University of Illinois | 150 Years & Beyond

Charles Traub

Acclaimed photographer

NY School of Visual Arts

Laura Niklason

Yale professor

Alumni Achievement Award

Deon Thomas

UI's career scoring leader

Basketball radio analyst

Drew Griffin

Peabody-winning reporter

Died in December 2022 at age 60

Erika Harold

Miss America 2003

Champaign attorney

Nick Ciffone

Creative director

2 Cannes Lion award wins

Anne Valente

Acclaimed author

Professor, Hamilton College

Donnacha Dennehy

Irish composer

Won Fedora Prize

Bud Cherry

CEO

Eagle Creek Renewable Energy

Larry Gies

$150 million donor

Gies College of Business namesake

Vinay Hiremath

Founder/head of engineering

Loom, San Francisco

Ritu Raman

Forbes’ 30 under 30

MIT postdoctoral fellow

Tiana Tozer

2-time Paralympian

Consultant, speaker

Celene Peurye

Executive director

Hunter Family Foundation

Paul Koch

Chicago-based consultant

Distinguished Alumni Award

Jim Solari

Led G&W Electric Co.

Distinguished Alumni Award

Robert Falls

Tony-winning director

Goodman Theatre, Chicago

Tom Cycyota

President/CEO

AlloSource

Dave Edyburn

Associate dean/research

Univ. of Central Florida

Jerry Marcyk

Director/components research

Intel (retired)

Nancy Brookhart Cherin

2 volleyball Final Fours

’87 Big Ten Co-POY

Steve Beckett

Pillar of the Bar

Distinguished Alumni Award

Cris Graves

Producer/writer

Primetime Emmy winner

Frederick Volkmar

Yale professor

Alumni Achievement Award