September 2012 | North Central College

Frank Jen '59

Frank Jen was credited with creating a “seminar culture” at the University of Buffalo in New York 40 years ago. He teamed up with Andrew Chen to teach using research workshops, debate and dialogue. Jen was more idea-oriented, while Chen was more technically oriented. “At that time, I was eager to establish the reputation of our School of Management to turn out good M.B.A.s and Ph.D.s,” Jen says. “I organized a seminar for Ph.D.

Robert Taylor M ’00

Robert Taylor M ’00 is one of 10 Chicago-area educators honored as recipients of a prestigious 2012 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. Taylor is a second-grade teacher at Central Road School in Community Consolidated School District 15 in Palatine, IL, where he has taught since 1997. He was selected from a pool of 560 nominees teaching kindergarten through third grade in the Chicago area and was one of 32 finalists. Recipients of the 2012 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching will be honored at a black-tie event October 12 at WTTW/Channel 11 studios in Chicago.

LeAnn Snyder Gonzalez M ’98

LeAnn Snyder Gonzalez M ’98 has accepted a position as interventionist at Hill Middle School in Indian Prairie School District 204. She previously taught there from 1992 to 1999. She attended a literacy symposium at North Central during June and she and her husband Larry ’89 are frequent visitors to campus for sports events. Their daughter Ally attended a North Central summer volleyball camp. The couple may be reached at llgonzo@comcast.net.

John W. Daniels Jr. '69

John W. Daniels Jr. received the 2012 Spirit of Excellence Award from the American Bar Association Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversify in the Legal Profession. The annual Spirit of Excellence Awards celebrate the accomplishments of lawyers who promote a more racially and ethnically diverse legal profession. As Quarles & Brady’s first lawyer, first partner and first chairman of color, Daniels became a mentor to many young associates and law students. He is chairman of Quarles & Brady LLP and has extended the firm’s national and international reach with offices in seven U.S.

Josh Stumpenhorst '03

Josh Stumpenhorst earned another Teacher of the Year accolade, this time from the Illinois Education Association (IEA). As part of his recognition, he threw out the first pitch before a Cubs baseball game at Wrigley Field on June 12. Stumpenhorst is a sixth-grade social science and language arts teacher at Lincoln Junior High School in Naperville and was named the Illinois State Board of Education’s Teacher of the Year in fall 2011.

The Reverend Timothy Biel Jr. '97

The Reverend Timothy Biel Jr. was featured in a Faces of Faith article in the March 1 issue of the Southtown Star newspaper. At age 13 he took his first trip to Appalachia to help people in need. He was preaching at youth Sunday services at age 14 and at 18 began leading worship services on a regular basis. While attending Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, where he earned his master of divinity degree, Biel pastored inner-city churches in Boston and Chicago. In 2007, he was ordained at his denomination’s annual conference in St. Charles, IL.

Jim Bartelson '85

Jim Bartelson is senior vice president and general manager of the database strategies division of Farm Journal. In addition to his role as division manager for Farm Journal’s database division, he also oversees the company’s new audience development department. The company’s multisource agricultural database is marketed under the FarmReachT brand. Bartelson was previously executive vice president of business development and strategy with Blue Book Services, a market leader in credit ratings for the fresh produce and lumber industries.

George J. Picha '59

George J. Picha was inducted as a Fellow of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers class of 2012 in San Antonio, TX, on March 10. The fellowship was established to honor attorneys who have distinguished themselves in their practice in the field of workers’ compensation. Individuals are nominated based on convincing their peers, the bar, bench and public that they possess the highest professional qualifications and ethical standards, character, integrity, professional expertise and leadership.

Dean M. Frieders '01

Dean M. Frieders wrote “Foundations of Sustainable Development: Law, Regulation, and Planning,” published by the American Bar Association Publishing Division. Written for public officials, planning and development professionals, attorneys and concerned citizens, the book describes the techniques used to employ sustainable development within a community or project in an easy to understand way. He also identifies common pitfalls and methods of addressing those issues using readily available methods, such as laws and regulations, contracts and design requirements.

Curt Vollman '91

Curt Vollman is currently host of the morning show on WRJN News-Talk 1400 AM in Racine, WI. He interviewed John Madormo, assistant professor of broadcast communication and general manager of WONC, about his recently published mystery “Charlie Collier, Snoop for Hire: The Homemade Stuffing Caper.”