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.

2025 Recipients

  • Maj. Gen. James H. Mukoyama Jr, ’65 LAS, MA’66 LAS

    Maj. Gen. James H. Mukoyama Jr. retired from the U.S. Army in 1995, after more than 30 years of total active and reserve service, including combat tours where he served in the demilitarized zone in the Republic of Korea and commanded the 9th Infantry Company Division in Vietnam.

    Mukoyama holds the distinctions of being the youngest general officer in the Army in 1987 and subsequently the youngest major general three years later. In 1989, he became the first Asian-American in U.S. history to command an Army division. Among his decorations and badges are the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, three Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart.

    Since his retirement, Mukoyama has volunteered and participated in numerous governmental and non-profit charitable organizations. He recently published his first book, Faith, Family & Flag: Memoirs of an Unlikely American Samurai Crusader (Jocko Publishing, 2023).—DAVID A. SCOTT

  • Paul Lisnek, ’80 LAS, MA’80 LAS, JD ’83, PHD ’86 LAS

    Paul Lisnek is a multi-Emmy, Cablefax, Telly, Communicator, and Beacon Award winning television host and analyst who has served as a political and legal analyst for Chicago’s WGN-TV since 2008. He is the host of “WGN-TV Political Report” seen every Sunday morning at 9 a.m., on which he interviews the leading political figures in the city, state and country. On wgnradio.com, he hosts the popular podcast “Paul Lisnek Behind the Curtain,” addressing theater and the arts along with politics and law.

    During his 35-year career in broadcast journalism, Lisnek also worked for Comcast Network, CNN and NBC. He has interviewed presidents, governors, senators, congressmen, local representatives and mayors too numerous to count.

    While practicing law in the 1980s and ’90s, Lisnek served as assistant dean at Loyola Law School Chicago, and taught at DePaul, Pepperdine and the U. of I. Lisnek is the author of 15 books, including Assume Guilt (Written Dreams Publishing, 2018) and Assume Treason (Written Dreams Publishing, 2021).

Past Recipients

  • 2019

    • Richard J. Sieracki, '74 ENG

    • Jill Wine-Banks, '64 MEDIA

  • 2018

    • Thomas DiSanto, '87 ACES

    • Dr. Elizabeth Pieroth, '88 LAS

    • Steven Thayer, '88 LAS

  • 2017

    • Rebecca A. Snyders Darr, ’90 LAS

    • Mary Kay Kretch Haben, ’77 BUS

    • Judge James F. Holderman Jr., ’68 ACES, JD ’71

  • 2016

    • William T. Barry, ’77 BUS

    • Phillip C. Goldstick, ’53 BUS

    • Craig W. Vodnik, ’92 ENG

  • 2015

    • Dr. Pedro J. Cevallos-Candau, MS ’77 ENG, PHD ’80 ENG

      Co-Founder, CEO and President of Primera Engineers Ltd.
    • Jeanne K. Gang, ’86 FAA

      Founder and Principal of Studio Gang Architects
    • Howard T. Griffith, ’91 LAS

      Former NFL Player, Lead in-studio analyst for the Big Ten Network and a co-host for ESPN-Radio Chicago
  • 2014

    • Carrie J. Hightman, ’79 LAS

      Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, NiSource Inc.
    • Stephen D. Bardo, ’90 LAS

      College Basketball Analyst, ESPN, Big Ten Network and Fox Sports 1
  • 2013

    • Jesse H. Ruiz, ’88 LAS

      Partner, Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
    • Celene Peurye-Hissong, ’74 LAS, MSW ’76

      Principal Focused Philanthropy
    • Ryan Baker, ’91 MEDIA

      Sports Anchor/Director, WBBM-TV/CBS 2 Chicago
  • 2012

    • Carol Hillsman Sagers, ’79 MEDIA

      Founder and Consultant, CHS Marketing Consultants
    • Samuel Mendenhall, ’88 CBA (UIC), JD ’91 LAW

      Equity Partner Winston & Strawn
    • The Hon. Timothy C. Evans, ’65 LAS

      Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County
  • 2011

    • Howard M. Katz, ’82 ACES

      Senior Executive Vice President Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises
    • Mary Frances Fagan, ’76 MEDIA, MA ’83 LAS

      Director, Corporate Communications, American Airlines
    • G. Thomas Castino, ’60 ENG

      Retired President and CEO Underwriters Laboratories
  • 2010

    • Richard C. Romano, ’54 LAS

      Founder & Chairman, Romano Brothers & Co.
    • Robert D. Kleinschmidt, ’63 FAA

      President, Powell/Kleinschmidt Inc.
    • Ronald W. Bess, ’69 BUS, ’72 MEDIA

      President and CEO, Euro RSCG Chicago
  • 2009

    • Avy H. Stein, '77 BUS

      Managing partner, Willis Stein & Partners LLC
    • Cirilo A. McSween, '54 LAS

      Owner, Cirilo McSween Insurance Agency, Founder and President, Black McDonald's Operators Association
    • Gail Veasman Kellogg, '65 LAS

