List of Northern Illinois University people
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The list of Northern Illinois University people includes notable alumni, non-graduates, faculty and staff, chief executives, and affiliates of the Northern Illinois University.
Presidents of Northern Illinois University
The following persons have led Northern Illinois University as president since 1899:[1]
| No. | Image | President | Term start | Term end | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
John Williston Cook | 1899 | 1919 | [2] |
| 2 | J. Stanley Brown | 1919 | 1927 | [3] | |
| 3 | Joseph Clifton Brown | 1927 | 1929 | [4] | |
| 4 | Karl Langdon Adams | 1929 | September 5, 1948[a] | [5] | |
| 5 | Leslie A. Holmes | 1949 | 1967 | [6] | |
| 6 | Rhoten A. Smith | 1967 | 1971 | [7] | |
| 7 | Richard J. Nelson | August 1, 1971 | January 27, 1978 | [8][9] | |
| 8 | William R. Monat | 1978 | 1984 | [10] | |
| 9 | Clyde Wingfield | July 1, 1985 | May 22, 1986 | [11][12][13] | |
| 10 | John E. La Tourette | May 22, 1986 | May 31, 2000 | [14][15] | |
| 11 | John G. Peters | June 1, 2000 | June 30, 2013 | [16][17][18] | |
| 12 | Douglas D. Baker | July 1, 2013 | June 30, 2017 | [19][20][21] | |
| interim | Lisa C. Freeman | July 1, 2017 | September 20, 2018 | [22] | |
| 13 | September 20, 2018 | present | [23][24][25] | ||
Table notes:
- died in office
Notable alumni
Academe
- Ross Alexander (Ph.D. 2002), 5th president of Texas A&M University-Texarkana
- Jerry M. Anderson (M.S. 1959), 9th president of Ball State University[26]
- Gregg Andrews (Ph.D. 1988), labor historian and Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Texas State University[27]
- Judith Curry (B.S. 1974, Ph.D. 1982), climatologist[28]
- Jose Manuel "Chel" Diokno (J.D. 1986), founding dean of the De La Salle University College of Law in Malate, Manila, Philippines[29]
- John Dunn (B.A. 1967, M.A. 1969), president of Western Michigan University[30]
- Kevin Folta, professor and chairman of the horticultural science department at the University of Florida[31]
- Michael Honey, Guggenheim Fellow and Haley Professor of Humanities at the University of Washington Tacoma[32][33]
- Louise Huffman (M.S. 1979), teacher and educator on US Antarctic programs[34]
- Thomas Lindsay (B.A. 1977, M.A. 1983), president of Shimer College[35]
- Timothy P. Marshall (B.S. 1978), meteorologist and civil engineer, damage analysis expert
- Robert J. Mislevy (B.S 1972, M.S. 1974), academic and psychometrician[36]
- Professor Thomas J. Near (B.A., B.S., 1993; M.S. 1995), evolutionary biologist, professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 18th head of Saybrook College at Yale University[37]
- Vice Admiral Ann Rondeau USN, Retired (Ed.D.), past president of College of DuPage, past President of National Defense University[38]
- Gregg Schlanger (MFA 1989), professor of Art and chair of the Department of Art at Central Washington University[39]
- Dr. Christopher J. Schneider (M.A. 2004), professor at Wilfrid Laurier University[40]
- Paul Sereno, paleontologist, University of Chicago, B.S., Biology, 1979[41]
- Bharath Sriraman, academic editor, professor of mathematics at The University of Montana (M.S. 1999, Ph.D. 2002)[42]
Arts and entertainment
- Joan Allen, 1980, actress, Academy Award nominee and Tony Award winner, The Contender, The Bourne Supremacy, Nixon, Face/Off, The Upside of Anger[43]
- Dan Castellaneta, 1979, Emmy Award-winning actor, voice of "Homer Simpson" and others on The Simpsons[44]
- Mike Disa, film director, screenwriter, animator (Pocahontas, Hercules, Tarzan and Atlantis: The Lost Empire)[45]
- Charlotte Kate Fox, actress and first non-Japanese heroine of an NHK Asadora: the series Massan broadcast on Japanese television; earned her Master of Fine Arts at NIU[46]
- Brian Godawa, screenwriter and author[47]
- Steve Harris, 1989, actor, Emmy Award nominee, The Practice[48]
- Wood Harris, actor, Remember the Titans and The Wire[49]
- E. E. Knight, 1987, author of Vampire Earth series, Age of Fire series[50]
- Sebastian Maniscalco, stand-up comedian (The Late Late Show, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee)[51][52]
- Justin Mentell, 2005, actor, Boston Legal[53]
- Joe Minoso, actor, Boss and Chicago Fire[54]
- Nicole Mitchell, musician and composer
- Cindy Morgan, actress, Lacy Underall in Caddyshack, Lora and Yori in TRON[55]
- Matthew Prozialeck, blues musician, harmonica player
- Brian Simpson, smooth jazz pianist and composer[56]
