University of Illinois | 150 Years & Beyond

Steve Vavrik

CEO

Actuate Energy LLC

Dustin Dumas

Fulbright specialist

U.S. State Department

Kelley Francis

Executive director

HITEC Foundation

Margaret Ng

UI associate professor of journalism

Institute of Communications Research and College of Media

Ronaldo Maghirang

Professor and head

UI Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Pinshane Huang

UI professor of materials science and engineering

Ivan Racheff Faculty Scholar

Michelle (Zasi) Amazeen

Assistant professor of mass communication

Boston University

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An education that proves your purpose

Paul Ellinger

VP, CFO and comptroller, UI System

2025 ACES Alumni Award of Merit

Hope Michelson

Professor, Department of Agricultural & Consumer Economics

Urbana native

Mildred Barnes Griggs

UI College of Education's first Black dean

Died in 2025

Hope Wheeler

2021 Athena Award recipient

Principal, CliftonLarsonAllen of Champaign 

Itch Jones

Career record of 1,240-718-6 as baseball coach at Illinois and Southern Illinois

Died in 2025

Hugh Hefner

Founder and editor-in-chief, Playboy magazine

Died in 2017

George Lundeen

Sculptor of statues on campus depicting Red Grange and Dick Butkus

2024 Alumni Achievement Award recipient

Danielle Wilberg

Associate VP for development and executive director

Parkland College Foundation

Kevin Modglin

President

Mid Illinois Concrete & Excavation, Inc.

Theresa Grentz

Led Illini women's basketball to 5 NCAA tournament berths

Inducted into Naismith, Illini and Women's Basketball halls of Fame

Adham Sahloul

2025 Young Alumni Award winner

Co-founder, North Star Policy Initiative

Jeff Angiel

Executive director

UI Facilities & Services

Katie Hultin

Illini women's soccer coach

Succeeded Janet Rayfield in December 2024

Sharone Mitchell Jr.

Public defender

Cook County

Shozo Sato

Founding director

Japan House

Becki Salzman

Director

Illini Union

Robert Jones

UI's 10th chancellor

(2016-2025)

Brooke Elliott

Dean, Gies College of Business

Josef and Margot Lakonishok Professor in Business