Alumni

2009 Alumni Achievement Awards

Five Western Illinois University alumni have been selected to receive the WIU Alumni Achievement Award at the Saturday, Dec. 19 Commencement Exercises, while another Western alumnus has been named the recipient of the inaugural International Alumni Achievement Award.

The 2009 Alumni Achievement recipients are Martin Green of Springfield, vice president of government relations, Illinois CPA Society; Daniel D. Voorhis of Macomb, director of Western's Illinois Small Business Development Center; Tom Carper of Macomb, regional manager, west-central region, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity; Herb Strong of Macomb, president and CEO of MidAmerica National Bank; and Roseanne (Forrester) Bye of Orange (CA), retired vice president of TG Marketing and Advertising, Anaheim, CA.

The International Alumni Achievement recipient is Hyuk-Jong Kim, president of Gwangju University in Korea. Kim, who could not attend the December ceremony, was recognized at the May 2010 Commencement Exercises. The International Alumni Achievement Award is presented to an international alumnus/na in recognition of outstanding contributions to any of the following: exceptional accomplishment in one's chosen field of endeavor; exceptional service in community affairs at the local, state or national levels; and exceptional service in support of the advancement and continued excellence of WIU.

Western's Alumni Achievement Award is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to any of the following: exceptional accomplishment in one's chosen field of endeavor; exceptional service in community affairs at the local, state or national levels; and exceptional service in support of the advancement and continued excellence of WIU.

Martin GreenMartin Green

Green, a 1987 political science graduate, has served as the vice president of government relations for the Illinois CPA Society since 2008. Prior to joining the Illinois CPA Society, he served in several positions in the executive branch of state government including most recently as executive assistant attorney general for Illinois Attorneys General Lisa Madigan and Jim Ryan, and as director of the Illinois Governor's Office of Citizens Assistance and assistant to the Governor for public affairs for Governor Jim Edgar. A lieutenant colonel in the Illinois Air National Guard, Green also serves as a staff judge advocate at the Joint Forces Headquarters. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) and the Lincoln Douglas Inn of Court; and is an Eagle Scout, Boy Scouts of America. Green is a past president of the WIU Alumni Council and served as a council member for 12 years. As a student at Western, he was elected president of the Student Government Association. He received his Juris Doctor from Saint Louis University School of Law.

Daniel D. VoorhisDaniel D. Voorhis

Voorhis, a 1967 management graduate, has served as director of the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Western since 1992. Prior to his role as director of the ISBDC, he was the director of the Technology Commercialization Center at Western for six years. Voorhis established an International Harvester Company franchise in Macomb in 1972, forming the Lamoine Equipment Company, which opened its second store in Rushville in 1983. Voorhis had also worked as a sales territory manager for International Harvester Company for several years. Voorhis, an Army veteran, served as director of the Illinois Farm Equipment Retail Association and as the adviser to Western's Ag Mech Club. He has been a member of numerous community organizations including the Macomb Business Booster Breakfast Club, the Macomb Elks Club, the Macomb Rotary Club and the WIU Leathernecks Club. While at Western, Voorhis was one of the co-founders of the original Vet's Club (The Peach Blossoms).

Tom CarperTom Carper

Carper, a 1982 Board of Trustees graduate, was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as a director of the Amtrak Board of Directors in March 2008 and was elected chair of the board in January 2009. He was named to his current position as region manager for economic development for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity in December 2003. Carper served as the mayor of Macomb from April 1991 to April 2003. He has also owned several nightclub establishments in Macomb from 1971 to 1991. Carper served in Vietnam as a member of the U.S. Army from 1967 to 70, returning to Macomb in 1970. He has served as a member of the Illinois Municipal League Board of Directors from 1993 to 2003 and chaired the Non Home Rule Committee from 1994 to 2003. He also served on the Amtrak Mayors' Advisory Council, the Illinois Humanities Council and the Illinois Arts Alliance Board of Directors. In the community, Carper has served as Heritage Days chair, was named Special Olympics Volunteer of the Year and received the United Way Leighty Award. He has served as a WIU track and field official since 1975 and is a recipient of the Performing Arts Society Distinguished Service Award.

Herb StrongHerb Strong

Strong, a 1972 finance graduate, has served as president/CEO of MidAmerica National Bank since November 2006, and as president of MidAmerica's Macomb office since 1999. A U.S. Army veteran who served in Vietnam, Strong began his banking career as a bank examiner for the Commissioner of Banks and Trusts Companies in 1973. He worked as a trust officer and vice president-trust at Union National Bank of Macomb for 21 years. Strong was named trust division manager of MidAmerica National Bank in 1997, a position he currently holds. He is a member of the Macomb Area Economic Development Corporation, the Salvation Army of Macomb board, the Macomb Rotary Club (and was named a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow), Network Knowledge (public television WMEC, WQEC and WSEC) Board of Directors, the WIU Performing Arts Society (former board president) and the McDonough District Hospital Development Council. Strong has served as the chair of the McDonough County United Way, board member and chair of Bridgeway, Inc., and board member and officer of the Macomb Downtown Development Corporation, and was a former member of the Western Illinois Entrepreneurship Center Board.

Roseanne ByeRoseanne Bye

Bye, a 1969 home economics graduate, retired as the vice president of TG Marketing and Advertising, Inc. in Anaheim. After graduating from WIU, Bye moved to California and began working in the test kitchen at Hunt-Wesson Foods, where she developed new products and recipes. She also worked for Lawry's Foods, Inc. in product development; Carl Karcher Enterprises (Carl's Jr.) as manager of new product development; and as vice president of research and development for Denny's Restaurants. She has served as vice president of the Newport Chapter of ZONTA International, an organization that helps women and children in need; president of the California Home Economists Association; and marketing and public relations chair of the National Home Economists in Business. Bye has been an active member of the Friends of Santa Ana Zoo for 20 years, serving as past president and current board member. She served on the original Food Service and Nutrition advisory board that developed the department at Chapman University, served on the School of Theater and Dance Advisory Board and is also active in the Town and Gown Society and her local Christian Women’s Organization. Bye has helped organize WIU alumni events in California and has established a planned gift to Western.

Hyuk-Jong KimHyuk-Jong Kim

Kim received his master's in education from Western in 1988. He has served as president of Gwangju University since May 2003. He joined the Gwangju faculty in 1987, teaching in the department of education. He was named director of the Office of Planning at Gwangju in March 1994, a position he held in addition to teaching education classes until April 2003. He serves as a board member of the Korean University Education Association; as chair of the Gwangju-Jeonnam University Presidents Association; as a board member of the Daedong Cultural Foundation; and a member of the promotion committee for the Gwangju World Women's Forum for Peace. He has served as an adviser to the Presidential Committee on Balanced National Development and to the Council for the Promotion of the 2012 World Expo to the Provincial Area. Kim is a member of the Inspection Council for the Ministry of Justice and is a Standing Representative of the Main Center for the Mutual Support of the Two Koreas. He received his bachelor's degree from Sungkyunkwan University.