez
Michael Foss
Mitchell Fruhling
Frederick and Mary Fuess Jeffrey and Amy Fuller
Future Tek Solutions
James Gardner
Steven and Susan Gartner
Craig and Julie Gathmann
Deborah and David Gentry Larry and Jane Geyer
Ryan and Lauren Gilbert
Glass Solutions
Matthew and Amy Golden
William and Norma Good
Mary K Granato Dungan
Grieder Sod & Landscaping
Sandra and Fred Groves † Thomas and Lori Guth
Jeffrey Hamrick
Robert and Annette Hancock
David and Jill Harlow
Kenneth and Janice Hart
Heather and Nathan
Hartman Thomas and Margaret Ann
Hayden Hayes Mechanical
Ani and Luke Hensleigh Faith and Joseph Herbers
Hill & Wilkinson General
Contractors
The Hill Group
Mary Hoffman Kenneth and Karen Holmes
HTH Cos. Inc.
Richard Hursey
Joy Hutchcraft
kEEp up wiTh CAST #iSuSciTech
/iSuSciTech @iSuSciTech /iSuSciTech
Illinois State University FORECAST 15
Illinois Corn Growers
Association
INTREN
Jamerson & Bauwens
Roger and Beth Jenkins
Donald and Elaine Johnson
Judith Johnson
Lawrence Johnson and
Catherine Davies
Andrew Jordan
John and Julie Julien
K Hovnanian Homes
Thomas and Patricia Kahle
William and Carol Kauth Jay and Karlyn Kempel
John and Carolyn Kilday
Patrick and Laurie Kinsella
Jean Klacik
Ronald and Linda Klawitter Kraig and Brandy Kline
Dale and Barbara Koch
Korte Co.
Joshua Krueger
James Lackner and Paula Roloff
Lackner
Lake County Contractors
Association
Peter Lamonica and Katie
Lamonica Johnson
Thomas and Kelli Lane
Kevin and Jenny Laudner Marvin Lay
Lee Giving Account
Rose and Mike Lee
Ryan and Christina Legner
Patricia Lemanski
Connie Ley Mark and Mary Loafman
Lowery & Associates Security
Consulting LLC
Mark and Karen Lowery
Cynthia Luton
Peter Lynch
Thomas Lyons
Macon Construction
Sara and Patrick Marsalek
Priscilla Matthews † Christopher Maund
Charles McCully
Derek and Karen McCully
Todd McElroy
Todd and Jeanne McLoda Robert and Janet Meier
Robert E. Meier Trust
Alan and Joyce Merriman
Douglas and Tracy Meyer
MI Homes
Steven Miller
Patricia and Nolan Mitchell
Darla Moldenhauer
David Moore
Marilyn Morrow Jeffrey and Linda Mudge
John Murphy and Jamie Colgan
Shirley Murphy Dorothy Myers
Myers Family Charitable Trust
Steven and Kimberly Myers
NAMA Foundation
NC3 LLC
Rickie Nesbit
Robert Neuleib Ann Nobis
Yvette Nonte
NVR Inc./Ryan Homes
Julie Oller
Rodney Olson
Mark and Rita O’Rourke
O’Shea Builders
John Papp
Charles and Mary Park
Path Construction Co. Inc.
Pella Corp.
Nicholas and Chelsea Percoco
Performance Contracting
Group-PCG
David and Allison Perry
Thomas and Carole Peugh
Philip S. McCully &
Associates, Inc.
Pioneer Hi-Bred
International Inc.
