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Keith White '86, Law Enforcement and Justice Administration, received the Distinguished Alumni Award.
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Steve Catlin '71, College Student Personnel, received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Kristopher Tracey '17, Emergency Management, received the Young Alumni Award. WIU Academic Advisor in the College of Education and Human Services Stacy Dorsett, who nominated Tracey, accepted his award on his behalf.
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WIU COEHS Honors Alumni at Luncheon

November 27, 2019

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MACOMB, IL - - Three Western Illinois University alumni were honored at the College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) Alumni Celebration Nov. 15.

Steve Catlin '71, College Student Personnel, received the Lifetime Achievement Award; Keith White '86, Law Enforcement and Justice Administration, received the Distinguished Alumni Award; and Kristopher Tracey '17, Emergency Management, received the Young Alumni Award.

Steve Catlin

Catlin began his career at Northern Illinois University as a head resident advisor for a large, co-ed residence hall, where he also served as an academic advisor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Following his role at Northern, Catlin began his career at William Rainey Harper College as a member of the counseling staff. He also served for eight years as a member of the Student Development faculty, 25 years as registrar and director of Admissions, dean of Enrollment Services and assistant vice president of Academic Affairs. He concluded his career at Harper College as the interim dean of Liberal Arts.

Catlin has also served as the president for the Illinois Community College Admissions and Records Office Organization; co-chair of Transfer Coordinators of Illinois College and Universities; a member of the Citizen Advisory Committee of the St. Charles Countryside Fire Protection District and as a member of the St. Charles Township Cemetery Board of Trustees.

To be eligible for the Lifetime Achievement Award, nominees must have graduated from an undergraduate or graduate major within COEHS; have an exceptional record in a particular career discipline; made outstanding contributions in their field of expertise; an outstanding record of distinguished service, and a significant record of service/contribution to WIU.

Keith White

White currently serves as the executive vice president for Loss Prevention and Global Sustainability for The Gap, Inc., where he oversees loss prevention, corporate security and global security. He has implemented best-in-class strategies to address loss, as well as transformed the Business Continuity Planning by establishing company-wide plans and structures for emergency preparedness and response, which has aided in such crises as Hurricane Katrina.

White has had a vast career in the retail industry, beginning at Marshall Fields in the late 1980s. He moved to Mervyn's in 1997, and he joined The Gap in 2000 as a senior vice president for Loss Prevention. He was promoted to his current role in January 2019.

In addition to his current role with The Gap, he is also chair of the company's Diversity Council, serves on the boards of The Gap Foundation, Year Up Bay Area and previously served as the chair of the Bay Area American Red Cross. He has been a member of the National Retail Federation since 1977 and has served as a board member for the organization for 12 years. White is also an advisor to the International Organization of Black Security Executives Board of Directors.

To be eligible for the Distinguished Alumni award, nominees must have graduated from an undergraduate or graduate major within COEHS; achieved recognition for outstanding definable career accomplishments; made outstanding contributions in their field of expertise; a record of distinguished service and some level of service/contribution to WIU.


Kristopher Tracey

Tracey is currently an emergency action specialist at the Justice Command Center for the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington D.C. As part of his job, Tracey works closely with the Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General and other Department of Justice senior officials with sensitive information concerning terrorism, law enforcement, hijacking, cyber issues, prison disturbances and disaster response.

Prior to his role with the Department of Justice, Tracey developed Incident Action Plans and Situation Reports for incidents and emergencies for Anne Arundel (MD) County Emergency Management (2017-18); worked for the United States Department of State (2017) and served in the U.S. Army (2011-15).

Tracey is currently working on a Master of Arts in Intelligence Operations from American Military University.

To be eligible for the Young Alumni Award, nominees must have graduated from an undergraduate or graduate major within COEHS; definable career accomplishments; made contributions in their field of expertise; a record of distinguished service; graduated within the last 10 years of the award date and preferably some level of service/contribution to WIU.

For more information about the WIU COEHS, visit wiu.edu/coehs.

Posted By: Alisha Looney (AA-Looney@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing