Alex Krutsch
Braves move Krutsch to lead recruiting role
Assistant football coach Alex Krutsch has assumed the responsibilities of recruiting coordinator for the Braves at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
Krutsch, who also serves as the defensive line coach for the Braves, will undertake his additional responsibilities immediately as he heads into his second season at Pembroke, according to The Robesonian in North Carolina.
UNCP’s defensive linemen registered 26.5 sacks last season as the Braves ranked as one of the nation’s top run-stopping teams, the newspaper reports.
A four-year letter winner for the Huskies, Krutsch earned all-Mid-American Conference accolades after turning in 44 tackles (22 solo), including 6 1/2 tackles for loss and one forced fumble. He also helped the Huskies to appearances in the 2006 Poinsettia Bowl and the 2008 Independence Bowl.
Prior to Pembroke, Krutsch served a one-year stint as the defensive line coach at North Central College. He also worked for two years as the defensive graduate assistant at Northern Illinois University and helped the Huskies secure bowl berths.
He graduated from Northern with a bachelor’s degree in communications in 2008 and a master’s degree in sport management in 2011.
W. J. Hennigan
Los Angeles Times promotes Hennigan to D.C. bureau
W. J. Hennigan, an award-winning reporter on the Los Angeles Times business staff, is joining the Washington, D.C., bureau as a Pentagon correspondent for the newspaper. Hennigan joined the Times in 2009 and has spent much of his time writing about Southern California’s aerospace and defense industries.
In the last year, he has written about budget battles between manned and robotic fighter planes, electronic warfare technology, efforts to repair and resurrect a badly damaged B-2 bomber and a pair of guys who comb through the Mojave Desert looking for lost military aircraft. That last piece won the California Newspaper Publishers Association’s prize for best business story of 2013.
He is a native of Chicago and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from Northern Illinois University before moving to Arizona for journalism school.
Glasper named to board of Higher Learning Commission
The Higher Learnng Commission, a regional agency that accredits higher education institutions, has appointed Rufus Glasper to its board of trustees.
Rufus Glasper
“He understands accreditation from the perspective of a chancellor or president and also from the perspective of a peer reviewer,” HLC President Sylvia Manning said. “He has helped the commission explain the role and process of accreditation on Capitol Hill. He will be a terrific addition to a distinguished board.”
Glasper has worked for Maricopa Community Colleges for 28 years, spending the last 11 years as chancellor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Luther College (Decorah, Iowa) and a master’s degree in school business administration from Northern Illinois University. He earned his doctorate in higher education finance from the University of Arizona.
HLC is a private nonprofit regional agency that accredits more than 1,000 colleges and universities in 19 states, stretching from West Virginia to Arizona.
Nelson honored with Rotary award
The Dundee Township Rotary Club has recognized Chris Nelson, village president of West Dundee, with the Service Above Self Award.
The award is presented annually to one individual and is the highest honor that a local Rotary chapter can bestow on a community member.
“With his responsibilities to the village of West Dundee and his professional career, he embodies the object of Rotary, which is to encourage and foster the ideal of service,” said Erik Gullickson, president of the Dundee Township Rotary Club.
“Chris has initiated innovative projects and is very supportive of the Boys and Girls Club of Dundee Township,” said Curt McReynolds, president-elect of the Dundee Township Rotary Club. “He is dedicated to making our community a better place to live and work.”
Since 2003, Nelson has served at Comcast as manager of government and regulatory affairs for the Chicago region. He coordinates relations between Comcast and communities in the north and northwest suburbs of Chicago.
Chris Nelson
He has been involved in a number of notable projects, including participating in the merger of Comcast and NBCUniversal in 2011 and the ongoing merger with Time Warner Cable. Nelson is a board member of the Boys and Girls Club of Dundee Township, the NIU Alumni Association and the NIU Political Science Advisory Council. He is also president of the Grand Pointe Meadows Homeowners Association. In 2013, he was selected as a fellow for World Business Chicago, the economic development arm of Chicago.
A native of the Chicago area, he received a bachelor’s degree in political science and master’s degree in public administration from Northern Illinois University.
The Rotary Club of Dundee Township received nominations for the award from club members and the community. Nominees must be a resident of Dundee Township and are required to do something of value or merit as an individual or through their business or make a significant contribution to the community where they live or work.
Barrington names Jakubowski as girls volleyball coach
The Barrington 220 board of education has approved Michelle Jakubowski as the head girls volleyball coach at Barrington High School.
She is hardly a stranger to prep sports. With 18 years of experience in high school athletics, she has worked as the athletic director of Huntley High School since 2012.
“Michelle is an experienced coach whose enthusiasm and passion for the game are perfect fits for the education-based athletic programs at Barrington High School,” said Barrington Athletic Director Mike Obsuszt.
At Huntley, her teams were 149-75 in six seasons (2006-2012) and won three Class 4A regional titles.
Prior to Huntley, she was the head girls volleyball coach at Lake Zurich (2000-2006) and Winnebago (1996-2000). While serving at Huntley, Lake Zurich and Winnebago high schools, she served as athletic director, math teacher, dean of students and varsity volleyball coach.
Jakubowski has more than 350 career victories and played volleyball for Northeastern Illinois University, an NCAA Division I college.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and secondary education from Northern Illinois University and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from National-Louis University.
“I am very excited to become part of the tradition at Barrington High School,” she said. “I look forward to working with the students to help them become more successful in the classroom and on the court and to help them be better prepared for life after high school.”
Roxana Sanders
Sanders to direct human resources at Oswego school district
Elmhurst resident Roxana Sanders is the new director of human resources for Oswego Community Unit School District 308.
She will be responsible for compensation management, discipline management, labor relations management and other HR operations.
Sanders has worked as the director of human resources at J. Sterling Morton High School District 201 in Cicero to administer and enhance the procedures for recruitment, application, selection and hiring of staff.
She has a master’s degree in school business management from Northern Illinois University and a master’s degree in business administration from DePaul University in Chicago.
Riverside Community Bank promotes Hultman
Jeff Hultman, who has more than 15 years of commercial banking experience, has been promoted to Rockford market president by Riverside Community Bank.
Jeff Hultman
As president, he will have direct responsibility for all deposit and lending business within the Rockford area, including the commercial, agribusiness, small business, private banking, treasury management, mortgage and retail banking sectors.
Hultman, a Rockford native, earned a bachelor’s degree in business finance from Bethel University and a master’s degree in business administration from Northern Illinois University.
He is a board member of several civic organizations, including Next Rockford and the Rockford Chamber of Commerce, and is operating board chairman of Alignment Rockford.
Rigg hired as city administrator of Geneseo
Patrick Ian Rigg has been named city administrator of Geneseo.
For the past six years, the East Moline native has been the city administrator of Eldora, Iowa.
He earned his master’s degree in public administration from Northern Illinois University while interning with the city of Davenport, Iowa. He also has a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from Augustana College.
Anne Garcia Benavides
Kindergarten center named after Benavides
The new kindergarten center of East Aurora School District 131 will be named after former administrator Anne Garcia Benavides (NIU class of 1971) and a student who lived only seven years.
The board of education voted this week to name the building at 250 E. Indian Trail after Benavides, a former East Aurora bilingual administrator and principal at Oak Park Elementary School, according to the Trib Local in Aurora.
At the same meeting, the board voted to dedicate the school’s media center to Aries “Jaybird” Gonzalez, a former Beaupre Elementary School kindergartner who died of complications from leukemia.
As a beloved principal who knew all of her students’ names, Benavides had high expectations for students and a passion for community involvement, the Trib Local reports.
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