Redbird Buzz

Dr. Bob Navarro ’91, M.S. ’93, Ph.D. ’02, serves as CEO of Heritage Corridor Destinations, where he oversees attractions and programs along Illinois and Michigan Canal towns, the Starved Rock area, and the first 100 miles of Route 66.

During this episode of Redbird Buzz, Navarro discusses planning for the “Mother Road’s” 100th anniversary celebration during summer 2026. Established in 1926, Route 66 spans 2,448 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica, California, passing through Normal along the way.

Navarro, a member of the Illinois State University Board of Trustees since 2019, started his career at Illinois State in University Housing before heading north to handle guest experiences at the DuPage Children's Museum. He then served as director of housing services at U.S Equities Reality, where he worked to open the 18-story University Center that houses students from Columbia College Chicago, DePaul University, and Roosevelt University in the Chicago loop.

Navarro earned three degrees from Illinois State including, a bachelor’s in history, a master’s in kinesiology and recreation, and a doctorate in educational administration and foundations. He is a founding member of Illinois State University’s Latinx Alumni Network and is a former chairman of the Illinois Council of Convention and Visitors Bureaus.

Erica Lauren Maholmes, M.F.A. ’22, did not originally envision herself doing behind-the-scenes work in theater, but through her experience in the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts and School of Theatre, Dance, and Film, she discovered a passion for lighting design.

Maholmes' work as a lighting designer and master electrician has taken her to stages across the country, including Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Alley Theatre, and Trinity Repertory Company. She made her Broadway debut in 2024 as an associate lighting designer for The Notebook.

Maholmes has also worked within the theatre industry to end racial inequities and create opportunities for lighting designers who are people of color. Maholmes was named the 2025 Outstanding Young Alumni award winner by the Illinois State University Alumni Association.

Tune into this episode of Redbird Buzz to hear how Maholmes's experience at Illinois State shaped her approach to stage lighting and design, how the lighting in a stage play can evoke emotions and reactions from the audience, and what's next for her as she continues working in the world of North American theatre.

Dr. Jeri Beggs was named Illinois State University's director of Athletics in March 2025 after serving as the interim AD since May 2023.

Beggs is Illinois State's 13th director of Athletics in the NCAA Division I era and the first woman to hold the position. She joins Redbird Buzz to discuss the path she has taken and her vision for the future of Illinois State Athletics.

In this episode, Beggs details how her 21 years in Illinois State's College of Business as a professor of marketing and her role as faculty athletics representative prepared her for her current leadership position, and she shares what she hopes to accomplish as AD. Beggs also discusses her vision for Redbird Athletics amidst a rapidly evolving landscape in college athletics, with name, image, and likeness (NIL), the transfer portal, legal battles, and conference realignment greatly impacting mid-major institutions across the country.

Despite the challenges facing Beggs, her staff, and Redbird student-athletes, she shares the many wins, both on the playing field and in the classroom, that the department has achieved under her leadership, along with the opportunities ahead for Illinois State Athletics.

Vivian Kong Doctora ’96 is a community builder who connects people and culture through food. In this episode of Redbird Buzz, Kong Doctora discusses her many entrepreneurial ventures, including a steam bun business (Bao Destination), instructional cooking courses, and a partnership in a revolving sushi bar. She also shares how her culture and family traditions have inspired her food-centered businesses. Kong Doctora is featured in the spring 2025 State magazine.

Ruth Burke, an assistant professor of video in the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts at Illinois State University, is an interdisciplinary artist who collaborates with animals in her creative practice. In this episode of Redbird Buzz, Burke discusses her project “Re-Integration of Mixed-Power Systems in Agroecological Intensification,” in which she is utilizing her team of oxen, Clark and Sparky, to establish two pollinator plots and two pollinator-friendly earthworks in McLean County. Burke’s project is funded by a nearly $50,000, two-year grant from North Central Region SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education). Burke is featured in the spring 2025 Redbird Scholar magazine.

Illinois State University Archivist April Anderson-Zorn returns to Redbird Buzz following a semester-long sabbatical spent researching the role of women from Illinois State Normal University in World War I. In this episode, she shares the story of a handful of history-making women and their experiences on the frontlines, helping to rebuild war-torn areas of Europe following the war, and what their lives looked like once they returned home.

