Class Notes submitted by Redbird alumni for the February 2013 edition of Illinois State magazine:
2000s alumni
Anita Shavel Dockery ’00 is a general manager at Steak ’N Shake. She is an active duty veteran of the Army and served in the Illinois National Guard. She resides in Normal.
Eric Krell, M.M. ’00, is the director of orchestras at Tortolita Middle School in the Marana Unified School District in Tucson, Arizona. He resides there with his wife, Rebecca, and daughter.
Kevin Prendergast ’00 is a PE teacher and mentor for new teachers in the Manteno School District. He and his wife, Maggie, are the parents of two sons and reside in Bourbonnias.
Michael Knight ’01 is a prosecutor working as an assistant state’s attorney in the Juvenile Justice Bureau in Chicago. He and his wife, Christie, reside in Aurora.
Tessa Samuelsen ’01 is principal of Stark County Elementary School in Illinois. She and her husband, Dan, are the parents of three children. They reside in Moweaqua.
Tom Schergen ’01 completed a master’s in educational administration at St. Xavier University. He is the athletic director for Immaculate Conception High School and resides in Evergreen Park.
Rhonda (Stencil) Verdegan ’01 is an assistant professor of kinesiology at St. Ambrose University. She and her husband, Jon, reside in Eldridge, Iowa.
Avada Douglas ’02 graduated from New England Law and passed the Massachusetts bar exam. She is the program administrator at the Legal Advocacy & Resource Center and resides in Boston, Massachusetts.
Kris Kamien ’02 is an engineer for an architectural millwork company. He and his wife, Emily, reside in Schaumburg.
Johnny Reynolds ’02 is a higher education professional. He and his wife, PaKisha (Buchanan) ’02, married in April of 2011. Although on campus at the same time, they met after each relocated from Chicago to Georgia. They reside in Stockbridge, Georgia.
Sue Wheeler, M.S. ’02, is Peoria Park District aquatics supervisor. She received the Heartland Heroes Lifesaving Award from the Central Illinois Chapter of the American Red Cross for saving a 77-year-old man from a swimming pool. She resides in Peoria.
Kelli Brabson ’03 earned a master’s in teaching and learning and educational leadership. She is principal at Chillicothe Elementary Center and Junior High. She and her husband are the parents of two sons. They reside in East Peoria.
Matt Fairchild ’03 is vice president of Commercial Banking with Hickory Point Bank & Trust. He serves commercial clients in Decatur and across Central Illinois.
Linda Smith ’03 is a visiting professor at Texas Southern University. She resides in Houston, Texas.
Chris Baumann ’04 is president of AAA Northgate Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. in Peoria. He resides in Morton.
Dawnyelle Brown ’04 is a marketing and public relations specialist at Four Seasons Health Club. She and her husband, Jarrod, reside in Bloomington.
Ryan Bustle ’04, M.S. ’09, is principal at St. Thomas More in Champaign. He has also coached. He and his wife reside in Bloomington.
John Carter, Ph.D. ’04, has served as a math teacher, assistant principal and principal. He has been an adjunct professor of education at Lake Forest College. Carter is principal of Westlake High School in Illinois. He resides in Vernon Hills.
Zachary L. Kamish ’04 passed the CPA exam and is licensed in the state of Florida. He is employed at Fabricant, Weissman & Darby, P.A. CPA’s in Tampa, Florida.
Angela (Basehoar) Krause ’04 and her husband, Steve, are the parents of two children. Olivia Marie was born in July of 2012. They reside in Atkinson.
Maria (Borri) Reed ’04 is a sales representative for American Marketing and Publishing for Central Illinois. She and her husband, James, were married in May of 2012. They reside in Arlington.
Mike Riopell ’04 is the Illinois statehouse reporter for the Daily Herald, based in the Chicago suburbs. He and his wife, Sarah, reside in Sprinfield.
Stacey (Heath) Egan ’05 is an elementary school speech-language pathologist. Her husband, Matthew ’05, is a medical researcher at Washington University in St. Louis. They are the parents of a daughter, Quinn Harper, who was born in April of 2012. They reside in Glen Carbon.
Kimberly Jones ’05 is completing an M.B.A. at the University of Northern Illinois. She is the Village of Shorewood community development director. She resides in Darien.
Matt Markelz ’05 is an athletic trainer. He and his wife, Vanessa, reside in O’Fallon, Missouri.
