Notable Alumni of Western Illinois University
Western Illinois University (WIU), founded in 1899, has a rich history of producing accomplished individuals across various fields. From politics and business to sports and the arts, WIU alumni have made significant contributions to society. This article highlights some of the university's most notable graduates and former students.
Overview of Western Illinois University
Western Illinois University is a public university located in Macomb, Illinois. Founded on April 24, 1899, it began as Western Illinois State Normal School. The land for the university was donated by Macomb's Freemasons (Illinois Lodge #17). Classes first began on campus on September 23, 1902, with 229 students enrolled. Over time, it transitioned into Western Illinois State Teachers College and later Western Illinois State College as it expanded its offerings. Today, the Macomb campus consists of 53 buildings over 1,050 acres (424.9 ha).
WIU also has a presence in the Quad Cities, with Western Illinois University Quad Cities (WIU-QC) located along the Mississippi River in Moline, Illinois. Western Illinois has been in the Quad Cities dating back to 1912 when they first began offering extension classes in Moline and Rock Island.
The university offers 69 undergraduate majors, over 51 bachelor's degree programs and 13 pre-professional degrees at the undergraduate level. At the graduate level, 42 degree and certificate programs are offered. Western's Cost Guarantee Plan is a four-year fixed rate for tuition, fees, room and board that remains in place as long as students are continuously enrolled.
Prominent Alumni in Politics and Government
Several WIU alumni have distinguished themselves in the realm of politics and government, serving at local, state, and national levels.
Read also: Explore Western Connecticut State University
Mary Matalin: An American political consultant well known for her work with the Republican Party. She served under President Ronald Reagan, was campaign director for George H. W. Bush, an assistant to President George W. Bush, and until 2003 counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney. Matalin has been chief editor of Threshold Editions, a conservative publishing imprint at Simon & Schuster, since March 2005. She is married to Democratic political consultant James Carville. She appears in the award-winning documentary film Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story and played herself, opposite her husband James Carville, John Slattery, and Mary McCormack in the short-lived HBO series K Street. Graduated with Bachelor of Arts.
Vincent R. Stewart: A Jamaican-born American lieutenant general in the United States Marine Corps who served as Deputy Commander at United States Cyber Command. He previously served as the 20th Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). LtGen Stewart, who held that post from January 23, 2015 through October 3, 2017, was the first African American, first Jamaican American and first Marine to hold the position of Director of the DIA. LtGen Stewart was the 2023 William Oliver Baker Award Recipient presented by the Intelligence and National Security Alliance. Enrolled in Western Illinois University and Graduated with Bachelor of Arts in history.
Ahmet Kenan Tanrıkulu: A Turkish politician and economist from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), who has served as the Member of Parliament for İzmir's second electoral district since 2007, having previously served between 1999 and 2002. From 1999 to 2002, he served as the Minister of Industry and Commerce in the coalition government of Bülent Ecevit, before losing his seat at the 2002 general election.
Kirk W. Dillard: An American politician and the current Chairman of the Regional Transportation Authority Board of Directors. Previously, he served as a Republican member of the Illinois State Senate, representing the 24th District from 1993 until his resignation in August 2014.
David H. Moore: An American politician and member of the Chicago City Council serving as alderman for the 17th ward since May 18, 2015. The 17th ward includes portions of Auburn Gresham, Englewood, Chicago Lawn, Marquette Park and West Englewood.
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Stephen B. King: An American businessman and political activist who served as the United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic from 2017 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he is the founder of King Capital LLC, an equity investment and real estate company.
Darwin Gale Schisler: Was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois's 19th congressional district and a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 46th district and later the 48th district. He earned his B.A. from Western Illinois University.
Other notable alumni in politics include:
- Tim Walberg: Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for Michigan's 7th congressional district since 2011.
- Tod Bowman: Democratic member of the Iowa Senate for District 29.
- Rich Brauer: Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives for the 87th district (2003-2015).
