Peter Brust, Dan Kelley, Donsia Strong Hill, Jennifer Wood Ives, Dean Jeff Wood, Yvette Nonte, Brad Brown, Betty Keough and Donald Braasch
Peter Brust, Dan Kelley, Donsia Strong Hill, Jennifer Wood Ives, Dean Jeff Wood, Yvette Nonte, Brad Brown, Betty Keough and Donald Braasch
Seven Illinois State University alumni and one retired faculty member make up the first class of inductees in the College of Applied Science and Technology’s (CAST) Hall of Fame. The CAST Hall of Fame honors current, past or honorary members of the CAST community for outstanding professional performance and service. The eight members were inducted during a ceremony on the Illinois State campus in February.
Daniel T. Kelley is chairman of the board and president of GROWMARK, Inc. and operates a grain farm near Normal in partnership with his two brothers. Kelley, a graduate of Illinois State’s Department of Agriculture, was the recipient of the Holbert Award, the highest award bestowed on an individual by the department. He has been a loyal supporter of the Ag Alumni Association, serving on the board of directors and as president from 1984 to 1986. He is also actively involved with the Illinois State Alumni Association and is currently serving as its president.
Peter F. Brust is deputy superintendent of the Chicago Police Department’s newly-formed Bureau of Professional Standards. Brust’s career began in 1985 as a law enforcement officer in the Illinois Department of Revenue’s Investigative Services Bureau. He joined the FBI in 1986 and went on to serve as special agent in charge of the Los Angeles field office until his retirement in 2008. Brust holds a juris doctorate from the John Marshall Law School and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice sciences from Illinois State, where he was the first president of the University’s chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma.
Donsia Strong Hill is a partner in the law firm of Godfrey and Kahn, where she is the first African-American woman to be so named. Her career has taken her from a cabinet level position in the administration of Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle to a senior level policy analyst for President Bill Clinton. Strong Hill has served as senior advisor at the United States Department of Energy and also as an assistant state’s attorney in Brown County, Wisconsin. She holds a bachelor’s degree in family and consumer sciences from Illinois State and a juris doctorate from the John Marshall Law School.
Jennifer Wood Ives is an associate director of epidemiology with Bristol-Meyers Squibb. She graduated from Illinois State’s clinical laboratory science program and went on to earn a Ph.D. in epidemiology from the University of Texas, School of Public Health, Houston. Her research has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.
Bradley D. Brown is chief technology officer of TUSC, an information technology consulting firm. Brown is part of an award winning company that earned the 2007 Oracle Title Award, the 2004 North America Oracle Partner Network Partner Solution of the Year in the category of “Oracle Application Server,” and the Internet Platform Partner of the Year in 2002. Brown is a graduate of Illinois State’s applied computer science program.
Betty J. Keough served the Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance from 1955 to 1985 as a faculty member; acting chairperson and program director. She also served as the president of the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, the president of the Illinois Association for Professional Preparation in Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, and vice president of the Midwest American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Keough has also established two scholarships at Illinois State for students working toward teaching degrees in physical education.
U.S. Army Colonel Yvette D. Nonte currently serves in the Joint Staff Military Intelligence section in the Pentagon and has served two tours of duty in South Korea and one tour as the director of intelligence for the multinational force in Iraq from 2005-2006. Nonte is a third generation soldier who received her bachelor’s degree from Illinois State, where she was the first battalion commander of the Redbird ROTC detachment and president of the Tau Beta Sigma sorority. Her military honors include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Donald D. Braasch is an independent consultant for Six Sigma training and deployment services. He received a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology from Illinois State and began his career with Rockwell International Automotive Plastics. Braasch received the the Outstanding Industrial Technologist Award from the National Association of Industrial Technology in 2000 and was named Illinois State’s Department of Technology Distinguished Alumnus in 2006.
