Ashlynn Stillwell joined the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department in 2013 and is one of two female professors in the field of Hydrology and Hydraulics. She has several high-impact publications and is very active in leading the Sustainability Committee of the American Society of Civil...
Women in History
Assata Zerai came to the University of Illinois in 2002 as a faculty member in Sociology. In spring 2015, as Associate Dean in the Grad College, she worked with colleagues to establish an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation University Center of Exemplary Mentoring at the University of Illinois. They were...
Barbara Wilson came to Illinois in 2000 as a faculty member in the Department of Communication. She served as Department Head for six years, and during her tenure, the faculty size grew by 20%. She led initiatives to improve departmental relationships with alumni, create faculty mentoring programs...
Carolyn Tomchik received all of her degrees from the Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering in the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois: a BS in 2005, a MS in 2011 and her PhD in 2016. As a student, she was a member of the Engineering Council, held executive...
Christie Gilson received her BS in 2001 and her PhD in 2008 both in Special Education. President Barack Obama nominated Christie to serve as a member of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FSB) in 2012. Christie who is visually impaired is a disability rights advocate. She has...
Cinda Heeren received her PhD in Computer Science from the University of Illinois in 2004, and became a senior lecturer in the department shortly after. Nominated more than once, Cinda was known as a champion for students on campus. She was a popular teacher, actively encouraged young women to take...
Clair Sullivan joined the Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering Department in 2012 as the first female faculty member. Her presence and efforts have allowed the department to hire three additional female faculty members. Clair’s research which is at the interface of radiation detection,...
Cynthia Oliver joined the College of Fine and Applied Arts’ faculty in 2000 and is now the Director of the MFA Program. She is an affiliate faculty member in Gender and Women Studies, Center for African Studies, African American Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and the Center for...
Nadya Mason joined the faculty of the Department of Physics at the University of Illinois in 2005. She became the first African American woman to receive tenure in the College of Engineering. Nadya is a winner of the Maria GoeppertMayer Award of the American Physical Society (2012) and the Denice...
Amelia Darling Alpiner Stern graduated in 1896 with a degree in English and Modern Languages. She is said to be the first female Jewish student to graduate from the University of Illinois and was a founding member of the University’s first sorority, Pi Beta Phi. As an alum, she organized the...
Susan Lindquist graduated with a degree in Microbiology in 1971. She is one of the most respected molecular biologists in the world, now a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Susan is also the co-founder of FoldRx, a pharmaceutical company, and the first female director of the...
Shelia Crump Johnson graduated from the University of Illinois in 1970 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. She was the first female African American cheerleader at the University of Illinois. In 1979, Shelia co-founded the ground breaking Black Entertainment Television (BET) network. She is also the Vice...
Susan “Suze” Orman graduated from the School of Social Work in 1976 and went on to become an influential business icon, known for her financial advice, motivational speaking, writing, and television show. Suze is also the founder of the Suze Orman Financial Group. In 2009, she received an honorary...
Terry Hite David came to the University of Illinois as a sophomore in 1968 as part of the Project 500 group. As a student, she played for the women’s volleyball team before Title IX legislation existed. She graduated in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education, left the university for...
Beth Dohme Wallin graduated with a degree in Home Economics in 1961. As a student, she was heavily involved in student organizations such as Alpha Lambda Delta, Omicron Nu, Torch, Psi Upsilon Omicron, and Mortar Board. Beth was also a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, served as President of the...
Carol Lee graduated with a degree in Secondary Education, specializing in English, in 1966. She has been instrumental in helping minority students overcome road blocks such as negative stereotypes and lack of resources. Carol helped found the Institute of Positive Education, the Betty Shabazz...
Carol Moseley Braun attended the University of Illinois in the 1960s, but ultimately received her degree in Political Science from the University of Illinois-Chicago in 1969. She became the first female African American Senator to the United States Congress, serving from 1993 to 1999. Women...
Doris Kelley Christopher graduated with a degree in Home Economics in 1967. She is best known as the founder and chairman of The Pampered Chef. She is a Director on the University of Illinois Foundation Board and an avid donor to the University. Her contributions made possible the Doris Kelley...
Gayl S. Pyatt graduated from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 1964. She later became the first female president of the UI Foundation and received the Foundation’s President’s Award for Service in 1995. In addition to her work with the UI Foundation, she has also been involved in the UI...
Jane Loeb joined the Psychology Department in 1968, and retired as Professor of Educational Psychology and Psychology. She also served in several administrative positions during her time at Illinois, including Director of Admissions and Records (1972-81), Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic...
Jill Wine-Banks graduated from the U of I in 1964 with a degree in Journalism. While a student, she was involved in various activities and societies, such as Shi Ai, the Daily Illini, Panhellenic Council, Iota Alpha Pi, and Kappa Tau Alpha. After graduating, she went on to receive her J.D. from...
Karol Kahrs began at Illinois in 1966 as an instructor in the College of Physical Education and spent many years coaching women’s sports. In 1974, she moved up to the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics to develop the University’s women’s intercollegiate athletics program. After 36 years of...
Lorella Margaret Jones joined the Physics faculty in 1968 and was the first woman in the College of Engineering to receive tenure. Lorella was a high-energy theoretical physicist and an early adopter and promoter of Illinois’ PLATO (later known as NovaNet), the first large-scale computer-assisted...
Lynn Morley Martin graduated in 1960 with a degree in the teaching of English. Lynn served in the Illinois House of Representatives, the Illinois Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives, where she secured a seat on the Budget Committee as a freshman member of Congress. She also served as U.S...
Marianna Tax Choldin began as a professor of Library Administration at the University of Illinois in 1969 and remains an adjunct professor for the School of Information Sciences today. In 1991, she became the founding director of the Mortenson Center for International Library Programs. In her time...
