Meg McKeen ’00, founder and chief confidence builder for Adjunct Advisors, LLC, was recognized among Insurance Business America’s “2021 Elite Women.” With more than 20 years experience in the insurance industry, Meg launched Adjunct Advisors in 2018 to help those in insurance sales leverage their unique voices and find success. Her roles with Adjunct Advisors are many, and include: sales coach, professional speaker and podcast host.
Matthew Dearing ’00 participated in a Careers in Technology Panel with the Hart Career Center at Illinois Wesleyan University on February 24, 2021. Moderated by Andrew Shallue, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Matthew and other alumni discussed careers in technology, software development, consulting, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cybersecurity with IWU students.
Matthew is currently an AIOps Technical Lead and Applications Development with Argonne National Laboratory as well as a Freelance Sci+Tech Editor (AI/machine learning) in Chicago.
Paul Vranas ’00 received a 2021 Neighborhood Star Award by Denver’s Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation organization. In addition to working in software consulting and shuttling around two little kids, Paul has also been working on the following initiatives:
Monday, February 8 is Thank-A-Giver Day at Illinois Wesleyan and we’re eager to celebrate generous Titans!
Thank-A-Giver (TAG) Day is the symbolic point during the academic year — about 70% of the way through — when tuition dollars are exhausted and Illinois Wesleyan relies on donor generosity to continue providing a world-class education and rewarding collegiate experiences.
Each and every year, every gift matters. Contributions benefit students and faculty, enhance academic excellence, and strengthen the IWU community.
Thank you to all who give back to move IWU forward. 
Lucinda (Lucy) Shair ’00, mother of two and Founder and Principal of Lucy Shair Financial, passed away January 6, 2021. At Illinois Wesleyan University, Lucy studied French and International Business and lived in the international house on campus, where she met many of her lifelong friends and fostered her love of languages, becoming fluent in French, and cultures. She later earned her Master’s in Accounting from the University of Southern California and achieved her CPA.
Lucy enjoyed music, singing in different choruses throughout her life, and playing the trumpet in orchestras and jazz bands into college. She enjoyed travel, nature, and many hobbies associated with it, including hiking, fly fishing, kayaking, and gardening. She could identify many trees, plants, and birds and loved to purchase and inherit various plants and flowers. She loved reading and spreadsheets, planning and organizing, dancing and singing, most of all with her children and wider family.
She also possessed a profound, lifelong sense of justice. In the pinnacle of her forensic accounting practice, she managed a section of the federal effort to compensate victims of the September 11 attacks, working for over a year on the Victim Compensation Fund under Special Master Kenneth Feinberg. She developing a recycling program at multiple schools and businesses. And through the children’s schooling and community involvement, Lucy nurtured her passion for school policy and political activism.
You can read the full obituary for Lucy here.
Meg McKeen ’00, Founder/Chief Confidence Builder with Adjunct Advisors, hosted mock virtual interviews on September 18. McKeen has worked in the insurance industry for the past 20 years and was eager to share her experience of interviewing with students.
Erin Simpson ’00 passed away on August 14, 2019. An accomplished academic, she graduated with a Master’s Degree in Public Health from Columbia University in 2003. She published an article on Asthma in the Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, and was also a free-lance editor and researcher. She is survived by her sister and friends. Read the full obituary here.
In March, Kris Kaneta ‘00 took on a new role as Chief Product Officer for MMIT. MMIT is the leading provider of software, data and analytics supporting drug and therapy market access.
Congratulations, Kris!
Burke Nihill ’00, in his fifth season with the Tennessee Titans, is being elevated to President/CEO of the Titans. In February of this year, Burke was promoted to Senior Vice President/Business Operations & Chief Legal Officer with the franchise.
During his time with the Titans, Burke has been involved in many different facets of the organization. As Vice President and General Counsel, he was responsible for the organization’s legal, human resources, and government relations functions. Following his promotion earlier this year, he also began overseeing stadium and facility operations. In addition to his core responsibilities, Burke has also taken the lead on other strategic projects for the team. He was instrumental in the effort to secure and execute the 2019 Draft in Nashville and is currently overseeing the renovation and expansion of Saint Thomas Sports Park.
Burke joined the Titans in 2016 with 15 years of professional experience working as an attorney and strategic business counselor with companies ranging from technology startups to Fortune 500 businesses.
“I am exceedingly grateful for and humbled by this opportunity,” Burke said. “I am inspired by Amy’s [Amy Adams Strunk is the Titans controlling owner] vision for our franchise and look forward to collaborating with my talented colleagues to serve our fans, partners, and communities. From the NFL Draft on Broadway to a magical run to the AFC Championship, last year was a special season for Titans fans, but as an organization we believe the best is yet to come.”
You can read the full article at Titans Name New President: Burke Nihill Elevated to President/CEO as Steve Underwood Retires from Full-Time Role.
Sharon has been able to continue working with her students through video platforms and says that they’ve been finding comfort in routine. “They seem to still be practicing, which makes me happy, and I guess that people turn to the arts when times are difficult, and I see it happening with my students.”
But Sharon said for her own music, virtual connections just aren’t the same. A lot of her work involves collaborating with other musicians, which means that isolation has been a challenge. “That part has been really hard for me. I didn’t realize how much I would miss that, actually collaborating with people and playing. I had an emotional moment about a week ago where I actually did have to go into a rehearsal with a pianist because she wanted to get a recording before she went away for the summer. And so we collaborated and it was the first person I played any music with, really, in a week and a half, and it was quite moving for me because I didn’t realize how much I needed that, and how I did sort of crave that interaction, said Sharon. But don’t worry, Sharon added, “We did stay our 6 feet apart.”
Lately, Sharon has found a way to embrace her solitude. She’s been playing Bach in her bathrobe. She sent a video to her friends who encouraged her to record more sessions and post them to social media. Now #bathrobebach is a thing.
Sharon says it’s the small acts of beauty that keep us going. “I do think that in any sort of difficult time people like to hold on to things that are beautiful and artistic. We kind of need those things, I think, as an escape. And so even though sometimes for me it may not feel like what I’m doing is very much or maybe it just seems kind of silly, hopefully I can bring some kind of sense of relief to someone else I’m reaching out to,” said Sharon.
Other artists featured in the article include Nick Africano, Pokey LaFarge, and Dan Hubbard.
To see the entire article, you can visit Pandemic Takes Emotional Toll on Musicians at WGLT.