John Baines ’98, head coach of the Elmhurst University men’s basketball team, was named the D3hoops.com Region 8 Coach of the Year after leading the Bluejays to a single-season school-record 27 wins and the program’s first-ever trip to the Final Four in 2021-22. Elmhurst lost to Randolph-Macon College in the national championship game on March 19, 2022. John has been the Bluejays’ head coach since 2013, posting an overall record of 148-84 in nine seasons at the helm. As a player at Illinois Wesleyan, John played in four NCAA Tournaments and won a national championship in 1997.

Elizabeth Nohren ’98, the public administrator and public guardian of Shelby County, was appointed by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to serve in the same role for Effingham, Fayette and Montgomery counties.

Sarah Fincham ’98 was recently promoted to clinical associate professor at Washington State University, where she is a faculty member in WSU’s Doctor of Nursing Practice-Family Nurse Practitioner program in the College of Nursing.

Bill Murphy ’98, a prolific researcher in biomedical engineering, delivered the 2022 Founders’ Day Convocation keynote address titled “Mimicking Nature to Create New Technology.” The event was held on January 12, 2022, but you can still watch it at www.iwu.edu/live.

Tami Dean ’98 recently got a new job as Executive Director of Partner Success at engage2learn. Congrats!

Congratulations to Korey Neibarger ’98, who recently started as an Analyst for Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

Artwork from John Rakow ’98 was featured in “Signals and Codes,” an installation included in the Terrain Biennial international public art festival. Read the article here.

BOSTON (September 21, 2021) – Shepley Bulfinch, a national architecture firm known for design excellence and innovation, today announced the promotions of Joe Herzog, AIA, to executive vice president, market strategy.

View full article here.

John Munch was named superintendent of La Grange Highlands (Ill.) School District 106 in April 2021. John previously served as the assistant superintendent for human resources in Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills (Ill.) Elementary School District 181 for the past seven years. His prior experience includes serving as principal of Troy Heritage Trail Elementary School in Joliet, Illinois, and working as a middle school assistant principal, teacher and social worker.

Kyle Garifo ’98 has been developing in real estate for over 13 years including several condo ground-up construction projects in Chicago, over 200 flipped homes, cannabis dispensaries in 3 states and recently the development of The Heathers Senior Homes, a new model of doing assisted living in a home like setting. Kyle has since started 41 Development Group, LLC, responsible for raising capital from outside investors to further build the dispensaries and The Heathers Senior Homes expansion into other communities to meet the increasing demand for senior living.