University of Illinois | 150 Years & Beyond

Bayo Ojikutu

Award-winning author

‘47th Street Black,’ ‘Free Burning’

Tom Dowling

UI’s 10th Rhodes scholar

Lightfoot for Chicago advisor

Jerry Elliott

Portland law firm president

Elliott, Ostrander & Preston

Sarah Vargo

Artist, life coach, author

‘Life Is Your Party ... With A Little Pixie Dust’

Bryan Freres

Assistant U.S. attorney

Degrees in history, law

Alice B. McGinty

Children’s book author

Urbana Adult Ed instructor

Ed Perkins

Canada research chair in probability

University of British Columbia

Sarah Catt

Director of choral activities/assistant professor

Elmhurst College

Kim Vandenbroucke

Game inventor/developer

Brainy Chick Inc.

Karen Thole

Engineering professor, department head

Penn State

James Holzhauer

Professional sports gambler

Won $2,464,216 on 'Jeopardy!'

Bob Gibson

Associate judge

DuPage County

Warren Stippich

Partner

Grant Thornton LLP

Jeffrey Lieber

TV/film screenwriter/producer

‘Lost’ co-creator

Cheryl W. Thompson

NPR investigative reporter

Shared 2002 Pulitzer at Washington Post

Heather (Foley) Hiltzik

Digital content & PR manager

David Leadbetter Golf

Ed Krol

Internet Hall of Famer

‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Internet’ author

Ed Sherman

Longtime Chicago sportswriter

President, ShermanReport.com

Bhibha Das

Assistant professor, East Carolina

3-time Jeopardy! contestant

Chris Jenkins

Director of communications

Metropolitan Milwaukee Assn. of Commerce

Tracey Meares

Walton Hale Hamilton Professor

Yale Law School

Kristy Green

Business director

ASTRO Studios

Alex Burge

Agent

Excel Sports Management

Mike Lorber

Helicopter reporter

NBC 5 Chicago