Thomas and Deborah Platek
Thomas and Nancy Plote
Adam and Sissy Polacek
Jerry and Marsha Polacek Richard and Susan Potrafka
Douglass and Martha Reeves
Mark Reichert
John and Kathy Rennick
Eileen and Charles Rhykerd
Roanoke Farmers Association
Kristen Rogers
Lance and Lori Rogers Gordon Ropp
Betty Rozeboom
David Runkel
David and Rene Sapochak
Mayank Saraswat
Barbara and James Schaudt
Thomas and Barbara
Schlatter Charles and Yvonne Schlom
Isaac and Barbara Schlosser
Sandra Schrof
Andrew and Wanda Schuler Nathan and Julie
Schumacher Mary Seibert-Morin and Robert
Morin
Shambaugh & Son
Steven and Jennifer Sheaffer
Amit Shesh
Jenny Shigekawa
Shoup Manufacturing Co.
Terry Shoup
Gordon Smith
Nelson and Linda Snavely
Kara and Ryan Snyder Larry Spickler
Sylvia Staley
Sylvia G. Staley Trust
Stark Excavating Inc.
Richard and Connie Steffen Douglas and Sheryl Strand
Brian and Kelly Sundberg
Kevin and Susan Swartz
Michael and Laura Taets
The Cornbelt Health Educator’s
Association
Thomas E. & Lori J. Guth Farm
Account
Joshua and Jennie
Thornsbrough
Andrew Thoron
Thotcon NFP
James Tilson
Marilyn Townley
Tribco Construction Services
Trouw Nutrition
Hsuei Wei Tsai and Rebecca
Wang
U S Army Recruiting
Kimberly Ummel
United Suppliers Inc.
Alma Uphoff Liebman
Meridee and Jack Van
Draska The Vein Specialists LLC
Andrew Velasquez
Brian and Jill Waddell
Connor Walters and Keith
Dutton Grant Weeditz
Tracy and Mason Wehrle Weis Builders Inc
Carol and Ralph Weisheit Rodger and Jacqulyn
Wellenreiter
Roger and Sue Weller Martin and Salisa Westrick
John and Connie White
Whiting-Turner Contracting Co.
Kenneth and Sandra
Wiaranowski
Patrick and Patricia Widolff
Darryl Wilkinson
Tiffany Wilkinson
William Charles
Construction Co.
Sarah Williams
Bradley and Corrinne Wilson
Veronica and David Wise
Bruce Wood
Jerold and Norma Wright †
Timothy and Kelly Yager
Zeller Electric Inc.
$100–$249 Anonymous
C. Jean Aberle
Abdon and Robin Ackad
Jeffrey and Cinthia Acton
Kevin and Sheri Adolphson
Aerial Crop Expert
Scouting Inc.
AGC Environmental
Consulting Inc.
AgReliant Genetics
Ag View FS Inc.
Vincent Albert
Diane Albright
Julius and Sue Alexander
James and Angela Almeda Marcus Alouan Ary Anderson
Deidre Anderson
Jack and Lisa Anderson
JoAnn Anderson
Robert Anderson
Sandra and Ralph Angel
Barbara Arbogast William and Dianne Arbogast
William Ashton
Brian and Christin Atherton
Thomas Austin
Bader Rutter
Bailey Nurseries
Angela and Garrick Balk
Jennifer and Stephen
Banning Beverly and James Barham John Barnard
Julie and John Barnhill Jeffery and Melodee Beckman
Beck’s Superior Hybrids Inc.
Elizabeth and Michael Bella
Charles Bellatti
Jeffrey and Betty Bender Karen Benjamin
Mallory and Timothy Benjamin
William and Pauela Bennett
Charlene Beringer
Giovanni Bernetti
George and Nancy Beutel
Nancy Beveridge
Lois Bickel
Debra and Shawn Biery
I. Bryant and Pamela Bilderback
Jeffrey and Tara Blair
Michael and Jean Blakemore
Gerald and Suzanne Blohm
Ronald and Anisha Blumenberg
Sandra and Joseph Bobst
Mae Bodie-Peals and Reginald
Peals
Bruce and Mary Boehm
Jennifer and Brian Boehm
cast vision The College of Applied Science and Technology graduates individuals skilled in critical thinking with a lifelong passion for learning and a strong commitment to civic engagement.
cast mission The College of Applied Science and Technology cultivates the intellectual and personal growth of individuals through premier teaching, research, and outreach programs. We emphasize innovative relationships between theory and practice in order to graduate technologically skilled lifelong learners who can contribute effectively to their profession and society.
