Beth Lanza ’07

Beth Lanza ’07Joined The Center for Voice and Swallowing Disorders at The Ears, Nose, Throat, and Plastic Surgery Association in Orlando, Florida, as a speech language pathologist, in September 2019. Beth earned a master’s degree in communication disorders at Northern Illinois University in 2018 and, as part of her postgraduate work, started Bridges Choir, a choir for adults with language and cognitive communication disorders. After graduate school, Beth completed her clinical fellowship at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center, receiving training at the Voice and Upper Airways Clinic as well as the Neurogenic Communication Disorders Clinic. Congratulations Beth!

Todd Kumler ’07

Todd Kumler ’07 Presented virtually on May 26th, and gave an overview of the economics consulting industry, including the types of projects that economics consultants work on and the day-to-day life of an economics consultant. His presentation also discussed opportunities at economics consulting firms for undergraduates and the types of candidates recruited by these firms. Thank you Todd!

Allison McKey ‘07

We regret to inform you of the passing of Allison McKey ‘07.
Allison McKey ’07 of Gridley, IL died April 4, 2020 in Denver, CO after a courageous journey with cancer.  She was 34.  Allison studied accounting and art history at Illinois Wesleyan.  She earned her CPA and had an illustrious career in accounting which started at Deloitte in Chicago.  She was most recently employed with Whiting Petroleum in Denver, where she moved to follow her lifelong dream of living in the mountains.  Allison had many passions including water and snow skiing, hiking, traveling, exploring the food scene in Denver, and cooking at home.
She is survived by her parents, John and Pat McKey, boyfriend and soulmate Zach Wagner, maternal grandmother, numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins, and her lifelong friends and sisters she met through Kappa Kappa Gamma.

Daniel Evans ’07

Daniel Evans ’07 of Springfield, Illinois, died May 2, 2020. He was 35. Dan studied biology as a pre-med student at Illinois Wesleyan, and then went on to earn medical degrees at Illinois State University and Millikin University. Dan was a certified registered nurse anesthetist at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. He also served as a regional director on the board of Illinois Association of Nurse Anesthetists and was an active member of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. Prior to CRNA school, Dan worked at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois, from 2010-13, as a registered nurse in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit. Dan loved talking and taking walks with his son, date nights and weekends with his wife, rock climbing, working on his cars and woodworking. He is survived by his wife Erin (Lohrstorfer) Evans ’07, son, parents, two brothers, including Phil Evans ’09, grandmother and many other relatives and friends.

Engaging with IWU Virtually

Here are ways to virtually engage with IWU and fellow Titans:

  • Performances from IWU alumni, students and faculty
    Contact us at iwualum@iwu.edu if you have a virtual performance to share. Follow the School of Theatre Arts Facebook page for posts about performances by students and alumni.
  • Back to College Classes
    Check out videos of previous classes featuring alumni.
  • Take part in Titan Talks: Webinar Series
    We are excited to launch this series featuring alumni, faculty and staff.
  • Start a Titan Group
    Have you been wanting to start a book club? Let us know at iwualum@iwu.edu and we can help connect you to other interested alumni.
  • IWU Social Media
    Follow Illinois Wesleyan University Alumni Association social media for the latest updates and announcements – FacebookTwitterLinkedIn.
  • Virtual Titan Connections
    We miss connecting with Titans in person, but we would love to see photos or videos from your virtual connections. Show your Titan pride and tag IWU Alumni Association (@IWU_AlumniAssoc) on Twitter and (@illinoiswesleyanalumni) on Facebook. You can also post in your Regional Alumni Chapter’s Facebook group, reunion group, or affinity group.
  • Titan Challenges
    Challenge your fellow Titans to a virtual 5K or fitness challenge. Be sure to wear your favorite Titan gear and share a photo on social media or you can send it to iwualum@iwu.edu.

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.

Tyler Smith ’07

A big thank you to Tyler Smith ’07, who spoke on March 3rd to students and shared information on his work in investments, career opportunities in the field, and answered any questions students might have had. He is an Investment Professional with State Farm and obtained his MBA in Finance in 2012.