Congratulations to these College of Ed alums!
Anwer Al-Zahrani, Ed.D. Instructional Technology, ’15, was in October named deputy for Curriculum and Quality Assurance at Jubail Industrial College.
John R. Almond, B.S. ’68, M.S.Ed. ’75, and Anita J. Almond, ’68, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Dec. 31. The couple was married Dec. 31, 1966, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in DeKalb. They raised two sons and are now both retired, John from a teaching career and Anita from a computer consulting career.
Colette Yeiser Boyd, B.A. ’71, M.S.Ed. ’74, was elected to the Oliver Wolcott Library Board of Trustees in Litchfield, Conn.
P.J. Fleck, B.S. Ed. ’04, Elementary Education, was named Jan. 6 as head coach of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers football team. Fleck’s new job comes on the heels of a triumphant career at Western Michigan University, where he led the Broncos to a 2016 Mid-American Conference championship and a berth in the Jan. 2 Cotton Bowl.
Mark L. Goldstein, M.S.Ed.’72, a clinical and forensic psychologist, was editor of Handbook of Child Custody, published by Springer Scientific. He was previously co-editor of Handbook of Forensic Sociology and Psychology, also published by Springer Scientific in 2013. Dr. Goldstein has served as an expert witness in more than 1,200 forensic cases in 12 states. He maintains a forensic and clinical practice in the Chicago area, and has served on the graduate faculty of several universities.
Jan S. Half, M.S.Ed. ’80, of San Mateo, Calif., received the 2016 Silicon Valley Women of Influence Award, honoring women in leadership roles who have influenced their industries as well as their communities. Half recently retired from a career that included working as a middle-school teacher; selling technology products and services; acting as a regional technology director for the California Department of Education; and directing a student technology nonprofit.
Odin Jurkowski, Ed.D. Instructional Technology, ’03, has been appointed associate dean of Graduate Studies for the College of Education at the University of Central Missouri.
Adam Kimble, M.S. Sport Management, ’12, is a “survivalist” on the Discovery Channel’s new reality show, “The Wheel.” The program, which premiered Jan. 13, “dares six participants to survive in six distinctly grueling landscapes across South America. With every turn of the wheel, each survivalist is dropped into a new isolated location, exposed to the world’s deadliest terrains including freezing tundra, rugged mountains and treacherous rainforest.” Kimble, an ultra-runner, made headlines last year when he crossed the United States on foot in 60 days.
Sara Christiansen Knigge, B.S. Ed. ’94, has co-authored a Spanish reading workbook for bilingual and dual language classrooms through her company, READ en Espanol, Inc. She offers consulting to school districts with large Spanish-speaking populations.
Melinda Tejada, Ed.D. Curriculum Leadership, ’13, was honored in November by the Business Ledger’s 19th annual Influential Women in Business awards program. Tejada is vice president of Student Development at Waubonsee Community College, where she provides leadership and oversight for services such as Admissions, Athletics, Financial Aid, Student Life, the Access Center for Disability Resources, Career Development, Learning Assessment and Testing Services, Student Support Services, Upward Bound and more.
Betty Trummel, M.S.Ed. ’91, is one of 78 women worldwide selected to participate in a Homeward Bound expedition, an elite science leadership expedition to Antarctica.
Dan Verdun, M.S.Ed. ’96, and Barry Bottino created a Chicago Now blog, Prairie State Pigskin, to share news on Division I college football programs in Illinois.
Maria Walther, B.S. Ed. ’86, M.S. Ed. ’93 and Ed.D. ’98, has received the Illinois Reading Council’s 2016 Hall of Fame Award. Walther, whose doctorate is in elementary education, has taught first-grade since 1986. She currently teaches in Indian Prairie District 204. According to IRC Past President Cindy Gerwin, Walther’s “passion for reading and writing will affect generations of readers and writers in her community, throughout the state of Illinois, across the country and internationally.”
If you’re a COE grad with news to share, please let us know – and send a photo! Our email address is ceduednews@niu.edu.