- Kathie Conway: Republican member of the Missouri House of Representatives representing the 104th district since 2011.
- Randy Frese: Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives representing the 94th district (2015-present).
- Regis Groff: Democratic member of the Colorado Senate from the 33rd district (1974-1994).
- Norine Hammond: Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives (2010-present).
- Joe Hutter: Republican member of the Iowa House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007.
- Kimberly Lightford: Assistant Majority Leader in the Illinois Senate. She has represented the 4th district since 1998.
- Mona Martin: Republican member of the Iowa House of Representatives for the 43rd district (1993-2001).
- Jerry L. Mitchell: Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives (1995-2012).
- John Millner: Republican member of the Illinois Senate representing the 28th district (2005-2013).
- Richard P. Myers: Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives (1995-2010).
- James O'Toole: Democratic member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 1992 to 2002.
- Matthew Rinker: Republican member of the Iowa House of Representatives from district 99 (2023-present).
- Todd Sieben: Republican member of the Illinois Senate (1993-2008).
- Mike Smiddy: Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 71st district (2013-present).
- Litesa Wallace: Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 67th district (2014-present).
Alumni in the World of Sports
WIU has a strong athletic tradition, and many of its alumni have gone on to successful careers in professional sports.
Rodney Harrison: An American former professional football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons with the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots. He was selected in the fifth round of the 1994 NFL draft by the Chargers, where he spent his first nine seasons, and was a member of the Patriots in his following six. Since leaving the NFL in 2009, he has served as a commentator for NBC's Football Night in America.
Read also: Growth and Community at WOU
Frank Winters: An American former professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Green Bay Packers. He played college football for the Western Illinois Leathernecks.
Loes Geurts: A Dutch footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Damallsvenskan club BK Häcken. Since making her international debut in 2005, Geurts has collected over 100 caps for the Netherlands national team. She kept goal for the Netherlands at the 2009 and 2013 editions of the UEFA Women's Championship.
Kosuke Kimura: A Japanese former professional footballer and coach. A long-time veteran of Major League Soccer, he has also played in Poland. He was the first player in MLS history who was born in Japan.
Dot Richardson: An American physician and former two-time gold medal-winning Olympian softball player at shortstop. Richardson is currently the head coach at Liberty. Richardson played college softball at UCLA and won the inaugural NCAA Division I softball tournament in 1982. She is a USA Softball Hall of Fame honoree.
Rick Reuschel: An American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1972 to 1991, winning 214 games with a career 3.37 ERA. His nickname was "Big Daddy" because his speed belied his portly physique. He was known for his deceptive style of pitching, which kept hitters off balance by constantly varying the speeds of his pitches.
Brandon Gilbeck: An American professional basketball player for the Formosa Dreamers of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL). He played college basketball for Western Illinois.
Tom Soehn: An American soccer coach who is the head coach of USL Championship club Birmingham Legion. A former player, his career as a defender spanned seven clubs across 12 seasons, both indoors and outdoors.
William James: An American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the New York Giants in the third round of the 2001 NFL draft. He played college football for the Western Illinois Leathernecks.
Jaelon Acklin: An American former professional football wide receiver who played for five seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Western Illinois. Acklin has been a member of the Baltimore Ravens, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Ottawa Redblacks.
Tuğba Palazoğlu: A Turkish former professional basketball player.
Alumni in Arts, Entertainment, and Media
WIU alumni have also made their mark in the arts, entertainment, and media industries.
Michael Boatman: An American actor and writer. Army Specialist Samuel Beckett in the ABC drama series China Beach, as 101st Airborne soldier Motown in the Vietnam War movie Hamburger Hill, and as sports agent Stanley Babson in the HBO sitcom Arli$$. He also starred in The Good Fight, the Paramount+ spinoff of The Good Wife.
Larry Kenney: An American voice actor and radio personality.