- Jason Matthew Smith, actor who portrays Ensign Hendorff in Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond[57]
- Carrie Snodgress, Oscar-nominated actress (Diary of a Mad Housewife, Pale Rider, The Forsaken, Phantom 2040)[58]
- Peter Sotos, writer, musician, and child pornography publisher, best known as a member of the band Whitehouse
- Kurt Sutter, actor, writer, producer, Sons of Anarchy and The Shield[59]
- Doug Walker, YouTube personality known for web show Nostalgia Critic[60]
- Matt Walsh, comedian and actor (Old School, Role Models, The Hangover); portrays Mike McLintock on Veep[61]
- Patricia Wood, author of Lottery; attended NIU[62]
- Barbara Alyn Woods, actress, One Tree Hill[63]
- Robert Zemeckis, director, Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Forrest Gump; attended NIU before enrolling in film study at University of Southern California[64]
Media
- Terry Boers, 1972, co-host of Boers and Bernstein, 670AM WSCR Chicago; former Chicago Sun-Times sports columnist[65]
- Nicole Briscoe, anchor for ESPN's SportsCenter[66][67]
- T.J. Simers, former Los Angeles Times sportswriter[68]
- Dalton Tanonaka, journalist and television executive, earned B.Sc. in journalism at NIU in 1977[69]
Business
- Jeff Aronin, founder of Ovation Pharmaceuticals[70]
- Allan Cox, author and business leader
- Ralph de la Vega, CEO of AT&T Mobility
- Julie Herlihy head of janitorial services at Western Alliance Bank.
- John Sall, co-founder of the SAS Institute and member of the Forbes 400[71]
Athletics
American football
- Chad Beebe, wide receiver for Minnesota Vikings
- Ken Bishop, defensive tackle for Dallas Cowboys
- Christian Blake, wide receiver for Atlanta Falcons
- George Bork, quarterback for NIU 1962-63, first NCAA player to pass for more than 3,000 yards, College Football Hall of Fame
- Joel Bouagnon, running back for Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers
- Larry Brink, NFL defensive lineman, two-time Pro Bowler[72]
- Da'Ron Brown, wide receiver for Kansas City Chiefs
- Brad Cieslak, NFL tight end for Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns[73]
- Ryan Diem, NFL offensive tackle for Indianapolis Colts[74]
- Larry English, NFL defensive end/linebacker for San Diego Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers; #16 pick in NFL Draft, highest ever by a NIU player[75]
- P. J. Fleck, head football coach at the University of Minnesota, former NFL wide receiver for San Francisco 49ers[76]
- Doug Free, NFL offensive tackle for Dallas Cowboys[77]
- Kenny Golladay, wide receiver for New York Giants
- Thomas Hammock, head football coach at NIU; former assistant coach for Baltimore Ravens (NFL) and Wisconsin Badgers[78]
- Chandler Harnish, NFL quarterback for Indianapolis Colts, MVP of 2010 Humanitarian Bowl victory[79]
- Duane Hawthorne, NFL cornerback for Dallas Cowboys[80]
- Jack Heflin, defensive end for Green Bay Packers
- Darrell Hill, NFL wide receiver for Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans[81]
- Sam Hurd, NFL wide receiver for Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears[82]
- LeShon Johnson, NFL running back, 1994[83]
- Scott Kellar, nose tackle for Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings
- Jerry Kurz, president of Arena Football League[84]
- Tommylee Lewis, wide receiver for New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions
- Jordan Lynch, quarterback for Chicago Bears, Edmonton Elks of CFL, 2015 Grey Cup champion, 2015; third in 2013 Heisman Trophy voting (highest ever by NIU player)
- Justin McCareins, NFL wide receiver for Tennessee Titans and New York Jets[85]
- Rashaan Melvin, cornerback for Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Oakland Raiders and Detroit Lions[86]
- Jake Nordin, NFL tight end/fullback for Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions[87]
- Patricia Palinkas, first woman to play professional football, placekick holder in Atlantic Coast Football League for Orlando Panthers, attended NIU but did not play football[88]
- Nathan Palmer, NFL wide receiver for Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos[89]
- Todd Peat, NFL guard for St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Raiders[90]
- David Petway, NFL defensive back for Green Bay Packers[91]
- Max Scharping, NFL offensive tackle for Houston Texans
- Chad Spann, NFL running back for Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans[92]
- John Spilis, NFL wide receiver for Green Bay Packers[93]
