Life After Valpo


"Valpo gave me the opportunity to express who I was, and I didn’t have to give up one part of my life to go in search of another.”
Rachel Easton, veterinarian, Montrose, Colo.
Valpo Class of 2005

Places of Employment

Valpo graduates are employed by companies/organizations such as:

  • The American Heart Association
  • Chicago Board of Trade
  • Mayo Clinic
  • Hong Kong International School
  • PricewaterhouseCoopers
  • Caterpillar
  • Biomet Orthopedics, Inc.
  • Catholic Charities
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • Eli Lilly & Co.
  • GE Medical Systems
  • Lincoln Park Zoo
  • National Geographic
  • IBM
  • U.S. Air Force Weather Agency
  • Lutheran Volunteer Corps
  • NASA
  • Motorola
  • Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
  • Duneland School Corporation
  • NBC 5 Chicago
  • National Public Radio
  • Meguiar's International
  • Coors Brewing Company

Advanced degrees — Valpo alumni earn advanced degrees from institutions like:

  • Oxford University
  • Carnegie Mellon
  • Concordia Theological Seminary
  • Duke
  • Harvard
  • Yale Divinity School
  • Northwestern
  • Stanford
  • University of Illinois
  • Juilliard
  • University of Minnesota School of Law

Job/graduate school placement rates

Volunteers — Among colleges and universities with less than 5,000 undergraduates, Valpo ranks No. 24 in the number of graduates serving as Peace Corps volunteers. Currently 16 are serving abroad.

Fulbright awards — Valpo ranks second among U.S. master's degree institutions in producing winners of prestigious Fulbright awards for international study, research, and teaching.

Honors college — Graduates of Valpo's interdisciplinary honors college — Christ College — receive automatic acceptance into the Valparaiso University School of Law (with minor exceptions).

Graduate degree — About 50% of Valpo alumni eventually earn at least one graduate degree.

Medical school — 85% of Valpo's pre-medical students are admitted to medical school within a year of graduation; for Christ College students, the percentage is 100.

Distinguished Alumni

Valparaiso University alumni excel in a number of fields, and are well known for their service work and efforts to make the world a better place. Valpo alumni remain engaged with the University and form an extensive network that benefits recent graduates. Here are a few of those alumni:

