Past NEIU Alumni Award Recipients

2024 NEIU Alumni Award recipients

_{From L to R: Rudy Lozano Jr., Damaris Tapia, NEIU President Katrina E. Bell-Jordan, Ph.D., Iris Y. Martinez, Luis Kevin Islas, Albert P. Chanthaboury, Ph.D.}

Distinguished Alumni Award  

2024 The Honorable Iris Y. Martinez (B.A. '09) Former Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County and Senator in the Illinois General Assembly 

2021 The Honorable Miguel del Valle (B.A. '74) Former President of the Chicago Board of Education, Chicago city Clerk, and Senator in the Illinois General Assembly

2020 Ana Castillo (B.A. '75) distinguished poet, novelist, short story writer, essayist, editor, playwright, translator and independent scholar

2019 Michael A. Orona (B.A. '92) Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of State

2018 Billy Ocasio (B.A. '92) President & CEO at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture, former Chicago Alderman

2017 Alice McGee (B.A. '84) former chief publicist and senior supervising producer, "The Oprah Winfrey Show," creator of Oprah's Book Club

2016 Thomas White (B.A. ’81) global head of human resources, Zurich Financial Services Group

2015 Dame Libby Komaiko (B.A. '78) founder and artistic director, Ensemble Español

2015 Bill Pollakov (B.A. ’70) President and CEO, The Pollakov Financial Group Inc.

2014 Linda Winer (B.A. ’68) chief theatre critic and arts columnist at Newsday

2012 Dr. Ann P. Kalayil (B.S. ’82) Bureau Chief, Cook County, Bureau of Asset Management, former Great Lakes Regional Administrator of U.S. General Services Administration

2011 Rae Lewis Thornton (B.A. ’91) Emmy Award-winning AIDS activist and educational speaker 

2011 Dr. Robert Jordan (M.A. ’94) former news anchor and reporter for WGN-TV News; owner, Jordan and Jordan Communications, Inc.

2010 Jose A. Rico (B.A. ’99) former Director, White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, NEIU Board of Trustees

2007 The Honorable Luis V. Gutierrez (B.A. ’76) former Congressman, 4th Congressional District of Illinois, U.S. House of Representatives

2006 Mirta Ramirez (B.A. ’72) founder, ASPIRA of Illinois

2005 Daniel L. Goodwin (B.A. ’66) chairman and CEO, Inland Real Estate Group, Inc.

Alumni Service Award  

2024 Damaris Tapia (B.A. '01, M.A. '14) UIC Executive Director of Alumni Association, former NEIU Director of Alumni Relations 

2022 Art Kasak (B.A. '75) former Olympic assistant coach, actor, and entrepreneur 

2021 Laura Stock (B.A. '82) Founder of Dream of Hopes Ranch, Inc. 

2020 Charles L. Good (B.A. '04) Sales Executive, former President of the NEIU Alumni Advisory Board

2019 Flora Llacuna (B.A. '79, M.A. '83) former NEIU Student Affairs coordinator, student advocate 

2018 Richard C. Lindberg (B.A. '74, M.A. '87) author, journalist, and lecturer

2017 Dr. A. Michael Drachler (B.A. '68) accomplished obstetrician and gynecologist, former Vice President of the NEIU Alumni Advisory Board 

2016 Gloria Iverson (M.A. ’08), special education teacher in the Skokie/Evanston School District 60 in Evanston  

Community Leadership Award 

2024 Rudy Lozano Jr. (B.A. '02) Executive Director of Global Philanthropy JPMorgan Chase & Co. 

2022 Jaime L. Enge (M.A. '13) coach, educator, and mentor 

2021 Jessie Fuentes (B.A. '13, M.A. '18) Activist and Chicago Alderperson

2020 Berhane Hailemichael (B.A. '14) Eritrean community leader

2019 Helen Sinclair (B.A. '85) Illinois Department of Corrections chaplain 

2018 Shawn K. Woods (B.A. '98) CEO of Shawn K. Woods & Associates

2017 Dr. Jerry Watson (B.A. '93) Associate Professor of Social Work at Rust College, co-Founder of Men Healing Men and Communities in Memphis, Tenn.

2016 The Honorable William (Willie) Delgado (B.A. ’82) currently serves on the Illinois Prison Review Board, former Senator in the Illinois General Assembly

Outstanding GOLD Alumni Award

2024 Albert P. Chanthaboury, Ph.D. (M.A. '18) Director of Asian American Center at Northeastern University, Boston 

2022 Dr. Kristina Garcia (B.A. '12) Associate Vice President of Teaching, Learning and Student Development at Elgin Community College

2021 Dr. Samniqueka Halset (B.S. '11) Assistant Professor of Ecology at the University of Missouri 

2020 David Robertson (B.A. '16) Founder and Executive Director of the Hope Is Foundation

2019 Angel Velez (B.A. '10, M.A. '12) Co-Founder and President Velez Diversity Consulting LLC. 

2018 Leslie Dubin (M.B.A. '09) lecturer in Management and Supervision at Oakton Community College

2017 Carlos Jiménez Flores (B.A. '06) writer, producer, and film director

2016 Carrie Horton (B.S. ’14) Treasury Manager at ACCO Brands Corporation

Future Alumni Leader Award

*Note: Degrees are not listed as these individuals were awarded as students. 

2024 Luis Kevin Islas

2022 Alvin Gutierrez

2021 Kimberly Nu-Tall

2020 Melanie Glover 

2019 Francisco Sebastian 

2018 Yadira Alonzo 

2017 Nicholas Martinez 

2016 Terrie Albano