Christopher Hall: An American musician best known as a founding member and vocalist for the industrial rock band Stabbing Westward. Hall met keyboardist Walter Flakus in 1984 and formed the band in Macomb, Illinois. Hall founded a new band, The Dreaming in 2001 shortly before the breakup of Stabbing Westward in 2002. After reuniting in 2016, Hall has remained active with Stabbing Westward and released a new album, titled Chasing Ghosts in March of 2022.
Judith Ford: A retired teacher who was Miss America 1969. Judith Anne Ford moved to Belvidere, Illinois at age three with her parents and brother. In 1968 she won the title of Miss Boone County, held at the Boone County Fairgrounds. She also worked as a lifeguard at the city's public pool and was a swimming instructor during this time.
Alumni in Business and Academia
WIU has produced successful individuals in the fields of business and academia.
Robert Nardelli: An American businessman who was the CEO of Freedom Group from September 2010 to March 2012. Prior to that role, Nardelli served as chairman and CEO of Chrysler from August 2007 to April 2009 and CEO of The Home Depot from December 2000 to January 2007. Before joining The Home Depot, Nardelli spent most of his career at General Electric and had risen to become one of the top three executives competing to succeed Jack Welch.
Jeremy Schoemaker: A web entrepreneur, founder of ShoeMoney Media and PAR Program, and co-founder of the AuctionAds service. He is a frequent speaker at search engine marketing and affiliate conferences. He also co-founded the Elite Retreat, an annual industry expert conference, with Lee Dodd.
Ross Bjork: The athletics director for The Ohio State University. He previously served as the director of athletics for Texas A&M University, University of Mississippi and Western Kentucky University. He has also previously worked for the University of Miami, UCLA, and the University of Missouri.
Dan K. Webb: An American lawyer and public official. He is the co-executive chairman of the international law firm of Winston & Strawn. He is a former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and previously served as the Special Counsel in the Iran-Contra affair. As the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, he was the top federal law enforcement official in the city of Chicago on behalf of the United States Department of Justice. Attorney, Webb led Operation Greylord and successfully prosecuted 76 corrupt judges, police officers, court clerks, and lawyers.
Michael Shonrock: An American academic and former administrator. He was the president of Lindenwood University, located in St. Charles, Missouri, June 2015 to February 2019. Shonrock previously served as Emporia State University's 16th president from January 3, 2012 to May 28, 2015, and before that as Texas Tech University's vice president for student affairs and enrollment management in Lubbock, Texas.
Caryl M. Stern: An American author, child advocate, civil and human rights activist, and non-profit executive. Fund for UNICEF. She is a human rights advocate who has worked for the Anti-Defamation League. She earned her M.S.
Other Notable Alumni
Paul Vallas: An American politician and former education superintendent. He served as the superintendent of the Bridgeport Public Schools in Connecticut and the Recovery School District of Louisiana, the CEO of both the School District of Philadelphia and the Chicago Public Schools, and a budget director for the city of Chicago.
John Rosemond: An American columnist, public speaker and author on parenting, with 15 books on the subject. His ideas revolve around authority for parents and discipline for children. He sometimes collaborates with PragerU as researcher and spokesperson.
LaVerne H. Council: Department of Veterans Affairs. Council assumed this role in July 2015. President Obama nominated Council to the role in March 2015. Council was confirmed by the 114th Congress on June 23, 2015, making Council the first female CIO of a Cabinet-level federal agency. She managed a $4.2B Information Technology appropriation, the first centralized and only IT appropriation in the federal government.
Camilo Olaviano Osías Sr.: A Filipino politician, twice for a short time President of the Senate of the Philippines. Along with American Mary A. Lane, Osías translated into English the poem Filipinas that was set to the Marcha Nacional Filipina, producing the Philippine Hymn, now the national anthem Lupang Hinirang.
William M. Ulrich: An American business architecture consultant, consultant at Cutter Consortium, director and lecturer, known for development of 'The Systems Redevelopment Methodology' (TSRM) in the 1990s, on legacy systems in the 2000s and more recently on his work on business architecture.
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