Alumni Association honors 2007 award recipients
The NIU Alumni Association annually recognizes the diverse accomplishments and contributions of the university’s most notable graduates.
Recipients are selected based on outstanding professional and personal success, as well as involvement in civic, cultural or charitable activities. The Alumni Association honored 10 recipients this spring at its 2007 awards program at the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center at a private reception and dinner.
Distinguished Alumni Award
The most prestigious award presented by the NIU Alumni Association, the Distinguished Alumni Award is presented to an alumnus who has achieved outstanding success.
Jeffrey M. Yordon
B.S. Political Science, ’70 
Jeffrey M. Yordon has achieved great success in his career since graduating from Northern Illinois University. He is currently the president, CEO, founder and chairman of the board of Sagent Pharmaceuticals, a start-up injectable pharmaceutical company with a unique business model.
He is recognized internationally for his knowledge and leadership in the pharmaceutical industry and has been involved in negotiations with leaders in China and India to launch this organization which may likely be the first privately owned firm in China.
Before leading Sagent Pharmaceuticals, Yordon was the chief operating officer with American Pharmaceuticals. Through this venture, he was awarded numerous industry awards for innovative results and marketing as well as business development skill.
Yordon shares his expertise with students in the College of Business, returning to campus annually as a guest speaker in marketing strategy classes and as a mentor to students. He also serves on the NIU Foundation Board and the NIU Executive Club Board, and has been a panelist at NIU Executive Club meetings.
In addition, the generous monetary gift given recently by Jeffrey and Kimberly Yordon will provide NIU with a new building: the Yordon Academic and Athletic Performance Center. This facility will make a major difference for NIU students and alumni alike and will stand as a testament to the Yordons’ commitment to Northern Illinois University.
F.R. Geigle Service Award
The F. R. Geigle Service Award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding service and commitment to the best interests of Northern Illinois University.
Donald E. Kieso
NIU Professor Emeritus, College of Business 
Donald E. Kieso has a long record of service and commitment to Northern Illinois University.
Through his leadership and dedication, NIU’s accountancy program has been ranked in the top 15 nationally for the past several years. He played a large role in building this premier program in the Department of Accountancy that produces outstanding students, alumni, employees, and business leaders.
Kieso joined the accountancy department in 1963 and was named chair in 1972. He was awarded NIU’s first-ever Excellence in Teaching Award in 1967. He retired from NIU in 1992 as the KPMG Peat Marwick Professor of Accountancy. In 2006, he established the first individually funded professorship in the College of Business, the Kieso Professorship in Accountancy.
A prolific writer and best-selling textbook author, Kieso and his co-authors have written about 20 major textbook titles as well as casebooks, practice sets, study guides and monographs. These books have been translated into a dozen or more languages. “Intermediate Accounting,” the most successful textbook of its kind, is now in its 11th edition.
Kieso was instrumental in getting legislation approved to require continuing education for accountants in Illinois. He has served on Aurora University’s Board of Trustees, as well as the boards of two hospitals.
Outstanding Young Alumni Award
The Outstanding Young Alumni Award is presented to an individual who has exhibited outstanding accomplishments within 10 years of earning an undergraduate degree from NIU.
Vinay Mullick
B.S. Industrial Engineering, ’00 
A graduate of NIU’s industrial engineering program, Vinay Mullick is an energetic and enthusiastic supporter of the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology and well-versed on the societal role of engineers.
Leaving a high-paying career as an engineer with Intel, Mullick chose to start a teaching career with inner-city children in Chicago, preparing them for technical careers. He was accepted into the prestigious two-year teacher certification program at Teach For America.
He is involved in establishing pre-engineering curriculum at schools and has established a link between the Chicago Public Schools and NIU’s College of Engineering and Engineering Technology to ensure a pipeline of a diverse student body.
Mullick has served on the Engineering and Technology Alumni Society (ETAS) Board of Directors since 2002. During his tenure, he has spearheaded the overhaul of the ETAS Web site.
Last year, Mullick earned a master of arts in education degree while teaching full time in Chicago and also acting as managing director of Monroestar, Inc., a business development firm that he founded. Monroestar specializes in marketing and branding clients’ images and communication capacity with innovative graphic design methods, website development and interactive multi-media concepts.
Outstanding College Alumni Awards
Outstanding College Alumni Awards are presented to graduates of each of NIU’s seven colleges who exemplify the diverse disciplines of a comprehensive university.
College of Business
Stuart L. Gaines
M.B.A. Business Administration, ’87 
A leader in the field of dementia care, Stuart Gaines is recognized for his expertise in all facets of dementia programming and staff development and is an expert at developing profitable comprehensive, state-of-the-art dementia programs for long-term care providers.
In 1989, Gaines co-founded ElderHaus Concepts, Ltd., and led the business to national prominence, serving in a variety of key positions ranging from chief financial officer to chief operating officer. At the time of its sale in 1997, ElderHaus had grown to 29 dementia-specific facilities and was one of the largest providers of dementia services in the nation.
Gaines has many years of experience as administrator of a successful Wisconsin group of assisted-living facilities providing dementia care. This experience, particularly with dementia facility licensing, requirements and regulations, enabled Gaines, by way of his involvement with the Alzheimer’s Association, to be instrumental in forwarding this option in the Illinois legislature and in the establishment of applicable licensing regulations.
College of Education
Gary S. Krahenbuhl
B.S.Ed. Physical Education, ’65
M.S.Ed. Physical Education, ’66 
DeKalb native Gary S. Krahenbuhl began his professional career at what was then DeKalb’s North Junior High School where he taught physical education and coached.