16 FORECAST College of Applied Science and Technology
Kathryn Bohn and Thomas
Nielsen †
Joseph Boisvert
Dominique Borba
Richard and Penny Boser John Boudeman
Jason and Megan Boudreau
Jeanie Bowen
Mark and Susan Bowen
Thomas and Amy Bower
James and JoAnn Bowers
Laura Bowman
Richard and Peggy
Breckenridge
Stephen and Julie Breen
Scott and Mary Brelsfoard Joshua and Angie Brown Richard Brown
Robert Brown
Robert and Linda Brown
Stanford Brubaker
Scott and Loretta Bruenger
Kristen Brunacci
Kevin Buckingham
Susan and Charles Burchell
Burr Oak Farm
John and Cheri Burrafato
Lori and Dennis Byrd
Charles and Judy Cagley
Conor Cahill
Dorothy Cairns
Elizabeth Calby
Gregory and Cathe Carter
Troy Cary
Brian Castellani
Thomas and Diane Cessna
Dennis and Cheryl
Chamberlain
Christopher Chantry
Ray Cheline
Johnson and Thanh-Hien
Cheng
Mary and Steve Cherveny
Deeann Cisco
Shawn and Carie Clapp
Lawrence and Debra Clay
David and Linda Clikeman
Beatrice and Gary Coates
Budd and Ellen Coates
Karmen and Jeff Coates
Sebastian Coates
Michael and Nancy Cochran
Charles and Karen Cooley
Jessie and Richard Cooper
Richard and Carol Cordier
Jim and Nancy Covert
Johanna and Richard Crackel
Leann and Adam Croft
James and Pamela Crotchett
Mary and Dan Curran
Deborah and Lynn Curtis Kiara Daniel
Glenn and Jean Davis
Thomas and Carol Davis
Laura and Brian Dawson
Maria De Langhe
Michelle DeBoer
William Decker
Karol DeLaisne
Robert and Barbara Dennis Russell and Teri Derango Mary Devine
Timothy Devlin
S. Michael and Rebecca
DeVoss
Caroline DeYong and Dominic
Trower
Cassandra Dodge
Nancy Dolan Martin and Bruce
Martin
Michael and Beverly Donnan
Thomas and Karen Dozier
Kay Drake
Robin and Rebecca Drechsel
James Dryer and Susan
Bradley-Dryer
Patrick and Carol Duffy
William and Judy Duffy
Janell and Ronald Durdle John and Nancy Durham
Matthew Dyer
David and Celeste Eddleman
Keri and William Edwards Daniel Eeten
Carl Eichstaedt Elburn Coop
Charles and Pamela Ellena
Roger and Marsha Ellis
Kathleen Emery
Judith and Mark Engels
Kevin and Debra Engler
Scott Erbentraut
Susan Eschrich
Robert Eudeikis
James and Susan Evens Evergreen FS Inc.
