Chicago Illini of the Year Award (Est. 1997)

Co-sponsored by the University of Illinois Alumni Association and the Chicago Illini Club, this award recognizes the accomplishments of Chicago-area graduates of the University. Up to three distinguished alumni who live and work in Chicago or a Chicago suburb are honored each year.

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  Richard J. Sieracki, '74 ENG

  Richard J. Sieracki, ’74 ENG, is co-founder and Co-CEO of the Kenrich Group, a nationally -based construction and business litigation firm with its largest office in Chicago. Kenrich has been named by Brill Street recruiters as one of the “Top 50 Employers for Generation Y Emerging Talent in Chicago.” During his four decades in the construction industry, Rich has gained an international reputation for providing testimony in high-profile construction litigation with a specific emphasis in cost overruns and schedule delays. Rich and Kenrich have worked on numerous Chicago Projects such as Soldier Field, the Waldorf Astoria, the Palmolive Building, Malcolm X College, Millennium Park and the University of Illinois’s Memorial Stadium. He is a member of the Board of the U of I Civil and Environmental Alumni Association and with his wife Linda, ’74 LAS, established the Linda J. and Richard J. Sieracki Civil and Environmental Engineering Visionary Scholarship Fund. Rich and Kenrich continue to draw talent from U of I and eagerly hire engineers, finance majors and accountants who hold UI System degrees. In addition, Rich and his family are longtime supporters of U of I athletics.

   

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  Jill Wine-Banks, '64 MEDIA

  Jill Wine-Banks, ’64 MEDIA, began her career as a trial lawyer, becoming the first female attorney in the organized crime section of the U.S. Dept. of Justice. The Chicago native served as a prosecutor in the Watergate trial and was appointed by President Jimmy Carter as the first female general counsel of the U.S. Army. She became a partner in the Chicago firm of Jenner & Block before serving as the first Solicitor General of Illinois and first female executive director of the American Bar Association. She next held international business roles at Motorola and Maytag and as the CEO of Winning Workplaces before becoming the Chief Officer for Chicago Public Schools’ career and technical education program where she helped to create DeVry University Advantage Academy, an early-college high school. Wine-Banks now is a MSNBC Legal Analyst, speaker and soon-to-be author. She is a member of The Chicago Network and a board member of the Better Government Association and Governor’s State University.

   

• 2010s
• 2000s
• 1990s