Rick Bakewell ’87 was named chief financial officer of Modern Campus, a leading engagement platform for higher education, in March 2022. Rick will lead all Modern Campus’ financial activities. He brings a wealth of experience to the role, including 25 years in the technology and services industries, where he specialized in financial organizational, operational efficiency, financing and capital raising initiatives, and mergers and acquisitions. Rick most recently served as chief financial officer at Benefitexpress, a cloud-based benefits administration technology and human resources services provider. Prior to that, he held senior finance positions at Fruition Partners, NTT Data Americas and the Revere Group. 

Illinois Wesleyan Associate Professor of Nursing Brenda Lessen Knoll ’89 published a study in the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology with colleague Ehsan Naderifar on involving mothers in the assessment of their own preterm infant feeding skills while in the neonatal intensive care unit. The research is the first part of a larger study assessing the effect of Brenda’s Premature Infant Oral Motor Intervention (PIOMI) on early feeding skills scores.

Richard Koenig ’89 has recently achieved the urban planning profession’s highest honor by being named to the prestigious American Institute of Certified Planners College of Fellows for his outstanding achievements in urban planning. Congratulations Richard!

Carol (Gentry) Burns ’85 has been named secretary of the Alma College Board of Trustees. Read more here. Congrats, Carol!

Julie Anderson ’87 and her son Wade Anderson ’21 at IWU Commencement 2021