Bryan and Amy Eyrich
Kevin Faivre
Kirk Fallon
Family & Consumer Sciences
Professionals of McLean
County
Joseph and Edith Farrell
Shaun and Margaret Fauley
Peggy Fish
Justin and Katherine Fitzgerald
Marianne Fitzgerald
Elise and James Flynn
Kevin and Marsha Fogarty
Diana Ford
Kevin Foreman
Betty Fowler
Patricia and James Fox
James and Margie Fraley
Mark and Samantha Franklin
Robert and Priscilla Frantz
Marie Fraser
David and Janet Frederick
Thomas and Carolyn Frieburg
Janet Fuller
Monica Fuller
Laura Gallagher
Connie Dyar Agnes Gaspardo
GE Knoblauch Enterprises LLC
John Gehrke
Ronald and Joyce Geib
Andreanna Gerace-Coles and
Richard Coles
Roy and Joanne Gesell
Annabelle and David Getz
Ann Getzelman
Rosalie Giffhorn
Gregory and Danette Gilhaus
Loren and Kay Gillan
Mardella Gillespie
Floyd Gletten
Edward and Michelle Goebel
Sarah Goering
Mary Lou Gold
Carla and Michael Golding
Joyce Goodrich
Philip Gore
Janet Goucher Peggy and Stephen Goulding
Grainland Cooperative
Jan and Jeffry Gray
David Green
Leslie and Lee Green David Grieshaber David Griffin
Sarah Grimaldi
Ground Pros Inc.
Douglas and Tiffany Grunloh
Elizabeth and Richard Guarienti
Brittnay and Jeremy Haag Maxine and Carl Hagemeyer
Melanie and Darrell Hall
John and Lila Hangey
Linda and Michael Hanson
Darwin and Imogene Hany
Jerry and Nancy Haramy
Harden Family Trust
H. Ann and Kermit Harden
Kerry Hare
Daniel and Rose Harms
Rodney and Kathleen Hartzold
Trisha Hasbargen
Bernadette and Jeffrey Hawk
William Hedrick
David Hegg
Helena Chemical Co.
Phillip and Karen Henebry
Anthony Herter Hertz Farm Management
Timothy Higgins
Ed and Judy Hines Monica and Stephen Hinrichs
Thomas and Hope Hoagland
Anne Hoffmann
Jill Hollembeak
Ryan Hollister
Carol and Max Hood
Gary and Cathy Hoover
Heidi Howard
Douglas and Marilyn Huber
Dennis and Betty Hughes
Stephen Huisinga
Jonathan and Sarah Hull
Eric and Barbara Ifft
IL Health Info Mgmt Assoc.
Fayetta Isaac
John and Pamela Isaacs
Illinois State University Civil
Service Council
Sharon Iverson
Joy and Lee Jacobs
Eric Jandacek
Barbara Jansen
Alan and Janette Janssen
Elahe Javadi Norman Jenkins and Diane
McNeilly
J M Co. Inc. DBA Morris Bixby
Group
John R. and Brenda S. Meils-
Farm Account
Carol and Rodney Johnson
Kathrine Johnson
Jessika Jones Jillian Jones
Sharon and Casey Jones
Esther Jordan
JRA Sales Co.
Kris Kamp
Jacqueline and Robert Kearby
David Keller
G. Edwin and Cynthia Kelley
Kelley Grain Farms
John and Sara Kelley
John Kelly
Kay Kennedy
David Kern
Scott and Joyce Kesler
Barbara and R. Edward Kiefer
Timothy and Marsha Killian
David and Gladys King
James and Vanessa Kinkade
David and Sara Kinney
Bryan and Sandra Kinnikin
Doris and Roy Klay
Brian Kliment
Darlene A. Kluka Robert and Ann Knepp
Gregory and Rhonda Knoblauch
Carolyn Knudson*
Russ and Beth Koehl
Carol Koltz
Bonita Kopmann
David and Amanda Kopsell Michael Korter
Wayne and Marian Kron
Kevin and Jodie Krout
Chad and Wendy Krzyzek
David Kuntz Jonathan and Liana Kurka
Joseph and Lisa Kuryla
Edyth and Peter Kurzweil
Lillian and Eugene Kwas
Lamont Lagrone
Mark Laingen Robert Landes
C. Joyce Langen
Joshua and Rebecca Larson
Janice Lauritzen
Dixie and Robert Lee
Lori Leonard-Weathers and
Christopher Weathers
David Leonhard and Amy
Armstrong Aaron and Joyce Liesman
Elizabeth Lind Randall and Diane Lloyd
Vernon and Jo Lock
Janet Long J. Kent and Amy Lord
Christopher Lund
Robert and Amy Lundeen
Kristin Lundquist Frank and
William Frank
Steven and Sandra Lyons
Cathleen and Roland Macy
Janet and Raymond Madden
Mark Mallon and Lauren Lent
David and Lorene Malone Rochelle Mannhardt
Rochelle P. Mannhardt Trust
Heather Marcom
Jerzy and Christine Marszalek
Martin Joint Rev. Trust
Martin Sullivan Inc.
