Jill (Misener) York ’85 was named to the 2018 list of “Chicago’s Notable Women in Commercial Banking,” published by Crain’s Chicago Business. Jill is executive vice president of specialty banking and mergers and acquisitions for MB Financial Bank, a position she has held since April 2016. Jill, who is also a director of the bank, is responsible for a portfolio of businesses including wealth management, card services, leasing and indirect lending. Jill is also a member of Illinois Wesleyan’s board of trustees. You can read more about it here.
Colleen (Daugherty) Halberg ’86

Colleen (Daugherty) Halberg ’86 and son, Andrew Runkle ’21, while he spent the semester studying in London with Professor Lehr and other IWU students.
Michael Tipsord ’81
Michael Tipsord ’81 has been named to Governor-elect JB Prtizker’s Job Creation and Economic Opportunity Committee. More can be found here about Michaels’ accomplishments.
Emeritus Associate Professor of Economics Robert (Bob) Leekley
Emeritus Associate Professor of Economics Robert (Bob) Leekley passed away on Tuesday, Jan.1. Prof. Leekley started teaching at Illinois Wesleyan in 1974, and from his first year to his 44th, his commitment to IWU and our students remained unchanged. His positive impact on generations of students and colleagues will not be forgotten. Read an obituary. A service will be held in the IWU Evelyn Chapel from 11-12 on Wednesday, January 9th.

Bill Damaschke ’85
Bill Damaschke ’85 is the founder of his own production company, StoryKey Entertainment. The company produced two musicals this year , Moulin Rouge! and The Prom, both of which have been debuted on Broadway. To read about The Prom, click here. To read about Moulin Rouge! click here.
Congratulations, Bill!
Todd Pickens ’84
Todd Pickens ’84 was named the Vice President of sales for Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels. Todd will be responsible for driving profitable sales and growing market share for Mickey Thompson segments, including street, race and light trucks. You can read more about Todd‘s accomplishment here.
Congratulations, Todd!
Beth Black ’81
Beth Black ’81 has been appointed to the role of National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) Delegate, which acts as a liaison between Kappa and NPC and influences the future of the sorority experience. You can read more about it here.
D. Paul Miller
A medal-winning Senior Olympian, Paul was remembered fondly by IWU athletics department colleagues Norm Esch ’75, Ron Rose ’88 and Stew Salowitz ’76 in a tribute in The Pantagraph.
Renee McGinnis ’84
Susan Okuno-Jones ’86
Susan Okuno-Jones ’86 was the 2018 recipient of The Annual School of Nursing Distinguished Alumna Award. She gave a keynote address at Homecoming 2018 titled “Don’t Forget Your WHY”