The College of Education at Illinois State University inducted three alumni into its Hall of Fame during the University’s 2022 Homecoming celebration. Three Legacy Award honorees and one Outstanding Young Alumni were also recognized during this event.
Dr. joyce gillie gossom ’78, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, earned a Bachelor of Science in Special Education from Illinois State. Subsequent degrees grew her expertise in professional development, which she employed as an administrator at several higher education institutions and associations. Since 1992, Dr. gossom has run successful businesses providing planning, development, assessment, and more to higher education institutions and businesses. Dr. gossom is active in her community of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, where she has held several elected positions.
Dan Kaiser, M.S. ‘95, of Bloomington, earned a Master of Science in Educational Administration from Illinois State. He has spent three decades in education advocating for his students though involvement in curriculum expansions and coordination of services for disadvantaged students. Kaiser was named the 2020 Illinois High School Principal of the Year at Dwight High School before transitioning to the Illinois Principals Association. He now serves over 1,000 Central Illinois principals as a Field Service Specialist.
Dr. Cynthia L. Thompson, Ed.D. ’15, of Chicago, earned a doctorate in Teaching and Learning from Illinois State. She has touched many areas of education, including curriculum development, technology coordination, and administration. Dr. Thompson has shown her deep care for others in her advocacy for disadvantaged youth and efforts to empower women and children through karate. She currently resides in Chicago, where her primary work is with the Girls-N-Gi’s Foundation which she founded in 1989.
Legacy Award
Dr. Gail Lamb, Ed. D. ’97, of Bloomington, earned a doctorate in Higher Education Administration at Illinois State. After 21 years in Illinois State’s Mennonite College of Nursing, she transitioned to development. As the Director of Development in the College of Education she facilitated the creation of over 200 scholarships and endowments. Since her retirement, Dr. Lamb remains an engaged alumna and annuitant of the University.
Dr. Jeanne Morris, of Bloomington, is a professor emerita who has led a long and distinguished career in the College of Education. She supported students as a student organization advisor and invested in the internationalization of the College of Education as the first director of the Brighton, England study abroad program. Dr. Morris continues to invest in her community, most notably as a member of the Heartland Head Start Board of Directors and The Baby Fold Directors Emeritus Group.
Pam Silverwood ’62, of Silver Spring, Maryland, earned a Bachelor of Science in Special Education-Speech Correction Speech Pathology from Illinois State. She worked as a speech pathologist in educational and medical settings, spending most of her career at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. After retiring, Silverwood found passion for pottery and began selling pieces to fund charitable donations. In this endeavor, she funded cleft palate surgery for more than 60 children through The Smile Train.
Outstanding Young Alumni
Dr. Andrea Dinaro ’99, Ed.D. ‘14, of Chicago Ridge, earned a Bachelor of Science in Special Education and doctorate in Special Education from Illinois State. Dr. Dinaro is an Associate Professor at Concordia University in Chicago, where she chairs the College of Education’s division of Curriculum, Technology, and Inclusive Education. She is known to practice what she teaches by centering inclusivity in her life; when not teaching, she can often be found volunteering with at-risk populations.
