The Department of Politics and Government hosted four alumni October 25 for Alumni Day: Michael Miller ’05; Lutitia Mills ’91; Nikita Richards ’06, M.S. ’15; and Harriett Steinbach, M.S. ’05. The department’s guests met with Department Chair and Professor T.Y. Wang, attended the annual Coffee with the Dean event hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences, and were recognized at the Alumni Day luncheon, held at the Bone Student Center.
Michael Miller ’05
Miller serves as a Navy Reserve public affairs officer supporting the U.S. 7th Fleet in Yokosuka, Japan. As a civilian, Miller serves as deputy public affairs officer for Naval Service Training Command at Naval Station Great Lakes, where he oversees the public affairs program for the Navy’s Boot Camp, Officer Candidate School, and ROTC programs.
Lutitia Mills ’91
Lutitia Mills is currently the contract administrator at Donco Electrical, a company that specializes in electrical construction. She has worked for several Fortune 500 companies supporting legal departments as a senior paralegal. Mills graduated from Illinois State with a B.S. in political science. She also holds a master’s degree in public administration from Governors State University. She currently resides in O’Fallon with her husband, Steve Mills ’90, a fellow Illinois State graduate.
Nikita Richards ’06, M.S. ’15
Featured in Huffington Post and Business Insider, Nikita Richards is a United States Navy veteran, appointed member of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s transition team, and a crisis and political communication professional. In 2019 she was appointed to the Illinois Council on Women and Girls, elected to the Illinois State University Alumni board of directors, and received the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award. In 2018 she earned the Outstanding Woman in Communication Award.
Harriett Steinbach, M.S. ’05
Harriett Steinbach has worked at Illinois State University for 13 years. She currently serves as the interim director for the Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning. She was recently recognized as a McLean County 20 Under 40 and a YWCA Woman of Distinction in Education for her past volunteer work and her work at Illinois State with students, faculty, and the community. She recently began course work toward a Doctor of Public Administration degree at the University of Illinois Springfield.