- Sutton Smith, NFL linebacker for Pittsburgh Steelers
- Hollis Thomas, NFL defensive tackle for Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers[94]
- Michael Turner, NFL running back for Atlanta Falcons[95]
- Tim Tyrrell, NFL running back for Atlanta Falcons, St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers[96]
- Clarence Vaughn, defensive back for Washington Redskins, two-time Super Bowl champion, NIU Hall of Famer[97]
- Jimmie Ward, safety for San Francisco 49ers[98]
- Scott Wedige, NFL center for Arizona Cardinals[99]
- Tom Wittum, NFL punter for San Francisco 49ers[100]
- Garrett Wolfe, NFL running back for Chicago Bears, for Omaha Nighthawks of United Football League and Montreal Alouettes of Canadian Football League[101]
Baseball
- Ned Colletti, former MLB general manager and current analyst for Los Angeles Dodgers[citation needed]
- Davy Jones, MLB player
- Fritz Peterson, MLB pitcher with New York Yankees[102]
- Tom Tennant, MLB player with the St. Louis Browns[103]
- Larry Young, former MLB umpire[104]
Basketball
- Kenny Battle, former NBA player[105]
- Jim Bradley, former ABA player[106]
- Paul Dawkins, former NBA player[107]
- Billy Harris, former ABA player[108]
- Richard Oruche, player for Nigerian national team, 2012 Olympic Games and for NIU until transfer to University of Illinois Springfield[109]
- Xavier Silas, NBA player for Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics[110]
- Donald Whiteside, former NBA player[111]
- Bob Wood, former NBA player[112]
Professional wrestling
- Brad Bradley, wrestler, B.A. History, 2004[citation needed]
- Maria Kanellis, wrestler and valet[113]
- Marty Lurie, professional wrestling manager and announcer, B.A., Political Science, 1995[citation needed]
Other
- Curtis Blaydes (attended), professional mixed martial artist, UFC heavyweight contender[114]
- Aimee Boorman, head coach of U.S. women gymnastics team at 2016 Summer Olympics, attended NIU for a year before leaving to coach[115]
- Farell Duclair, Canadian football player, transferred from Vanier College to play for Northern Illinois Huskies[116]
- Tim Gullikson, professional tennis player[117]
- Tom Gullikson, professional tennis player[117]
- Ken Henry, speed skater and gold medalist at the 1952 Winter Olympics[118]
- Steven Kazmierczak, perpetrator of the shooting at NIU in February 2008[119]
- Terry Martin, professional MMA fighter; B.A., Psychology, 2004[120]
Politics and government
Federal government
- Don Bacon, Republican congressman from Nebraska's 2nd congressional district and retired United States Air Force Brigadier General[121][122]
- Tammy Duckworth, U.S. senator from Illinois; previously served as a congresswoman, representing Illinois's 8th congressional district, 2013–2017; was a Ph.D. candidate at NIU[123]
- Dennis Hastert, Republican U.S. congressman 1987–2008; longest-serving Republican Speaker of the House; M.S., Education, 1967[124]
- Robin Kelly, Democratic congresswoman from Illinois's 2nd congressional district, earned Ph.D. at NIU[125]
- Andrew L. Traver, civilian director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service[126]
- W. Willard Wirtz, United States secretary of labor during Kennedy administration and Johnson administration, took classes at NIU (then Northern Illinois State Teachers College), member of Alpha Phi Omega chapter; graduated from Beloit College[127][128]
State legislators
Colorado
- John Buckner, Democratic member of the Colorado House of Representatives, representing the 40th district from 2012 until his death in 2015[129]
Florida
- Bill Heller, Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 52nd district 2007–2011[130]
Illinois
- Steven Andersson, Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives since 2015[131]
- Ralph C. Capparelli, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 1971–2004[132]
- Cristina Castro, Democratic member of the Illinois since 2017; earned her Bachelor of Science and master of business administration at NIU[133]
- Annazette Collins, Democratic member of the Illinois State Senate, representing the 5th district, 2011–2013; served in the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 10th District, 2001–2011[134]
- Michael Crawford, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives since 2025; earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Education at NIU [135]
- John Curran, Republican member of the Illinois Senate since 2017[136]
- Joe Dunn, Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 2003–2009[137]