Steve Masucci
Wayne and Mary Mathis
Gerard and Paula Mattix-Wand
Theodore and Marilyn McAvoy
Robert McBride
Mark and Anne McCullagh
Douglas and Carol McDowell
Robert and Mary McGuire
Illinois State University FORECAST 17
T. Michael and Jennifer
McGuire
Cynthia McGurn
Rose and David Meade
Michael and Linda Mefford
Lonnie and Paula Meiner
Nancy and George Meister
Jeffrey and Bonnie Melick
Roger and Karen Mendenhall
Eric Mennenga
Amy and Robert Mercer
Chris and Kelli Merrill Luke and Elizabeth Mester
Mark and Lisa Michniak
Dean and Patricia Miller
Phillip and Judy Miller
Richard and DeeAnn Miller
Sharon Miller
Dennis and Rebecca Miner
Gregory Missal
Michael and Christy Moberly
John and Jill Mohr
Michael Mohr and Julie
Rogulich
Michael and Nancy Monken
Sherman and Bonnie Morgan
Gene and Yvonne Morman
John and Kerry Morris
Lois Morris
Ryan and Julie Mosier
Christopher Mulligan and
Jamie Wieland Christopher Murphy
Dennis and Christy Murphy
Kay Murphy and Joe Lepkowski
Patricia Murphy
Cecile and Dennis Mutch
A. Daniel and Sandra Nafziger
Amelia Neely
Dennis and Jane Nelson
Kimberly and Joseph Nestler
Jane and Gregory Newton
William and Merissa Newton
Justin Nicolosi
Anthony and Caren Nicosia
John and Chris Niehaus
Nelson and Karen Nussbaum
David and Kathy O’Brien
O’Brien Farm Management
John and Mary O’Connor
Kevin and Debra O’Connor
Kara O’Mahoney
Thomas and Jeannette Orr
Joanne Ortwerth
Patricia and David Orzel
Osborn Barr
Bruce and Bette Otto
Clara and Pat Owen
Randall Oya
Ojas Panwar
Kris and Pamela Pardridge
Adam Parisi
Jerry and Karan Parmele
Wayne and Patricia Patkunas
Gregory and Sarah Patton
Sandra Pelinski
David and Susan Percy
Barbara and Lee Perignon
Eric and Tammy Persson
Marlene Peters
Kristen and Scott Peterson
Karen and David Phipps
Robert and Joann Pickerill
Frederick and Diana Plese
Darrell and Lavetta Pope
Grant and Roberta Post
Herbert Price*
James and Betsy Prombo
Betty Putnam
D. Christopher and Pamela
Quigley
James and Colleen Raders
Edmund Raley
James Ralph
Daniel Ramirez
Marilee Rapp Kyle and Sarah Reedy
Louis Reifschneider and Anne
McCowen Barry and Lisa Reilly
Rich Sheley Insurance
Agency Inc.
