Alumni Update

A secure searchable alumni database has been added to the website.  Click on the alumni services link from our homepage (www.eiu.edu/~commdis) and then you will see the link to the alumni database, or you can go directly to the database by typing www.eiu.edu/~commdis/alumniDirectory.  You can find phone numbers, home and email addresses of former classmates in the database.  Contact information is searchable using the classmate’s married or maiden name. A login and password must be supplied to access the database. The login is EIUalumni, the password is VanRiper.

Alumni Updates

(1974 – 1990)

(’74) Dona Evans King retired from the Charleston school district in 2007.  She plans to travel to California and visit children and grandchildren in Texas.  She is also going to continue working as a speech pathologist in early intervention.

(’74) Barbara White celebrated the final wedding of her children in 2006.  Her son, Mike, was married in Florida this past year.  Barbara kept busy with several trips to Jacksonville to help with the plans.  She also was blessed with a grand baby, David Michael, in March.

(’78) Colleen Hillyard Taylor has worked for 24 years as a public school SLP.  She is currently in Manhattan, IL, at a K-2 building.  She has a daughter, Mattie, (4th grade) and son, Jack, (1st grade).

(’78) Gail Seiler Belus works as a Clinical Associate Professor of Audiology at Arizona State University. She has been married to husband Michael for 22 years. Her son Andrew (18) attends Northern Arizona University, while son Matthew (16) attends Seton Catholic High School.

(’78) Marsha Anderson Maxedon retired in 2007 from the Shelbyville school district. 

(’80) Christy Olsen Strole continues to be active in ISHA.  Her children have been busy as well. Gaven advanced to graduate school at SIUC.  Griff studied in Singapore for a semester, and daughter Jessie vacationed in Tahiti.  In addition to working as an SLP in the schools, Christy works part time as a coordinator.

(’85) Eunice A. Snider passed away February 6, 2008. She graduated from Seymore High School in 1957 and Ball State University 1961. She received her master’s degree from Eastern Illinois University in 1985. She worked as a speech pathologist in the Charleston school district for many years. She is survived by her husband, one son, and one grandson.

(’87) Athanasios Xofillis completed his Ph.D. and lives in Thessaloniki, Greece.

(’89) Mary Ellen Shea Donofrio continues to work part-time at Elmhurst Hospital and enjoys spending time her family.  

(1990 – 1999)

(’90) Tracy Landes Brangle was married to husband, Patrick, in November of 2006.  She resides in St. Louis, MO, and serves as convention co-chair for the Missouri Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

(’90) Jennifer Klay-Kravat works with pre-schoolers at the Kankakee Headstart Program.  She is busy with daughter, Jade, (7th grade) and son, Aidan, (4th grade).  Her husband continues cutting hair and moved into a new hair salon.

(’91) Ann Lueken is currently taking some time off from work. Her son, Adam, is now 21 and daughter Lindsey keeps her on her toes.

(’92) Amy Ring Becker returned from living abroad in England. She is currently living in Peoria and is working PRN for a home health agency.

(’92) Laura Dunahee Rodriguez is living in Hanover Park, IL, with her husband Chay, son Alex (8) and daughter Emma (4). She works part-time in school district #93 in Carol Stream, IL.

(’94) Laurie Bounds Keck is currently a stay at home mom with children Joseph (born in November, 2006), Sam, Abigail, and Adam.  She plans on returning to work at the University of Illinois once Joe is in school.

(’95) Heather Gainey resides in Cambridge, IL, and has been busy working and CFY supervising.  Her son, Nicholas, is in first grade.

(’95) Vance B. Innes had a change in career and now works for the Vermillion County Probation Department as a drug court coordinator in Danville, IL.

(’95) Lori Reeds Waggoner currently resides in Pinckneyville, IL.

(’97) Jennifer Keigher-Fogel recently changed jobs from working in private practice in a hospital and clinic for the last 9 years, to a school position.  She is enjoying the schedule of working in a school, especially with two girls at home and another one on the way.

(’97) Jennifer Dunahee Rodriguez is proud to announce the birth of her second daughter, Sarah Elizabeth. Sarah was born just in time for Christmas on December 8, 2007.

(’98) Tracy Masunas Cafferty is serving her third year at Northwestern University as a faculty lecturer and clinical supervisor. She keeps busy as the faculty chapter advisor for NSSLHA of Northwestern. Her daughter, Keira is 4.

(’99) Melissa Nulty Strathman enjoys spending time with husband Chris and her two daughters, Josie and Avery.

(2000-2002)

(’00) Deidre Erlenborn Dobbels has an established private practice in Algonquin, IL. She specializes in autism and pediatric language acquisition. She presented at both the ISHA and ASHA conventions in 2007 on Emergent Literacy.

(’00) Jane Harris was married in May 2008. She is enjoying life in her new home and plans to begin an MBA program soon.

(‘00) Lisa Odorizzi Grodeon welcomed her first baby in August 2006. She is working for St. Louis Special School District.

(‘00) Melissa Lowe received her Au.D. from the University of Florida in May 2007. She is currently working for the Center of Hearing and Speech in St. Louis, MO, a non-profi t organization.

(’01) Angie Thor Schnobel had a baby boy, Nicholas, in July of 2005.  She is enjoying time with her little boy and working 2 days a week at Easter Seals in Joliet, IL.  She and her husband recently built a new house and reside in Plainfield.

(’01) Jennifer Albin Stork and husband Shane have two daughers, Aubrey and Amelia.  She previously worked for the Charleston Unit School District #1 and did some consulting and EI private practice.  Jennifer is moving to Bloomington, IL and will be working for Unit 5 School District in Normal.