- Roger L. Eddy, Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 2003–2012[138]
- Beverly Fawell, Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives (1981–1983) and the Illinois Senate (1983–1999)[139]
- Gene L. Hoffman, Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 1967–1991; earned his master's and doctorate degrees from NIU[132]
- Joyce Holmberg, Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, 1983–1993[132]
- Toi Hutchinson, Democratic member of the Illinois Senate since 2009[140]
- Christine J. Johnson, Republican member of the Illinois Senate, 2011–2013[141]
- Wendell E. Jones, Republican member of the Illinois Senate, 1998–2007[142]
- Jeremiah E. Joyce, Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, 1979–1993; served as a member of the NIU Board of Trustees[132][143]
- Doris Karpiel, Republican member of the Illinois Senate, 1984–2003; served in the Illinois House of Representatives, 1979–1984; earned her B.A. in political science from NIU[144]
- Nancy Kaszak, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 1993–1997[145]
- Stephanie Kifowit, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 84th district since 2013[146]
- Anna Moeller, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives representing the 43rd district since 2014[147]
- Bob Morgan, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives representing the 58th district as of 2019[148][149]
- Ruth Munson, Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 2002–2009[150]
- Vincent Persico, Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 1991–2002; earned his master's of education at NIU in 1986[132]
- Tom Rooney, Republican member of the Illinois Senate appointed in 2016; earned his M.P.A. from NIU in 2011[151]
- Michael V. Rotello, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives 1991–1995; earned his Bachelor of Arts and did public administration graduate work at NIU[132]
- Kathleen A. Ryg, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 2003–2009[152]
- Jack Schaffer, Republican member of the Illinois Senate, 1973–1999[132]
- George Scully, Jr., Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 1997–2009[153]
- Joe Sosnowski, Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives since 2011[154]
- Litesa Wallace, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives since 2014[155]
- Pennie Von Bergen Wessels, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 1993–1995[132]
- Lance Yednock, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 2019–present[156]
Indiana
- Lonnie Randolph, Democratic member of the Indiana Senate representing the 2nd district since 2008[157]
Iowa
- Cindy Golding, Republican member of the Iowa House of Representatives, representing the 83rd district, 2023–present[158]
- David Hartsuch, Republican member of the Iowa Senate, representing the 41st District, 2007–2011[159]
Maryland
- Michael D. Smigiel, Sr., Republican delegate in the Maryland House of Delegates, 2003–2015[160]
Michigan
- John Olumba, Democratic turned Independent member of the Michigan House of Representatives, 2011–2015[161]
Montana
New Hampshire
- Susan M. Ford, Democratic member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, representing Grafton's 3rd district since 2013[163]
- Jay Kahn, Democratic member of the New Hampshire Senate since December 2016
- Peter B. Schmidt, Democratic member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, representing Grafton's 3rd district since 2013[164]
New York
- Patricia Fahy, Democratic member of the New York State Assembly, representing the 109th district since 2013[165]
- James E. Powers, Democratic member of the New York State Assembly, 1965–1966, and the New York State Senate, 1967–1972[166]
Oregon
- Ron Maurer, Republican member of the Oregon House of Representatives, 2007–2011; candidate for Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2010[167]
Virginia
- John Miller, Democratic member of the Virginia Senate from January 2008 until his death in April 2016[168]
Wisconsin
- Tim Cullen, Democratic member of the Wisconsin Senate who served two non-consecutive tenures, 1975–1989 and 2011–2015[169]
- Dave Heaton, Republican member of the Wisconsin House of Representatives since 2015[170]
- Jacob Leicht, Progressive member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, 1925–1927[171]
- James A. Wright, Republican member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1905 until his death in 1911; attended the university when it was Northern Illinois State Normal School[172][173]
