Torri “T.J.” Newman ’06 signed a two-book deal with Simon & Schuster’s Avid Reader Press in February 2021, and her debut novel Falling will be released July 2021. A former flight attendant, T.J. came up with the idea for Falling on a cross country red-eye flight. The thriller takes place on a crowded flight from Los Angeles to New York, during which the pilot learns his family has been kidnapped and he must crash the plane to save them, all while the flight’s passengers remain unaware of the drama unfolding in the cockpit.

A week after the announcement of her book deal, Universal Pictures won a bidding war for the screen rights for Falling. T.J., who has since left her job as a flight attendant, has already begun work on her second novel. Falling is widely available.

Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) has promoted Jenise Klein ’06 to the role of North America regional head of property. See the full article here. Congrats, Jenise!

Lynsey Sloan, LCSW, has accepted a position as Associate Vice President of Statewide Foster Care at Children’s Home + Aid (CH+A). She will oversee all services provided by CH+A to youth and families involved in the child welfare system and act as a liaison between CH+A and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

Congratulations to Stefan Mustain and his wife Elizabeth on the birth of their child Henry Huddleston Mustain on August 25th, 2019.

Ryan Smith was promoted to Chief Technology Officer at Grabango, a leading checkout-free technology service provider for grocers and convenience stores founded by Will Glaser. Ryan, who previously worked for Amgen and Sight Machine, was named vice president of product and engineering for Grabango last year. Congrats to Ryan!

In May of 2020 Sarah Mysiewicz Gill ‘06 graduated 1st in her class from Catholic Law School while working full time. After working for nearly nine years with AARP as the private sector retirement lead for the Association’s state government affairs team, she started a new job as an associate at Groom Law Group in Washington, D.C., where she works as a tax and retirement attorney.
Wow! You sure have been busy, Sarah! Keep up the great work!

Michael Catron and Melanie Arthur ’07 were married September 1, 2019, at The Hideout in Chicago, with many friends and alumni present.

Thank you very much to John Haugen ’06, who spoke virtually on 4/3 as a sustainability and impact consultant that works with organizations of all types to identify ways to improve environmental and social impacts. Haugen walked through some samples of his sustainability advisory work with Fortune 500 companies and leading nonprofits.

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.