(’01) Josi Wittmer Nino is currently working to develop the speech therapy program at a brand new hospital in Bolingbrook, IL. She is a mother of three, Mia (3) and Jerry (2), and Joseph, born last May.

(’01) Cheryl Browning Gillihan is in management and maketing for a group of long term care facilities in the St. Louis metro-east region with RehabCare Group. Her husband, Jason, began an anesthesia residency at Barnes-Jewish.  Son, Andrew, is a busy toddler (2). 

(’01) Nikki Frost Brentlinger lives in Freeburg, IL and works for the Special School District of St. Louis County. Her son Jason turned one on Valentine’s Day. 

(’02) Carey Little Miller had a new baby, Brady Tennyson, in March 2007.

(2003-2006)

(’03) Amy Beyers Finan was recently married to husband Dan and resides in Lockport, IL.   She works at Provena St. Josepha Medical Center in Joliet.

(’03) Melissa Unruh Schreck was married in December of 2006 to husband Jerry. She currently works full-time for Bloomington Public Schools and part-time for Carle Clinic in Bloomington-Normal.

(’04) Angela Ballinger Staley and husband Chris had a baby girl, Chloe, in December.  Angie is working for Rehab Care Group at 2 skilled nursing facilities in Lombard and Elmhurst, IL.  She is also doing PRN and SNF with Central Dupage Hospital.

(’04) Stephanie Schlanser Habing was married last July to husband Eric. She currently works for EIASE and is based at the Diagnostic and Developmental Center in Mattoon.

(’05) Angela Beard recently graduated with her master’s degree from Howard University and is pursuing her Maryland license.

(’05) Trisha Brengle currently works for Provena Covenant Medical Center in Urbana, IL.  She is engaged to be married in November 2007.

(‘05) Danielle Brumleve Weber was married in June 2007, to husband Dean.

(’05) Emily Lutz is working for Kaskaskia Special Education District in  Centralia, IL.  She also works for db Speech Therapy and Associates as an EI provider in Watson, IL.  Emily and husband Jamie welcomed a new baby, Andrew, in April 2006.

(’05) Lindsay Moffett worked for a school district west of St. Louis, MO, for the past year.  She is excited about her move up north to a school district in Wheaton, IL.

(’06) Erin Mulcahy Smith was married in October, 2006 and is working at Toddler’s Choice Leaps-N-Bounds Pediatric Clinic in  Indianapolis, IN.

(’07) Bridget Sandschafer-Milleville is currently living in Akron, Ohio and is working for a rehabilitation company.

(’07) Brittany Yakey Wetherell was married last July. She works at the St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf at Carle in Urbana. She works with children who have cochlear implants and/or hearing aids.

The department received some sad news as the newsletter was in the following editing stages.  An alumni from the class of 1991 passed away unexpectedly while on vacation with her family.   The following obituary was printed in the Evansville Courier Press on August 4, 2007.

Jennifer (Barter) Ramsey, 40, formerly of Harrisburg, IL, died Wednesday, August 1, 2007, while on vacation in Gatlingurg, TN.  She operated her own business called “My Little Wonders” and was a member of McKinley Avenue Baptist Church and attended First United Methodist Church in Crystal Lake, IL.  She is survived by her husband, Shane; sons, Brendan and Nathan; mother, Suellen Barter; brothers Chris and Jeremy Barter and stepmother, Dianne. 

 (2011)

Nancy Weiler, (former faculty) and her husband Bill, are enjoying their homes in central Florida and north Georgia as well as grandkids, Max and Evie.

Tammy Corzine Ashby (’94) had triplets, Carson, Parker, and Kennedy, in January of 2010. Her family has moved back home to Assumption, IL to have help with the triplets! She continues to work with Health Services Consultants based in Champaign, IL.

Amy Cardwell Englund (’97) works in an elementary school in Schaumburg, IL. She has a son, Ryan, and twin daughters, Meghan and Amanda.

Jennifer Schmidt Hurwitz (’98) obtained a Ph.D. in Education Leadership at UNLV in 2005. Her husband’s Air Force career has led them back to Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

Todd Levant (’98) is currently a Surface Warfare Officer. He earned an M.A. in International Relations from Salve Regina University in 2007 and is a Commanding Officer in the USS Defender.

Jane Harris Domingo (’00) had a baby boy, Ronan, in February of 2011.

Cortney Blaudow (’01) is working for Indian Prairie School District in Naperville, IL.

Maranda Heuerman Martin (’02) had twins, Augustus and Grace, in September of 2010.

Rebecca Smith Edgington (’03) and her husband, Corey, now have two children, Katelyn and Alan.

Lindsay Moffett Ripke (’05) had a baby girl, Eliza, in January of 2011.

Mandie Poettker Hilderbrand (’07) had a baby boy, Evan, in November of 2010.

Courtney Bosco (’08) moved back to Illinois and is working in geriatric rehab.

Whitney Sturm (’08) got married in the summer of 2010.  

Natalie Griffy-Monahan Snyders (’09) is working in nine schools for Macon-Piatt Special Education District.

Laura Colgan Thompson (’10) is working in two elementary schools on Fort Riley Army base in Kansas.

Rose Ann Hahn Lueken passed away August 24, 2010 after a valiant battle with cancer. She was born January 8, 1962, in Olney, IL, and married Paul Lueken. Ann received her bachelor (1987) and master’s degree (1991) in Speech Pathology from Eastern Illinois University. They had two children, Adam, and Lindsey. The family lived in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, where Paul was the Director of Athletics at Slippery Rock University. Ann was very engaged in the community, participating in activities at the university, the church, and various cancer support organizations. She was a loving mother, devoted wife, and loved spending time with family and friends. Her beautiful smile and gracious nature will live on in favorite memories of those who knew her.