Local officeholders
- John Arena, alderman for Chicago's 45th ward since 2011[174]
- Howard Brookins Jr., alderman for Chicago's 21st ward since 2003[175]
- Franco Coladipietro, mayor of Bloomingdale, Illinois; member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 2005–2013[176][177]
- Robert Fioretti, former alderman for the 2nd Ward; candidate for mayor of Chicago in 2015[178]
- Terry Gabinski, member of the Chicago City Council from the 32nd ward, 1969–1998[179]
- James Laski, former city clerk of Chicago, controversial talk radio host, and author of Fall From Grace — From City Hall to Prison Walls; graduated from Northern Illinois University College of Law in 1978[180]
- Bill Morris, mayor of Waukegan, Illinois, 1977–1985[181][182]
- Ricardo Muñoz, Chicago 22nd Ward alderman since 1993[183]
- William E. Peterson, Vernon Township Supervisor, 1977–2017; served in the Illinois General Assembly, 1983–2009[184][185]
Judiciary
- Sharon J. Coleman, jurist, presidential nominee for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois[186]
- James Leon Holmes, federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas since 2004[187]
- Thomas W. Murphy, Cook County Circuit Court judge since 2006; Chicago alderman of the 18th ward, 1991–2006
Activists
- Markos Moulitsas, founder of the Daily Kos blog; B.A., Journalism, Political Science, B.A. Philosophy 1996[188]
- James F. Phillips, teacher and environmentalist who led a campaign against water pollution caused by Armour and Company[189]
- Steven Schafersman, president of Texas Citizens for Science (B.S., 1971, Geology and Biology; M.S., 1973, Geology)[190]
International figures
- Anies Baswedan, former Minister of Education and Culture of Indonesia and former Governor of Jakarta Indonesia; earned his Ph.D. in political science from NIU[191]
- Chel Diokno (J.D), former dean of the De La Salle University College of Law, former Philippines senatorial candidate in 2019, 2022 elections
- Andi Mallarangeng, former Minister of Youth and Sports of Indonesia
- Audley Shaw, Minister of Finance and the Public Service of Jamaica and Member of Parliament for Manchester North Eastern[192]
- Panitan Wattanayagorn, former deputy secretary-general to the prime minister of Thailand, and acting spokesman of the Royal Thai Government
- Wu Jun, vice mayor of Guiyang, the provincial capital of Guizhou, April 2013 to September 2014; studied at NIU[193]
Notable faculty and staff
Academics
- Michael Bakalis, served as assistant professor of History and assistant dean prior to his election as Illinois superintendent of Public Instruction[194]
- Josephine Thorndike Berry (1871-1945), professor of Domestic Science, Northern Illinois State Normal School[195]
- John W. Darrah, judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois; served as an adjunct at the Northern Illinois University College of Law[196]
- P. Allan Dionisopoulos, professor of political science; political scientist and legal scholar quoted in multiple Supreme Court of the United States decisions[197]
- Mark Emmert, president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association; professor of political science at NIU, 1983–1985[198]
- Mike Fortner, Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 49th district, 2007–2019; currently teaches physics at NIU[199]
- Fareed Haque, professor of Jazz and Classical Guitar Studies
- Han Kuo-Huang, former professor of music[200]
- Romualdas Kasuba (Ph.D. 1962), engineer, academician, co-founder of the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology[201]
- Michael J. Kolb, associate professor of anthropology[202]
- Vernon Lattin (born 1938), president of Brooklyn College
- Lynne M. Thomas, three-time Hugo Award-winning editor; head of rare books and special collections[203]
- George L. Trager, linguist
- Thomas C. Wiegele, professor of political science; founder of Association for Politics and the Life Sciences[204]
Athletics
- Rod Carey, head coach for football (2012–2019)[205]
- Lee Corso, head coach for football (1984)
- Dave Doeren, former head coach for football (2010–2012)[206]
- Lindsey Durlacher, wrestling coach[207]
- Marci Jobson, former head coach for women's soccer[208]
- Jerry Kill, former head coach for football (2008–2010)[209]
- Mark Montgomery, head coach for men's basketball (2011–2021)[210]
- Joe Novak, former head coach for football (1996–2007)[211]
- Ricardo Patton, former head coach for men's basketball (2007–2011)[212]