  • Marjorie Albohm, class of 1972 — Director of Research and Business Development, Ortho Indy; the first woman certified as an athletic trainer in Indiana (Indianapolis)
  • Linda Allen, class of 1978 — Director, C-130J International Programs, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics (Retired)
  • G. Allen Andreas, Jr., class of 1965 and Law 1968 — Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Archer-Daniels-Midland
  • Kathryn Baerwald, class of 1972 — Assistant University Counsel, Georgetown University
  • Jacqueline Baker, class of 1984 — Registered nurse and founder of health clinic in Vancouver, WA, which treats individuals unable to afford medical care
  • Richard Bimler, class of 1963 — Former Director, Wheat Ridge Ministries; Valparaiso University Ambassador
  • N. Cornell Boggs IIIclass of 1982, JD 1985 — Chief Responsibility and Ethics Officer, MillerCoors
  • Stephen Buyer, Law 1984 — U.S. Congressional Representative for the 4th District of Indiana
  • Denise Casalino, class of 1986 — Won national recognition for her work as project manager for the $200 million+ reconstruction of Chicago's historic Wacker Drive
  • JoBe Cerny, class of 1970 — Actor, producer and author; voice of Pillsbury Dough Boy and silent actor in Cheers detergent commercials; appeared in My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) and Road to Perdition (2002)
  • Jay Christopher, class of 1967 — Chairman of the Thatcher Corp., a software developer and reseller in Addison, IL; co-founder of The Pampered Chef
  • Jeffrey Dippold, class of 1974, Vice President-Global Markets Finance, Bank of America
  • Bryce Drewclass of 1998 — Former NBA player (Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Hornets); Head Men's Basketball Coach, Valparaiso University
  • Richard Duesenberg, class of 1951 — Retired General Counsel, Monsanto Co.
  • Robert Duesenberg, class of 1951 — Retired Senior Vice President, General Dynamics
  • Arthur Fabsits, class of 1962 — Consultant, Hansen Information Technology
  • Carolyn Femovich, class of 1971 — Executive Director of the Division I Patriot League
  • Donald Fites, class of 1956 — Former Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Caterpillar, Inc.
  • Richard Gozon, class of 1960 — Retired Executive Vice President and CEO, Weyerhaueser Co.
  • Lowell P. Hager, class of 1947 — Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois; National Academy of Sciences inductee
  • Catherine Jenny, class of 1957 — Retired Director, Addiction Recovery Programs at N Street Village, Washington, D.C.
  • Heather (Mitchell) Johnson, class of 1974 — Obstetrician and gynecologist, Reiter Hill & Johnson, LLP, Washington, D.C.
  • Mary Junck, class of 1969 — Chairman, President & CEO, Lee Enterprises, Inc.
  • Richard Kauzlarich, class of 1966 — Former U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Tiiu Kera, class of 1967 — Major General, U.S. Air Force (Retired)
  • Robert Kirtlandclass of 1991 — Soldiers' MEB Counsel /JAG, Department of Defense-Medical Command 
  • Paul Landahl, class of 1961 — Bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod of the ELCA
  • Jacki Lyden, class of 1975 — Host and senior correspondent, National Public Radio; author of The Queen of Sheba (1997)
  • Paul Manske, class of 1960 — Chief of Orthopedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine
  • Lloyd McClendon, class of 1981 — Nearly 20 years in Major League Baseball; Hitting Coach for Detroit Tigers
  • Holly Messick, class of 1999, Vice President-Corporate Relations, American Heart Association
  • Julie Meyer, class of 1988 — Founder and CEO of Ariadne Capital Ltd., United Kingdom.
  • Robert Moellering Jr., class of 1958, 1974 LL..D. — Chair, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital; Former professor at Harvard Law
  • Deborah Neymark, class of 1979 — Vice President of Regulator Affairs, Vascular Solutions
  • Carole Nuechterlein, class of 1983 — Chief Corporate Counsel, Sangstatt Medical Corporation in Switzerland
  • Rebecca Pallmeyer, class of 1976 — Judge, U.S. District Court
  • Robert Palumbo, class of 1980 — Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Valparaiso University; research scientist at Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland
  • Eugene Parker, Law 1982 — Attorney and Sports Agent; clients include Deion Sanders, Aeneas Williams, Ray Lewis, Derrick Brooks, Emmitt Smith
  • Michael Rickman, class of 1984 — Corporate Counsel, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
  • T. Marshall Rousseau, class of 1955 — Retired Executive Director of the Salvador Dali Museum, Sarasota, Florida
  • Robert Rucker, Law 1976 — Justice, Indiana Supreme Court
  • Ben Schnakenbergclass of 2000 — Associate, High Road Capital Partners
  • Paul Schrage, class of 1957 — Retired Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at McDonald's Corporation
  • Al Seib, class of 1978 — Pulitzer-winning photojournalist, Los Angeles Times
  • Kathi P. Seifert, class of 1971 — Retired Executive Vice President, Kimberly-Clark Foundation; Fortune magazine's 50 Most Powerful Women in Business in 2002 and Forbes.com's annual "America's Top Businesswomen"
  • Paul Sieving, class of 1970 — Director of the National Eye Institute
  • Nick Skytlandclass of 2002 — Open Government Initiative Director, NASA  
  • Rene Steinke, class of 1986 — 2005 National Book Award finalist
  • Jill Long Thompson, class of 1974 — Former Undersecretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture; former member of U.S. Congress; CEO/Sr. Fellow for National Center for Food & Agriculture
  • Charles R. Vaughan, Law 1957 — Attorney, defended Ryan White, AIDS victim
  • Amy Vie, class of 1989 — District Sales Manager, Johnson & Johnson
  • Marc Voth, class of 1965 — Nuclear Reactor Inspector for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
  • Richard Wamhoff, class of 1967 — Retired Vice-President, Asia/Pacific & Global Manufacturing / Supply Chain, H.J. Heinz Company; Retired President/CEO, Ore Ida Foods
  • Julie Winkler, class of 1996 — Managing Director of Research and Product Development, CME Group
  • Ron Zech, class of 1965 — Chairman and CEO, GATX Corporation
  • Ginger Zuidgeest (Zee), class of 2002 — Meteorologist, NBC 5 Chicago
  • Jennifer Lake Zygmunt, class of 2004 — Creative Director, Zapwater Communications