2011 Guests of Honor
Outstanding Young Alumnus Award
Jake Byrne '07, '09
Jake completed an internship at the Merrill Lynch Global Headquarters in New York
City after earning his undergraduate degree and was offered a full-time position with
the firm upon completion of his MBA. After beginning as a convertible bonds sales-trader,
he has moved up the ranks quickly and has been promoted to associate in the firm with
responsibilities as a convertible bonds trader. In this position, he is solely responsible
for 50+ names on a daily basis while managing the daily profit and loss for their
desk and the macro hedges on the proprietary books. He periodically assumes duties
for more than 300 convertible bonds while his supervisors are off the trading desk
and last year they were ranked first on Wall Street for convertible bond trading.
Louis V. Hencken Alumni Service Award
Tim '71, '72 and Vickie Burke '72, '75
While both Tim and Vickie serve as members of the university's current capital campaign
external steering committee, their involvement has continued to grow in the years
since graduating from EIU. Tim, chief financial officer at William Blair & Company,
a global investment firm which manages more than $54 billion in assets, currently
serves on the accounting advisory board and as secretary of the EIU Foundation while
Vickie is also a member of the Foundation and a very active volunteer in their community.
Longtime contributors to Eastern, they have generously donated more than $180,000
in the last four years to create the Louis V. Hencken Housing Service Scholarship.
Distinguished Educator Award
Craig Lindvahl '79
Although his background is in music education, Craig's diverse career in education
has seen him collaborate with his students in multimedia classes to produce award-winning
short films on a variety of subject matter. His students have been invited to prestigious
film festivals such as the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado and assisted in the
planning of a very successful film festival in Effingham, and as a filmmaker he has
received 12 Mid-America Emmy awards for his work. As the teacher for the Effingham
County CEO (Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities) class, Craig has been lauded by
parents and community leaders for his work with students and is active in expanding
the class to other parts of the country. He has also received the Milken National
Educator Award and the Studs Terkel Award for contributions to the humanities.
Distinguished Alumnus Award
Larry Closson '74
Larry spent a rewarding career with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources,
serving in the position of Chief of Conservation Law Enforcement longer than anyone
in Illinois history. During his career he served as president of the National Association
of Conservation Law Enforcement Chiefs; the Association of Midwest Fish and Game Law
Enforcement Officers; and the Midwest Boating Law Administrators Association, as well
as on the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Law Enforcement
Committee. A graduate of the FBI National Academy and life member of the Illinois
Chiefs of Police Association, the decorated U.S. Army Airborne Ranger served 20 years
in the Illinois National Guard after returning home from the Vietnam War before retiring
as a sergeant major. The Illinois Times newspaper recognized him in 1991with the Best
of Springfield: Best Neighbor Award while in 1986 he received EIU's Department of
Recreation Administration Distinguished Alumni Award and earlier this year he was
honored as a recipient of the College of Education and Professional Studies' 2011Lifetime
Achievement Award.
Will Keiper '72
Will is the founder and chairman of FirstGlobal Partners, working boards, investors
and individuals in situations where his brand of leadership for rapid, disruptive
change is required. He has served on the boards of directors of six U.S. public companies,
as well as private companies in the U.S. and internationally, and previously held
positions as chairman and CEO of Hypercom Corporation; chairman and CEO of Artisoft;
and president and COO of MicroAge (all U.S. public companies). On behalf of FirstGlobal,
he currently serves as president of Communication Intelligence Corporation, a leader
in electronic signature technology, while his new book, Life Expectancy: Self-Reliance
for the Rest of Your Life, will be available through Amazon this fall. In addition
to his bachelor's degree in business from Eastern, he earned a master's from the Thunderbird
School of Global Management and a law degree from Arizona State University. He has
also served as chairman of the Arizona Technology Association and was nominated for
the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award. Will attended Eastern on an athletic
scholarship where he was a nationally-ranked track and field athlete.
Gregg Kirkland '83
As chief executive officer of the Alton-based Simmons Law Firm, Gregg manages a staff
of 200 while overseeing the firm's daily operations. He works closely with the managing
partner and assisted the firm in expanding from eight attorneys in one location to
more than 50 with additional offices in St. Louis, Chicago and Los Angeles. He began
his career as an accountant at Farmers and Merchants Bank in Carlinville before assuming
responsibility as its chief financial officer and also served as chief financial officer
for various Bank One and Chase Bank affiliates throughout the country. Prior to joining
the Simmons Firm, he served as chief operating officer for Partners Bank, an initial
start-up bank. He currently serves as secretary of the Simmons Mesothelioma Foundation
and is active in several other local charitable organizations.
Keith Kohanzo '69, '71
Recognized for his outstanding service to numerous youth organizations, Keith has
been active with the US Naval Sea Cadet Corps, Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, Boy Scouts
of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Marine Navigation and Training Association
for many years. Serving as a lieutenant commander while continuing to teach seagoing
skills, patriotism and self-reliance, he is the NSCC's longest-serving member (having
served since 1961) and earlier this summer became only the seventh person inducted
into the Corps' hall of fame. He is also currently the chairman of the local Boy Scout
troop and his dedication over the years has earned him the Silver Beaver Award, the
highest honor bestowed by the local council. His service to the BBBS organization
led to his being named a local Volunteer of the Year and featured in a video distributed
by the Utah branch of the organization along with an individual whom Keith began mentoring
as a ten-year old following his parents' divorce. Now retired after a 34-year career
at Eastern, he and his father endowed a scholarship to provide opportunities for future
generations of Eastern students.
Ron Woods '86
Ron is a well-respected pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon who earlier this year accepted
an appointment at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Herma Heart Center and The Medical
College of Wisconsin after previously having served as division chief of pediatric
cardiothoracic surgery at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma, Wash.A graduate
of the University of Illinois Medical College who completed his residency at the University
of Washington, he has received numerous personal accolades while recently working
at two of the nation's top children's hospitals. Last year he and his two partners
performed more than 700 surgeries, including microsurgeries and heart transplants,
and he continues to share the knowledge he has gained by teaching medical students
and residents. A renowned researcher who has had a number of scholarly papers published,
he also believes in using his time and talents to help others. In addition to his
efforts assisting in the United States, in 2004 he spent two months as a volunteer
physician in South Africa and between 2007 and 2010 he helped develop a pediatric
cardiac unit in a 1,000-bed children's hospital in Vietnam.