      Retired Principal, partner and Consultant, Hewitt Associates
  • 2008

    • Paul Schrage, MS ’59 MEDIA

      Retired Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, McDonald’s Corp.
    • Sheldon B. Rubin, ’64 LAS, ’66 VM, DVM ‘68

      Former Owner and Director Emeritus, Blum Animal Hospital, Author
    • Caroline Becker Joss, ’84 ACES

      Co-founder and designer, Caroline Rose Inc.
  • 2007

    • Roger Plummer, ’64 ENG

      President & CEO, Plummer & Associates Consulting
    • Robert Falls, ’76 FAA

      Artistic Director, Goodman Theatre
    • Richard Cline, ’57 LAS

      Chairman & Director, Hawthorne Investors, Inc., Managing Partner, Hawthorne Investments, LLC
  • 2006

    • Pamela Bristow Strobel, ’74 MEDIA, JD ’77 LAW

      Retired Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, Exelon Corporation
    • John David Mooney, MFA ’65 FAA

      Founder and Artistic Director, John David Mooney Foundation
    • Howard Engle, ’72 BUS

      Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP
  • 2005

    • Thomas Miner, JD ’53 LAW

      President of Thomas H. Miner & Associates, Inc., Chair and Founder of Mid-America, Committee for International Business and Government Cooperation
    • Jack Klues, ’77 MEDIA

      Chairman and CEO, Starcom MediaVest Group
    • Carol Ross Barney, ’71 FAA

      Founder and President, Ross Barney & Jankowski
  • 2004

    • Cary D. McMillan, ’80 BUS

      Chief Executive Officer, Sara Lee Branded Apparel
    • W. Gene Corley, ’58 ENG, MS ’60, PHD ’61 ENG

      Senior Vice President for Engineering, Construction Technology Labs, Inc., Head of Federal Investigation into Collapse of World Trade Center Buildings
    • Corinne J. Wood, ’76 LAS

      Former Lieutenant Governor of Illinois
  • 2003

    • Robert P. Crawford, ‘59 MEDIA

      Retired “Dean” of Chicago Broadcast Journalists, more than 40 years with CBS and WBBM
    • Dr. Emiel Hamberlin, ‘77 EDM, ‘83 EDD

      Biology and Horticulture Teacher at DuSable High School Inductee, National Teachers’ Hall of Fame; Golden Apple Award
    • Doris Christopher, ‘67 ACES

      Chair and Founder, The Pampered Chef
  • 2002

    • Ralph Johnson, ‘71 FAA

      Director of Design, Perkins & Will
    • Eli Cohen, ‘55 ENG

      Principal Engineer, Thornton Tomasetti Engineers
    • Cheryl Berman, ‘74 MEDIA

      Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett USA
  • 2001

    • Thomas Tunney, ‘77 ACES

      President, Ann Sathers Restaurants
    • Mark Tebbe, ‘83 ENG

      Chair and Founder, Lante Corporation
    • Mary Dempsey, MS ‘76 GSLIS

      Commissioner, Chicago Public Library
  • 2000

    • Arnold Weber, ’50 LAS, AM ’51 LIR, HON ‘97

      President Emeritus, Northwestern University
    • Lynn Martin, '60 LAS

      Chair, Deloitte Touche's Council on the Advancement of Women, former U.S. Secretary of Labor
    • Avis LaVelle, '75 MEDIA

      V.P. for Government & Public Affairs, University of Chicago Hospitals, former Press Secretary for Mayor Richard M. Daley
  • 1999

    • Sam Skinner, '60 BUS

      Capital Partner & Co-chairman, Hopkins & Sutter Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation and U.S. Chief of Staff
    • Johnny "Red" Kerr, '54 ALS

      President, Kerr Financial Services Announcer for Chicago Bulls Basketball Team
    • Nicole Hollander, '60 FAA

      Sculpter, writer, creator of comic strip “Sylvia”
  • 1998

    • Sheldon Good, '55 BUS

      Chairman Emeritus, Sheldon Good & Company
    • Tonise Paul, '79 MEDIA, MS '80 MEDIA

      President and CEO, BBDO Chicago
    • Lester McKeever Jr., '55 BUS

      Managing Principal, Washington, Pittman & McKeever
  • 1997

    • Joel Weisman, '63 BUS

      News Analyst and Private Attorney, Siegman & Weisman, Ltd
    • Carol Marin, '70 LAS

      News anchor, CBS News
    • Roger Ebert, '64 MEDIA

      Film Critic, Author