Redbird Buzz

Quanisha Kumi-Darfour ’06 was named the director of Career Services at Illinois State University in July and has big plans for the department's future and its role in the professional lives of Redbirds of all ages. Kumi-Darfour, a 2006 chemistry graduate of Illinois State, credits the connections she made on campus as a student and her experience with an unexpected career change for setting her on the path to her current role in Student Affairs.

Tune into this episode of Redbird Buzz to hear more about the services offered to current students, alumni, faculty, staff and more—from resume reviews to interview preparation to career exploration and job fairs, Career Services is delivering critical professional and career guidance available to all Redbirds. In this episode, Kumi-Darfour also shares her personal story from undergraduate student on campus to overseeing a staff of more than 50 full- and part-time employees.

Check out CareerServices.IllinoisState.edu for more information about getting assistance with your own career or about giving back to current Redbird students looking for their next professional step after graduation.

Brad Marcy ’09, M.S. ’17, has a unique approach to teaching his students about history at Le Roy High School. Through his SEAR model, Marcy's lessons employ learning that can be situational, experiential, authentic, and reflective. Marcy joins Redbird Buzz to share how this hands-on approach stemmed from his experiences as an Illinois State University alum and veteran.

During this episode, Marcy recounts what he learned from his own academic struggles in high school, describes his military service, and details how both his family and his time in the Army National Guard led him to pursue a career in education.

Marcy, the College of Education's 2024 Teacher of the Year, leads his students in hands-on projects that explore the significance of veterans throughout the country and locally in Le Roy. His classes participate in The Good Cemeterian Project, cleaning the headstones of military veterans, while also researching those individuals, their lives, and their families.

Dr. Daniel López, Ph.D. ’02, joins Redbird Buzz to share details of his career journey in higher education and how he makes an impact on the lives of students. López is president of Harold Washington College, a community college that is part of the City Colleges of Chicago system, and a campus that enrolls more than 70% Latinx or African American students.

López received his doctoral degree in educational administration and foundations at Illinois State University in 2002 after starting his academic career as an undocumented, first-generation, and English as a second language student.

In this episode, López shares stories from his own experience as a first-generation student, along with details of his work on behalf of Latinx students in higher education through his advocacy and leadership roles with groups like the Illinois Latino Council on Higher Education, and Diversifying Faculty in Illinois.

Longtime Illinois State University sports information director and School of Communication professor Tom Lamonica, M.S. ’88, joins Redbird Buzz ahead of his induction into the Illinois State Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame as the 2024 Campbell “Stretch” Miller Award recipient.

Lamonica, who arrived at Illinois State in 1980, served as director of sports information for more than 26 years before retiring from Redbird Athletics in 2006. Since then, Lamonica spent the past 18 years as an instructional assistant professor in the School of Communication, where he’s taught sport communication and public relations, while directing the school’s internship program.

In this episode of Redbird Buzz, Lamonica shares memorable moments from his Athletics career—from helping name Reggie Redbird to covering Missouri Valley Conference championships. He also reflects on the thousands of students he’s taught and mentored as a professor, and he highlights a few standout alumni.

A 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Famer, Lamonica will receive the Campbell “Stretch” Miller Award during the Redbird Athletics Hall of Fame breakfast September 28, 2024. The award celebrates the contributions of those whose main services were not playing or coaching at Illinois State but were important to the athletic program's success.

Steve Pankow ’11 is the Chicago Bulls’ head equipment manager and team travel coordinator. In this episode of Redbird Buzz, Pankow discusses his career path—from working with the Illinois State University football team as a student, to interning with two NFL teams, to working full-time for Redbird Athletics, to scoring his dream job with the Bulls.

A 2011 Illinois State graduate who majored in criminal justice sciences, Pankow is one of at least eight Redbird alumni employed by the Bulls. In this interview, Pankow talks about how his experience at Illinois State prepared him to become an integral member of the staff that supports Chicago through its 82-game NBA regular season and beyond.

Pankow is featured in the fall 2024 issue of State magazine.

Jeff Mavros, M.S. ’06, executive director of Admissions and recruitment marketing, joins Redbird Buzz to discuss Illinois State University’s historic incoming class for fall 2024, which is the University’s largest and most diverse in school history.

The University welcomed 4,285 First Time in College (FTIC) students for 2024-25, a 3% increase from 2023. The class consists of more than 1,000 students who had a high school GPA of 4.0 GPA and 450 who are in the Honors Program.

Total enrollment increased 2.7% to 21,546. In this episode, Mavros discusses the historic class and shares some fun insights about incoming students, including their favorite music, candy, and a few of their notable achievements.

Former Redbird diver Caroline Lecoeur '21 joins Redbird Buzz to recount her experience as the deputy manager for diving at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In this episode, Lecoeur, a native of Lyon, France, discusses her journey—from France, to Illinois State University, to the Olympics.

As a Redbird, Lecoeur was named the Missouri Valley Conference's Diver of the Year in 2021 and 2019. Her knowledge of and passion for the sport led her to pursue a master's degree in sport management after graduating from Illinois State and, ultimately, resulted in her role with the Paris Olympics where she oversaw the operations of all diving events and managed a team of four full-time staff and more than 90 volunteers.

Tune into this episode to hear more about Lecoeur's experience at the Olympics, how Illinois State provided her with the support system she needed as an international student-athlete, and what's next following the Olympic Games.

Illinois State University Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Dr. Ani Yazedjian joins Redbird Buzz to share the story of her personal and professional journey and her plans for the upcoming academic year on campus.

Yazedjian was named Illinois State's provost in May 2024 after serving one year as acting provost. She started at Illinois State as chair of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences and brings a wealth of knowledge and research focused on student success and adolescent identity development into her role as provost.

In this episode, Yazedjian recounts her own adolescence, her journey from undergraduate student to higher education administrator, and her vision for supporting faculty and students and fostering student success through new initiatives in Academic Affairs.

Tune in to hear Yazedjian discuss how Illinois State is responding to changes in the workforce and making strides to better prepare Redbird students for life after graduation.

Illinois State University alum David Breen '88 joins Redbird Buzz to share memories from his 37-year career with Special Olympics Illinois and how his experience as a recreation program management major prepared him for more than a decade as the organization's president and CEO.

A 2024 Alumni Achievement Award winner, Breen recounts his experience as an Illinois State student volunteering for Special Opportunities Available in Recreation (SOAR) in Bloomington-Normal before graduating in 1988. It was this work and the individuals he met through SOAR that inspired a life-long commitment to making sports and recreation accessible through Special Olympics Illinois.

Tune into this episode to learn more about Breen's journey from a small-town farm to his time at Illinois State to becoming president of Special Olympics Illinois until his retirement in 2023.

After earning a Bachelor of Science in theatre from Illinois State University in 1991, Jennifer Rudnicke has spent the past 30 years in casting, including the past 22 years as co-owner and casting director of Paskal Rudnicke Casting in Chicago.

In this episode of Redbird Buzz, hear how Rudnicke and her business partner, Mickie Paskal, cast for TV, film, commercials, voiceover, and print. Some of their notable jobs have included casting for Chicago-based hit series Shameless and South Side. Most recently, they’ve provided location casting for FX’s The Bear, which earned several Emmy’s including, Best Comedy Series and Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series. Rudnicke is featured in the spring 2024 issue of State magazine.