Good neighbor
Appears InJon Farney ’93 was named president and CEO of State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company. The College of Business alum, who first joined State Farm as an intern, has served in various roles at the company for over 30 years; he was most recently senior vice president, treasurer, and chief financial officer. Farney owns a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Illinois State University and an MBA from the University of Michigan. He was active in Beta Gamma Sigma as a student at Illinois State, and he remains engaged at the University through scholarship support and serving as a guest speaker and advisory board member.
Supreme wisdom
Yolanda Gibson, M.S. ’06, earned a Telly Award last year for her documentary, Wisdom from the Brooklyn Bridge, chronicling a 21-day weight-loss journey at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and political and social protests in New York City. The work was named for the revelations Gibson experienced on daily walks across the 1,595-foot bridge, and it earned her a Telly in the online longform category in 2023. An online entertainment writer since 2010, Gibson has written for Medium, Yahoo!, and Examiner.com. She’s conducted red carpet interviews at the Tribeca Film Festival, BET Hip Hop Awards, and Soul Train Music Awards.
Driven by excellence
April Schermann ’02 earned two national teaching awards and reached a coaching milestone during the 2023-24 school year. The Normal West High School teacher was named the Computer Science Teacher of the Year by Project Lead the Way and recognized in the Disney Imagination Campus 100 Teachers Celebration. Schermann also recorded her 500th career coaching win as head coach of the Normal West softball team last spring. The former Redbird softball standout has guided the Wildcats to eight regional titles, four sectional championships, seven conference titles, and a runner-up finish in the 2016 Class 4A state tournament during her 21 years as the team’s coach.
Good as gold
Aimee (Hutchison) Legatzke ’03, a kindergarten teacher at Fox Meadow Elementary in South Elgin, received a Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. Legatzke was one of 10 statewide recipients of the award selected from more than 600 nominated teachers. A dedicated, student-centered educator who adapts her teaching style to meet student needs, Legatzke was lauded for working with not only students, but their families, too. The award comes with a $5,000 cash prize and a spring sabbatical provided by Northwestern University. The Golden Apple Foundation is Illinois’ leading nonprofit committed to preparing, mentoring, and honoring leaders in education.
