Join us in applauding these accomplished Illinois State University alumni.
Appears InMarketer extraordinaire
Teri Lucie Thompson ’78, M.S. ’87, is co-founder and chief marketing officer (CMO) of Knackstor, an online platform providing opportunities for individuals age 55 and older to use their skills with businesses and agencies in need of services. Thompson began her career as a high school teacher followed by marketing roles at State Farm Insurance Cos. and Safeco Insurance. She led the transformation of branding in higher education as CMO at Purdue University, the University of Arizona, and the University of Texas System. She has received many accolades, including the American Advertising Federation Lifetime Achievement Award and Illinois State’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
International educator
Rey de la Cruz, Ph.D. ’95, is a filmmaker, author, and playwright. He earned a Palanca award, which is a literary honor in the Philippines equivalent to a Pulitzer Prize. He is respected for his special education work as a Chicago Public Schools teacher and an adjunct at Chicago State University. His strategies for teaching children with learning disabilities have been lauded. For using the ancient Philippine board game Sungka to teach social and math skills, de la Cruz received an Illinois Council for Exceptional Children diversity award. He is in Illinois State’s College of Education Hall of Fame.
Voice behind the brand
While in the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts, Dandrell Lance Scott ’08 succeeded as a Theatre of Ted performer and became known as a campus comedian. He did voiceover work for Chicago Public Schools after graduating. The opportunity led to voicing radio ads for McDonald’s, Miller Lite, and Walmart. He became the official announcer for Wendy’s. In 2021, Scott was nominated by One Voice for Radio Commercials Best Male Performance and Voiceover Newcomer of the Year awards. He has acted on The Chi, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med. He has also launched a T-shirt brand and released a hip-hop album.
Innovative in health care
The efforts of Michelle Conger ’89 to champion innovative solutions to health care industry problems has resulted in her being named among Modern Healthcare’s 2022 class of Top 25 Innovators in the nation. The honor recognizes those leading transformative programs. Conger is a social work graduate with nearly 25 years of health care leadership experience. She is the chief strategy officer for OSF HealthCare headquartered in Peoria and the chief executive officer of OSF OnCall Digital Health. She led creation of OSF’s innovation agenda and a team in developing a long-term digital health strategy that was accelerated during the pandemic.