He spent his career in higher education, first at Arizona State University where he earned the rank of full professor in 1979, serving first as dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, then as senior vice president charged with coordination of the activities of its three campuses, downtown center, and research park.
Krahenbuhl has held leadership roles in nationally recognized professional organizations and is often called upon to share his expertise on topics such as faculty roles and rewards, the impact of technology on higher education, public support for universities, and faculty development. He recently published the book, “Building the Academic Deanship.”
Through his generosity to NIU, Krahenbuhl has provided financial support to Intercollegiate Athletics, alumni scholarships and the colleges of Education and Liberal Arts and Sciences.
College of Engineering and Engineering Technology
Joseph P. Sener, P.E.
B.S. Technology, ’93 
Joseph P. Sener, P.E., served three years in the U.S. Army before becoming a design and project engineer in nuclear power plant design. He later moved into the fluid power industry as director of engineering and quality for two different companies.
Having obtained his Professional Engineer license in 1985, Sener attended night classes to complete his degree at NIU in 1993.
He has served as a member of the Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and was a founding member and lead senior examiner for the State of Illinois’ Lincoln Award for Performance Excellence. He joined the Panel of Judges for the U.S. Department of the Army Communities of Excellence Awards in 2004 and continues to serve in this position.
He recently was elected to the Board of Directors of NIU’s Engineering and Technology Alumni Society, currently serving as vice president.
Sener has a longtime involvement with the Boy Scouts of America and has interests in flying and karate, in which he holds a fifth degree black belt.
College of Health and Human Sciences
Linda J. Deering
B.S. Nursing, ’87
M.S. Nursing, ’92 
Linda J. Deering has used her education to make an impact on the world of health care.
As executive vice president, chief operating officer and chief nursing officer at Sherman Health System in Elgin, she is responsible for more than 2,300 employees and leads the hospital and nursing operations, which include the planning and tactics for a new $310 million replacement hospital.
Previously, Deering was the vice president for patient services and chief nursing officer at Delnor Community Hospital in Geneva. Under her leadership, that hospital was awarded Magnet status by the American Nurses Credentialing Center in 2004.
An outgrowth of Deering’s goal of attaining Magnet status was Delnor’s leadership in developing an annual nursing research conference. NIU’s School of Nursing is the academic partner in this community nursing research endeavor.
Deering also has held leadership positions at Provena St. Joseph’s Hospital in Elgin and is a coach for Studergroup, a national consulting firm. An active member in key nursing leadership organizations, she is the author of several professional publications. She serves her community through her involvement with her church and the Girl Scouts of America.
College of Law
Jeffrey M. Lenkov
J.D. Law, ’91 
Jeffrey M. Lenkov has gained extensive experience in civil litigation specializing in defending employment lawsuits, labor matters and tort claims.
He handles complex cases in both state and federal courts for prominent national and international clients and has represented professional sports franchises and athletes on litigated and transactional matters. He also has served as lead trial counsel in several class action lawsuits and has litigated copyright, trademark and contract cases.
Lenkov also has negotiated and drafted numerous contracts for entertainment clients. Additionally, he has negotiated directly with guilds and unions on clients’ behalf and regularly serves as supervising counsel to outside counsel.
He is an adjunct professor at a prominent Los Angeles law school and frequently appears as a legal analyst for television. He has served as a judge pro tem in the Los Angeles Superior Court and is a volunteer arbitrator in that court’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Program. He is a recipient of the Wiley M. Manuel Award for pro bono legal services.
In 2005, Lenkov founded the program “Littles in Law” with Big Brothers and Big Sisters, whose goal is to inspire at-risk youth.
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Robert Katz
B.A. Communication Studies, ’87 
Robert Katz is both an advocate and a friend of NIU who has made his mark in Hollywood.
Last summer, he was instrumental in providing internships to six NIU students on the film project “Slipstream,” written and directed by Sir Anthony Hopkins. The students were given an amazing educational and professional experience, and NIU’s media production program was put on the national stage.
As the executive in charge of production on the film “Crash,” Katz’s career hit a high note when the movie was the Academy Award winner for best film in 2006. He has worked in that same capacity on about 20 high-profile Hollywood films including “Seabiscuit,” “One Hour Photo,” “The Illusionist,” “Prime” and “The Painted Veil.”
Katz has been a frequent visitor to NIU, speaking to video production classes in the Department of Communication and serving as a judge for the Reality Bytes student documentary festival. He cites classes he took with Jeffrey Chown for inspiring his own love of film, as well as a visit to campus from film director and NIU alumnus Robert Zemeckis.
Katz also fondly remembers working with Judy Santacaterina in the NIU Forensics Program.
College of Visual and Performing Arts
Bruce Alexander Niemi
B.F.A. Studio Art-Sculpture, ’81 
Bruce Alexander Niemi is a self-employed sculptor who applies the lessons he learned from his father and as a student at Northern Illinois University as he creates his masterpieces.
A second-generation sculptor, Niemi started his education under the tutelage of his father, Frank J. Niemi. From the late 1960s to the early 1970s, Frank Niemi instructed Bruce in the art form.
Niemi has created hundreds of works displayed across the country in collections as diverse as those at the Milwaukee Art Museum, Carlisle Companies, Inc. and NIU. His works have been featured in publications and at his Kenosha, Wis., gallery, Niemi Sculpture Gallery and Garden, which represents more than 30 diverse artists.
As a full-time sculptor, Niemi has brought the spiritual into his work and endeavors to infuse each piece with a part of his soul. He has said that art should always be purchased with the intention of moving the soul, not the ego.
Niemi recently won a commission for the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center and generously gifted his time and talent to create his work, “Living the Dream,” which stands prominently outside the center.
5-21-07
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