David Sollish ’05 revived the theatre program at Blackburn College and is now assistant professor of theatre at Waldorf College. He and his wife, Kelsey, were married in March of 2012. They reside in Forest City, Iowa.
Anna (Harper) Bundy ’06 is an elementary PE teacher at Westview Elementary School in the Canton School District. She and her husband, Josh, reside in Canton.
Clinton Mathewson ’06 is a government teacher and head coach of the girls varsity basketball team at Hoopeston Area. He and his wife, Ashley (Thacker) ’09, were married in July of 2012. She completed a master’s degree in dietetics at Eastern Illinois University. They reside in Watseka.
Ashley Petrey ’06 passed the Florida bar exam and is an attorney working as an assistant in the Miami-Dade County Public Defender’s office in Miami, Florida, where she resides.
Calvin Seely ’06 is head varsity baseball coach at Schaumburg High School. He teaches American studies, U.S. history, and a senior elective course called Senior Survey. He and his wife, Blanka, were married in July of 2012. They reside in Carpentersville.
Matthew Goldman ’07 is a high school teacher at DeLand-Weldon. He and his wife, Elizabeth, were married in October of 2011. They reside in Maroa.
Sara (Molidor) Markos ’07 owns her own business and is featured in the November 2012 issue of Success From Home magazine. She and her husband, Ted ’07, were married in May of 2012. He has received multiple awards for lives saved in his role as a firefighter and paramedic in the Chicago suburb of Bellwood.
Brad Nagel ’07 is the manager of fan services for the Chicago Cubs. He resides in Chicago.
Megan (Buckman) Payleitner ’07 and her husband, Max, were married in July of 2012. They reside in Aurora.
Valerie M. Syoen ’07 is a special education teacher for students from kindergarten through second grade in Riverdale CUSD 100. She and her husband, Lucas ’07, reside in Davenport, Iowa.
Justin Veach ’07 is an enterprise risk management analyst with State Farm Insurance Companies. He and his wife, Christina, reside in Normal.
Stephanie L. (Wargo) Gingras ’08 has graduated from the School of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University. She is practicing at Oak Knoll animal Hospital in Moline.
Allison Grosz ’08 has completed her juris doctorate from New England Law in Boston. She is working with a start-up nonprofit and resides in Auburndale, Massachusetts.
Dave Horstein ’08 is a project manager and consultant. He has been elected to the school council of Joyce Kilmer Elementary School in Chicago, where he resides.
Nicole R. Learned ’08 is a stay-at-home mom. She and her husband, John, are the parents of a daughter. They reside in Normal.
Laura Lyznicki ’08 has been active in environmental work in Colorado. She is now working as the event and volunteer coordinator for the nonprofit, Bean’s Café, which serves the needy in Anchorage, Alaska.
Veronica Plowman ’08 is a youth worker. She and her husband, Eric, are the parents of a daughter. They reside in Cherokee, Iowa.
Adam D. Tucker ’08 is an attorney with Blake Law Group, P.C. He resides in Alton.
Jessica Clifford ’09 is the graphic designer for Sunset Funeral Home in Danville. She also runs a photography business called JPhoto. She resides in Perrysville, Indiana.
Marcus DiSandro ’09 is an account executive with Victor Envelope Company. He resides in Chicago.
Leslie (Banks) Ellis ’09 is beginning her fourth year teaching English at St. Joseph-Ogden High School. She and her husband, Nathanael, reside in Champaign.
Kelli (Pribel) Jagmin ’09 has started her own business called Must Have Photo Booth. She and her husband, Zec, reside in Arlington Heights.
Kristen Kurelo ’09 authored The Secret Life of an Anorexic under the name of Kristen Noel. She is completing an M.B.A. at Illinois State and working as a graduate assistant at the Bone Student Center/Braden Auditorium.
Daniel Metz ’09 is the marketing specialist for the Professional Convention Management Association. He resides in Chicago.
Alicia N. (Ackerman) Piper ’09 is a grain merchandiser at Consolidated Grain and Barge. She and her husband, Dustin, were married in 2012. They reside in Polo.
Tiffany Rentner ’09, M.S. ’12, is the middle school speech pathologist at Manteno Middle School. She is an assistant swim coach for the North Aquatics Sharks swim club in Frankfort. She resides in Tinley Park.
Ashleigh Yarcho ’09 is the cheer and dance coach at Lincoln College. She resides in Lincoln.
