Jamaal Hines grew up hooked on police procedurals on TV, imagining that he someday would solve crimes like the detectives on “CSI” and “NCIS” on behalf of innocent victims. Enrolling at Old Dominion University in his native Virginia, he earned a bachelor’s
Read more2020 HESA Alumni of the Year Award
In Spring 2020, HESA Program faculty and staff selected Dr. Brandi Hephner LaBanc, vice chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, as the inaugural HESA Alumni of the Year Award winner. Dr. Hephner LaBanc is an
Read moreCelebrations
We are excited to celebrate accomplishments and life events of our HESA community. Alumni, current students, and faculty can submit information for the newsletter. Please submit any announcements and pictures for our next newsletter (Spring 2021) to HESA Program Coordinator Dr. Gudrun
Read moreAlumni Accomplishments
Congratulations to these alumni who are making a positive impact on the leadership and administration of education at all levels! Jim Aalfs, M.S.Ed. Educational Administration, ’00, will become principal of Barrington Middle School-Station Campus in Barrington 220. He has served as the
Read moreKeep learning, keep teaching – Part 2: Educators detail COVID-19 adjustments
Jeremy Rehmus works full time as the manager of a restaurant in Oswego, where he lives with his wife and their 4-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter. With many restaurants remaining “essential” and open during the stay-at-home order, his is one experiencing great
Read moreHouston, we have liftoff! Two COE alums reach stars with Texas teaching awards
Jessica Dyra and Aimee Zepeda are proof of the power of positive role models. “I’ve always liked school, and as I grew up, I saw how much of an impact my teachers had on me,” says Dyra, who is from Crystal Lake.
Read moreThree-time NIU College of Ed alum climbs ladder to DeKalb District 428 headquarters
During his 15 years at DeKalb’s Clinton Rosette Middle School, Tim Vincent donned many hats. Four years teaching seventh-grade science. Two years teaching math. Two years serving as assistant principal. Seven years in charge as principal. What the three-time NIU College of
Read moreThree-decade CPS principal remembers finding career mantra in NIU classrooms
At age 30, recently married and with a child on the way, Richard Morris decided to take an interview for a principal’s job in the Chicago Public Schools. The 1980 alum of the NIU College of Education really wasn’t in the market
Read moreFirst-year high school principal builds strong foundation with NIU preparation
During the six years Matthew Bennett and his wife, Erin, spent teaching school in Nevada, he realized his professional future might lie outside the classroom. “We just had a lot of turnover in the administrative ranks,” Bennett says. “I thought, ‘There’s got
Read moreAlumni Accomplishments
Congratulations to these alumni who are making a positive impact on the leadership and administration of education at all levels! John W. Herrin, M.S.Ed. School Business Management, ’17, has been named finance director for Libertyville School District 70. Herrin will complete the
Read moreKNPE alumni accomplishments
Congratulations to these Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education alums! Julie Bergstrom, B.S.Ed. Physical Education, ’98, was featured Jan. 9 by the Naperville Sun: “The Waubonsie Valley High School physical education teacher and soccer coach has a passion for everything sports-related and
Read moreVisual Disabilities alumna Kateri Gullifor discovers joy, national acclaim in teaching
Kateri Gullifor laughs now when she thinks about the big red flag she wisely ignored on the way to her career. “I’ve never been one to be super well-oriented,” says Gullifor, a Teacher of the Visually Impaired and the only Orientation and
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