Tune into this episode to learn about impressive Redbird women like Ellen Babbitt, who used her education background and fundamentals of pedagogy from her time at ISNU to teach hundreds of thousands of Europeans about best health practices and how to treat their sick children in a post-war world. You'll also hear about women like Alice Smith, who joined the Army Nurse Corps and served in mobile hospitals on the frontlines during World War I, then returned home to become a renowned landscape architect.

Dr. René Revis Shingles, M.S. ’86, has blazed a trail for women in athletic training. She earned a master's degree from Illinois State University's School of Kinesiology and Recreation and was the 13th Black woman in the U.S. to become a certified athletic trainer in 1987. Shingles worked as both a practitioner and educator over her more than 35 years in the field and was the first-ever African American woman to be inducted into the National Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame in 2018.

Shingles joins Redbird Buzz to discuss how she developed a passion for athletic training at Illinois State, how mentorship played a critical role in her career, and why educating future athletic trainers as a professor of athletic training became an important part of her journey. Shingles also shares her experience as an athletic trainer for Team USA in the 1996 Olympics, her approach to educating students in the classroom and on the job, and the importance of giving back.

Illinois State University is set to welcome its first cohort of students in the new College of Engineering in fall 2025. As the college prepares to educate the next generation of engineers, Dr. Nesrin Ozalp, the founding chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, shares her excitement for this significant addition to Illinois State's academic offerings. Ozalp joins Redbird Buzz to look ahead at what students can expect from the College of Engineering and how her own career successes can open up opportunities for future Redbirds.

Ozalp brings a research background in clean energy to her role as department chair. She plans to involve engineering students in her research on campus and provide them with hands-on mechanical engineering experience. She looks forward to working with undergraduates to make scientific advancements in clean energy, space exploration, robotics, artificial intelligence, and more.

Tune into this episode to hear about Ozalp's personal journey to finding her true passion in mechanical engineering, her experiences as a woman in a field dominated by men, and how art and creativity play a vital role in her work and research.

Dr. Mack Wood, Illinois State University's associate director of bands and director of the Big Red Marching Machine, joins Redbird Buzz for a behind-the-scenes look at all things marching band. The Big Red Marching Machine is comprised of more than 400 students representing every college on campus and is set to perform in Dublin, Ireland, at the 2025 St. Patrick's Day Parade.

From discovering his passion for music at a young age, to serving as the University of Texas at Austin's Longhorn Band drum major, to his current role leading the Big Red Marching Machine, Wood's career in bands spans almost every level. He shares stories from his high school and college band director days, his experience at the Rose Bowl with the Longhorns, and how the Big Red Marching Machine's stellar reputation ultimately brought him to Illinois State.

Tune into this episode to get a peek behind the curtain at the preparation and effort the directors and students in the Big Red Marching Machine put into a full season of football performances, how Wood has transitioned marching band processes to digital formats, and to hear about the importance of the band's strong alumni base.

Ahead of Illinois State University’s LGBTQA+ reunion weekend, Wonsook Kim School of Art alum, drag queen, and entrepreneur Sharon ShareAlike ’94, M.F.A. ’98, joins Redbird Buzz.

ShareAlike and the ShareAlike family are headlining the closing event at the LGBTQA+ reunion weekend on Saturday, February 1, 2025, at Illinois State. All are welcome to attend the events Friday, January 31 and Saturday, February 1, and registration for the reunion weekend is open through January 20.

In this episode, ShareAlike recounts how her interest in mold making, toy design, and art led her to drag performance and costume creation. ShareAlike's success in drag performing, coupled with her talent and passion for art and creation, inspired her to start two businesses for the drag community, BoobsForQueens and Dragskins. Both companies have been featured in major media, including RuPaul's Drag Race, The Ellen Degeneres Show, and the Oscar-nominated film A Star is Born.

Tune in to hear more from ShareAlike about her commitment to drag in Central Illinois, her journey from Illinois State to the stage, and how her chosen drag family creates a safe space for those in the LGBTQA+ community.