Dr. Kris Condon ’84, Educator/Corporate Trainer and Director of Curriculum Development with the Sigma Chi Leadership Institute, presented four workshops during fall semester on how to navigate LinkedIn.  She also conducted one-on-one LinkedIn profile reviews with alumni and students after the workshops.  More than 46 million students and recent college graduates use LinkedIn. She taught how to create your profile, connect with IWU alumni through the system, apply for jobs/internships, and more.

Jeff Poltawsky ’81 is leading efforts to build a $300 million, state-of-the-art children’s hospital in Tacoma, Washington.

Jeff is president of Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and Health Network, which is part of the MultiCare Health System. The current 82-bed children’s hospital shares operating rooms and imaging suites with Tacoma General Hospital, but the new, freestanding facility will be dedicated just to kids. It will have operating rooms, intensive care and medical surgical care units, as well as a pediatric trauma center, emergency department, mental health crisis center, heart program, cancer center, and more. The children’s hospital is currently being developed using lean-led design with ground-breaking slated for early 2022.

The new Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital will open in the fall of 2024.

Dr. Leonidas A. Johnson ’81 has written a book called Phenomenal Vision Eyesight to Life Sight.

Eyesight to Life Sight is an intriguing exploration of Rev. Dr. Leonidas A. Johnson’s pioneering insight into the relationship between eyesight and the various ways we view and process information in life. The aim of this book is not only to help teach how to process information about our world that encompasses a biblical worldview but also to help develop a biblically sound decision-making strategy. In his book, his perception of the linkage between physical, mental and physical sight is credibly drawn and offers a new, easily accessible way to examine one’s life and faith.

It can be found on Amazon.

You can also watch the book trailer below!

Professor David Bollivar, PhD. was a co-authored “Aerobic Barley Mg-protoporphyrin IX Monomethyl Ester Cyclase is Powered by Electrons from Ferredoxin,” in the journal Plants, in August 2020. He also co-authored “Genomic diversity of bacteriophages infecting Microbacterium spp,” in PLOS One, in June 2020.

New work from the studio of Renee McGinnis

This new painting “Money or Mercy” represents the lure of wealth
over health during this time of seeking safety from a powerful virus.
One pistil stem from the lily depicts a dollar sign and jewel which represents wealth and the desire to return to work. The other nestles safely under the Red Cross of the Mercy ship. The hummingbird however makes a typical choice of securing toilet paper.  The bottom center flowers are full bloom covid cells.

See more at reneemcginnis.com

Scott Shields ’83 is an associate producer of Finding Courage, a documentary detailing one family’s struggle to be free. Finding Courage tells the story of Yifei Wang, a former Chinese Communist Party journalist living in exile in San Francisco and seeking justice for her family. Already the winner of multiple awards on the film festival circuit, Finding Courage is available for streaming at SwoopFilms.com. A song from the documentary, “Courage is Found,” is also receiving awards consideration.

Ray Gensinger, MD joins the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast to share his perspective on the role of CIOs now and into the future, and much more.

You can find and listen to the podcast here.

Congratulations to Cathy Coons Agasar ’85 on her book publication of The Gift of Loss: Transforming Tragedy.

Synopsis: Faced with the unexpected death of her husband of 20+ years, Cathy was left to raise their three children alone, grieving along with them. When she finally took stock of her life, she realized everyone else’s needs came first. That lifestyle completely zapped her emotional, physical, and spiritual reserves—exactly what she desperately needed when her world turned upside down. Her memoir inspires us to take stock to live the best version of ourselves. It chronicles her journey from unfathomable heartbreak and suppression of emotions to the incredible gifts of the healing process after the sudden death of her first husband.

Cathy Agasar’s debut book, which launched on March 24, 2020, reached #1 bestselling new author status on launch day and earned a top-10 spot on Aspire Magazine’s ‘Best Inspirational Books’ for May. Aspire Magazine is on a mission is to inspire women to live their best lives, something Cathy truly believes in. The Gift of Loss: Transforming Tragedy is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble as well as independent book sellers. Cathy is often a featured speaker bringing a message of hope, courage and faith every time she connects with an audience.

You can get more information about the book here.