Mike Mayo ‘02

The family of Mike Mayo ‘02 and Sara (Evans) Mayo ‘03  will be featured in an episode of HGTV’s House Hunters International this spring after the family moved to Wales in 2019. The move allowed Sarah to study at Bangor University, where she is puruing a second master’s degree in music research/musicology, while Michael works remotely as a marketing consultant.

Wow! How exciting for the Mayo family!

Emily Cour ‘02

Congratulations to Emily Cour ‘02 who was promoted by Brandt to Associate General Counsel and named Assistant Corporate Secretary to a number of recently created Brandt subsidiaries. Click here to read more about her accomplishment.
We hope you are enjoying your new roles, Emily!

Charlene Recio ’02

Congratulations to Charlene Recio ’02, who was elected by members of the Will County (IL) Women’s Bar Association as president of its executive board in January 2020. An eight-year veteran as Will County Assistant State’s Attorney, Charlene joined the organization in 2013. She has served in many roles, including as secretary, treasurer and vice president of the executive board. Charlene also currently serves as vice president of the Illinois Prosecutors Bar Association and is an active member of the Will County Bar Association.

Melissa Neis ’02

Melissa Neis ’02 Was presented the 2019 OURHAUS Award, for her philanthropic leadership and dedication to supporting social change through theatre, by Collaboration Theatre Company, a Chicago-based non-profit arts organization. A vice president with Parr Insurance Brokerage, Melissa has served on Collaboraction’s Board of Directors for five years and played a leading role in the group’s spring fundraiser and donor cultivation event. She also currently volunteers with Heartland Alliance’s Women’s Empowerment Program. Congrats Melissa!

Mike Mayo ’02

Mike Mayo returned to Illinois Wesleyan’s campus on April 13, 2019, to present the Mayo Alumni Award at the annual student art reception and awards ceremony in the Merwin and Wakeley galleries. Mike has sponsored the prize, awarded to students who share his passion for fine arts, for the past 11 years. While visting campus, Mike showed his children two of his pieces, completed while he was an IWU student, displayed in IWU’s Center for the Liberal Arts. 

Titans Supporting Titans

Ways to Support Fellow Titans
    1. To share a word of support for your classmates at this time, submit a post to your class newsletter by emailing your editor or if your class does not have an editor, send your post to classnews@iwu.edu.
    2. You can provide support to the Titan Student Emergency Fund. This fund will provide relief to students with needs such as housing, travel, moving and storage, transportation and vehicle repair, and technology needs related to remote learning.
    3. If you have expertise or a career opportunity that you can share with students, please connect with a Hart Career Center staff member for a phone or video appointment through a Handshake account here. You can also post job and internship opportunities on the site. View FAQs here.
    4. University Archives & Special Collections wants to hear your experiences and reflections to keep a historical record of the impact of the pandemic on the Illinois Wesleyan community, you can learn more here.
    5. Assist the IWU Admissions team in student recruitment efforts. Our alumni are the best and most qualified to meet with prospective students to share your IWU experience. Sign up here: Titan Alumni Ambassadors.
    6. You can see more ideas here.

TAG Day 2020

Thank-A-Giver Day (TAG Day) is Monday, February 10. This day provides the IWU campus community with the opportunity to thank donors who support Illinois Wesleyan. IWU celebrates each year in mid-February because it marks the symbolic point during the academic year – about 70% of the way through – when we rely on support from alumni and friends, our endowment, and external grants.  

If you would like to be celebrated as a donor today, you can make a gift at iwu.edu/give

Michael Mayo Update

Michael Mayo ’02 and his spouse Sarah Evans ’03 moved to Wales to pursue Sarah’s dream of studying in her family’s homeland, and Michael’s dream  of working abroad. They filmed an episode of House Hunters International in December, which will likely air this spring. They continue to support the School of Art “Mayo Award” for outstanding juried exhibition efforts.