The campus community is invited to an open house reception celebrating the retirement of Don Kunde from 2-4 p.m. on Friday, February 20, in the Alumni Center, Room 118. Remarks will begin at 3 p.m.
Kunde is retiring after 32 years of service to Illinois State University, where he built a career dedicated to advancing campus safety, emergency preparedness, and regulatory compliance.
Kunde began his career at Illinois State in 1994 as a safety officer and progressed through several leadership roles within Environmental Health and Safety. He served as safety officer I, II, and III; assistant director; and, most recently, as associate director of Environmental Health and Safety. Throughout his tenure, he provided leadership in occupational safety and health, fire protection, code compliance, life safety systems, and emergency management.
Kunde holds the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) credential, awarded by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals, as his primary professional qualification. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in occupational safety from Illinois State University and has maintained extensive professional training and certifications while remaining actively engaged in multiple professional organizations throughout his career.
In his leadership roles, Kunde served as the University’s liaison to regulatory agencies, including the Illinois Department of Labor, OSHA, and the Office of the State Fire Marshal. He served as the principal safety consultant for the Bone Student Center Revitalization project, ensuring campus safety considerations were fully integrated throughout all phases of the project to protect students, staff, visitors, and ongoing university operations. His work emphasized hazard mitigation, coordination with campus stakeholders, and the continuity of a safe learning and working environment. Kunde also maintained oversight of workers compensation and OSHA recordkeeping, where he identified institutional risk trends and contributed to an approximately 80% reduction in the University’s total recordable incident rate over nine years, consistently maintaining rates below the industry average.
Kunde also played a pivotal role in shaping Illinois State University’s emergency preparedness infrastructure. He provided direction in the development of emergency response plans and protocols, trained emergency response teams, and served in key emergency management positions during campus incidents. Over the years, his roles included emergency manager, deputy emergency operations center manager, incident management team safety representative, and damage assessment team lead. Beyond operational leadership, he was a key architect of the University Emergency Management Plan and spearheaded the implementation of Illinois State’s inaugural emergency notification system and its award-winning public safety campaign.
Beyond his professional responsibilities, Kunde has provided volunteer service through leadership in the Trinity Lutheran Church Building Committee, served as a Church Elder, participated in the Lutheran Early Response Team, and supported youth and community organizations, including BNGSA Softball, American Legion Baseball, and the Boy Scouts of America.
Kunde’s leadership and commitment have had a lasting impact on Illinois State University. He will be missed by colleagues across campus, and the University wishes him well in his retirement.