River Valley Cooperative
Steven and Kathy Roemmel
Richard and Sharon Roggy
Paul Ronczkowski Phillip Rosendahl
Arthur Ross
Jeanette Ross
Robert and Ann Rowlands
Kevin Rund
Belinda Rusch
Margaret Russelmann Stig and Kristi Ruxlow
Michael Ryan
Bradley and Cathy Salman
Kelvin Sandoval
Michael and Nichole
Schacherbauer
Richard and Julie Schildgen
Thomas Schildgen
Jacqueline Schneider Kim and Donna Schneider
Steven and Sharon Schneider
Kurt and Melanie Schoenborn
Charles and Diane Schroeder
Thomas and Laura Schroeder
Shawn and Jeffrey Schueman
Marie and Loren Schwartz
Charles and Vicky Scott
Scott Insurance Agency
Christine and Robert Senkpiel
Jamie and Tom Sennett Sensible Products Inc
Robert and Jennifer Shaffer
David and Jill Shaulis
Stan and Rene Shingles
Ronald and Sandra Short
Derrick Simmons
Joanne Sivier and Ed Wright
Susan and James Skelley
Brian and Joyce Skelton
Becky and Gary Slettum
Donald and Judith Smith
Evelyn Smith
Kendric Smith
Peter and Katie Smith
Ralph and Alice Smith
Susan Snyder
John Sommer
Mark and Cynthia Sommers
Richard and Nancy Soukup
Julia Spanton
Cynthia Spires
Mary and Michael Stanton
Dianne and Bill Stark
State Bank of Lincoln
Richard Steiner
Janet and Robert Steinman
Monica and Lawrence Stephan
Scott and Joyce Stephens
Karlene and Milo Stinson
Mark Stoch
Shad and Kathy Sutherland
John and Margaret Swalec
Alexandra Szajowski
Jeremy Tackett
James and LaRee Talab
Peggy Tambling
Wedgwood and Katherine
Taylor
Richard Tharp
Mark and Leann Thies
Thomas E Dozier-Farm
Account
Brenda Thompson
Gary and Debra Tiffany
Darline and James Tosetti
Lisa and Howard Trickey
Kenny Trobaugh
Cathy Trowbridge
Roy and Angela Underwood
USDA Farm Service Agency
Lindsay Vahl Carol van Rossum
Kelsey Vance
Brent and JoAnn Vandermyde
Trent and Tricia Vandersnick
Robert and Bonnie Vericella
Bruce and Kathy Vickrey
Vincent and Marlene Vitucci
Peter and Sarah Vukovich
Eileen and Richard Wagner
Pamela Wagner
Marcia and Robert Walish
Barbara Walker
Ben and Susan Walters
Thomas and Frances
Walthouse
Frank Wardynski
Steve and Norma Ware
Kerry and Anton Waser
Mark Watson
Marvin and Muriel Watters
Abby Weber Cathleen Weber
Wayne Webster
Wedgwood & Co. LLC
Barbara and Glenn Weidig
Erica Weinreich
Elyse and Frank Weiss
Emma and Jerome Weistart
Anna Wells Kenneth and Judith Welty
William and Judith Werbach
Cheryl and Dale West
Craig Westerhold and Sarah
Kirschner
Jeffrey and Barbara Westwater
Anthony and Lora Wey Melvin and K. Y. Wheeler
Elizabeth Whelan John and Linda Whildin
Rick and Gwyneth Whitacre
James and Jane White
Scott and Pamela White
Scott White
Nathan Whitney
Kevin Wiand John Widmar
Bradley Widmer
Celeste Widolff and Tom
Carter
Joyce and James Wilcox
Jeffrey and Farrah Williams
Daniel and Katy Wilson Thomas and Kay Wilson † Thomas and Kathleen Winkler
Karen and Carl Winters
Valerie Wise
James Wolf Robert Wolf
Cheryl and Kenneth
Woodworth
Kenneth & Cheryl Woodworth
Trust
Workplace Integra
Midwest Inc.
Wright Farms
Shelly and David Wright
Wyffels Hybrids
Susan and Larry Yarrington
Pamela Yeast
Ui-Jeen Yu John and Leslee Zell
Terry and Carole Ziemke
T.J. and Jennifer Zizzo
* Deceased
Faculty-Staff-Retiree
† 1857 Society Member
Heritage Society Member
FORECAST iS AvAilAblE ONliNE.
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