Founders Day
Thank you to all who attended the 10th annual PNW Founders Day celebration!
Congratulations to our years of service honorees, award nominees and Outstanding Faculty, Staff and Student Award recipients. Your commitment is vital to Purdue University Northwest’s role in changing students’ lives.
Thank you to all who helped make this event possible, particularly the Founders Day Committee.
Founders Day Photo Highlights
Sheila Rezak, seen here posing with Chancellor Kenneth C. Holford, was honored for 55 years of service!
Live drums and PNW mascot Leo provided an energetic vibe to kick off Founders Day 2026, which celebrated 10 years of PNW changing students' lives.
"Nate at Night" was on hand to offer entertainment after appearing in several fun videos highlighting PNW's innovation and commitment to excellence.
PNW employees observing years of service milestones were celebrated by the Founders Day audience, demonstrating PNW's shared culture of respect.
2026 Founders Day Award Winners
Outstanding Student Awards
Undergraduate
Naman Goyal
Senior Computer Science Student
Graduate
Mary Buksa
Master of Business Administration candidate
Outstanding Faculty Scholarship Award
Grethe Hystad
Associate Professor of Statistics
Michael Tu
Professor of Computer Information Technology
Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award
Non-Tenure
Deanne Shimala
Clinical Assistant Professor of Accounting and Finance
Tenure
John Durocher
Nils K. Nelson Endowed Professor of Integrative Human Health
Outstanding Faculty Engagement Award
Shontrai Irving
Clinical Professor of Business Law
Outstanding Administrative Leadership Award
Academic
Lyndsey Schaap
Associate Director of Student Success and Special Populations
Staff
Brian Miller
Director of Public Safety
Outstanding Management and Administrative Professional Award
Amy Bugg
Administrative Assistant for Facilities Services
Jennifer Lynn Marynowski
Administrative Assistant for the Department of Computer Science
Outstanding Service Staff Award
Eric Montealegre
Custodian
Will L. Lewis
Service Worker
Outstanding Management and Administrative Professional Award
Kim Frazier
Registration and Enrollment Services Administrator
Heather Runyan-Starzak
Recruitment Manager
2026 PNW Founders Day “Years of Service” Honorees
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Sheila Rezak | 55 |
| Rebecca Stankowski | 45 |
| John Spores | 35 |
| Anthony Elmendorf | 35 |
| Michael Pelter | 35 |
| Diane Spoljoric | 35 |
| Hilda Camarena | 30 |
| Catherine Gillotti | 30 |
| Jan Hanchar | 30 |
| LaShawn Jones | 30 |
| Leslie Thompson | 30 |
| Samuel Williams | 30 |
| Libbie Pelter | 25 |
| Margaret Havens | 25 |
| Patricia Mellon | 25 |
| N Kulatunga | 25 |
| Laura Pardonek | 25 |
| Mitchell Alix | 20 |
| Gokarna Aryal | 20 |
| Euradell Bannister-Dumas | 20 |
| Angel Cable | 20 |
| Rickey Dotson | 20 |
| Connie Farrell | 20 |
| Harshini Fernando | 20 |
| Michelle Gilhooly | 20 |
| Lisa Kovacs | 20 |
| Kyle Mulcrone | 20 |
| Ryan Parsons-Rozycki | 20 |
| Leslie Plesac | 20 |
| Virginia Rhodes | 20 |
| Heather Runyan-Starzak | 20 |
| Kristin Sarver | 20 |
| Nicoleta Tarfulea | 20 |
| Aaron Warren | 20 |
| Diane Wisniewski | 20 |
| Alireza Alavizadeh | 15 |
| Ronald Bermingham | 15 |
| Ricardo Calix | 15 |
| Magesh Chandramouli | 15 |
| Maria Chavez | 15 |
| Helen Curtis | 15 |
| Joseph Dominiak | 15 |
| Maria Fuentes | 15 |
| Susan Giannini | 15 |
| Matthew Hanson | 15 |
| Meden Isaac-Lam | 15 |
| Thomas Keon | 15 |
| Tae-Hoon Kim | 15 |
| Assen Kokalov | 15 |
| David Myers | 15 |
| Casey Parker | 15 |
| Dawn Pollock | 15 |
| Armin Silaen | 15 |
| Chen Ye | 15 |
| Terrell Bowens | 10 |
| Deborah Burkland | 10 |
| Nicole Childs | 10 |
| Ronnell DuBose | 10 |
| Maria Gonzalez | 10 |
| Charles Guiliani | 10 |
| Rose Haite | 10 |
| Dianne Hoekstra | 10 |
| Janet Huber | 10 |
| Hubert Izienicki | 10 |
| Alicia January | 10 |
| Rochelle Kolopanis | 10 |
| Ying Luo | 10 |
| Monique McAlister | 10 |
| Sarala Morrow | 10 |
| Yu Ouyang | 10 |
| Tracey Radtke | 10 |
| Willie Redd | 10 |
| Adara Rivera | 10 |
| Joelynn Stephen | 10 |
| David Tate | 10 |
| Kyle Toth | 10 |
| Serdar Turedi | 10 |
| Debra Wysong | 10 |
| Michelle Mason | 5 |
| Audra Bair | 5 |
| William Batsch | 5 |
| Sarah Berkland | 5 |
| Hector Cabrera | 5 |
| Raven Chant | 5 |
| Nicholas Ernst | 5 |
| Omeed Ilchi | 5 |
| Martha Jackson | 5 |
| Natalie Jarrett | 5 |
| Michelle Mason | 5 |
| Rex Mudge | 5 |
| Zachary Mullaney | 5 |
| Ezra Mutai | 5 |
| Lance Natonski | 5 |
| Justin Ness | 5 |
| Kathleen Neuliep | 5 |
| LaTonya Ovie | 5 |
| Laurie Parpart | 5 |
| Grace Pigozzi | 5 |
| Julia Plumb | 5 |
| Katherine Pryor | 5 |
| Barbara Pudelek | 5 |
| Corrina Qualls | 5 |
| Michelle Reed | 5 |
| Mekisha Richardson | 5 |
| Rana Rosario | 5 |
| Michael Sbalchiero | 5 |
| Gillian Seter | 5 |
| Susan Standley | 5 |
| Catrina Terrell | 5 |
| Orlando Ugarte Almeyda | 5 |
| Timothy West | 5 |
| Kale Wilk | 5 |