English Studies Alumni Advisory Board

The ISU English Studies Alumni Advisory Board was founded in 2012 to promote a public understanding of the unique nature of today’s English Studies; establish and maintain a network of English Studies alumni; foster internships for mentoring of current students and alums; assist in recruiting high quality students; collaborate with current faculty on creating and hosting public events that feature English Studies and that adds to its scholarly and creative programs ; and assist in development activities to provide economic support for English Studies at the University.

The ISU English Studies Alumni Advisory Board is made up of Illinois State University alumni and former faculty. Ex-officio (non-voting) faculty and staff from the Department of English advise the Board.

Leslie Bertagnoli | B.A., 1970; M.A., 1971

Leslie Bertagnoli is a retired attorney who practiced trademark and copyright law for thirty-eight years with the international firm of Baker & McKenzie LLP where she was head of the North American Intellectual Property Practice Group and member of the firm’s Global IP Practice Steering Committee for six years. She is a native of Bloomington-Normal and holds a B.A. and M.A. from Illinois State University and a Ph.D. and J.D. from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. She and her husband, Kenneth P. Taube, reside in Long Grove, Illinois. She is a violinist and founding member of the Chicago Bar Association Symphony Orchestra, an orchestra of lawyers, judges and members of the legal profession. Her current projects include curating a downtown Chicago condominium library and facilitating the distribution of free books to organizations including a Township Office and Metra Station in suburban Chicago.
Elaine Dion | BS ‘73, MA ‘85, DA ‘92

Spent over forty years in education, teaching English/Language Arts at the middle school and high school levels as well as composition courses at the college level. She also authored/coauthored twelve teaching materials books, led teacher workshops for Regional Offices of Education 26 and 33, coordinated school improvement, and trained writing tutors for Quincy University. She attributes classes at ISU and encouragement from ISU professors as giving her the confidence to use her degrees in multiple ways.
Susan Hazlett | B.S., 1985

With a career in communications that spans 35 years, Susan Hazlett is currently a director in the Agency department at State Farm Insurance. Previous career experiences include journalism at several Illinois newspapers and brand management at organizations such as Caterpillar, Inc. A graduate of Illinois State University, her freelance newspaper column has appeared weekly in The Pantagraph for more than 25 years. She has won Associated Press writing awards and Illinois State University's Outstanding Graduate Award.
Jacqueline Johnson
James A. Knecht | B.S. ‘68

Used his appreciation for language and literature in a legal career as a lawyer, Circuit Judge and now Justice of the Appellate Court of Illinois, serving the judiciary for 44 years. He also serves on the Illinois State Foundation Board of Directors. "I am now the longest serving acting judge in Illinois and have been a judicial officer for 49 years. I was an original member of the English Studies Alumni Advisory Board and founding chair of the Attorneys Advisory Board in the Department of Politicas and Government."
Jade Lambert

Jade Lambert is a crisis lawyer practicing in the Chicago area, focusing on internal investigations and high-stakes litigation. Before starting her own law firm in 2025, Jade worked at two large law firms and clerked for a federal appellate judge. She received her B.A. from Illinois State University in 2001, her M.A. from the Pennsylvania State University in 2003, and her J.D. from Northwestern Law in 2006. Jade lives in the southwest suburbs of Chicago with her husband Ryan and twin sons, Holden and Elliott. Jade was thrilled to receive the ISU Department of English Distinguished Alumni Award in 2024. In addition to all of the work and family stuff, she loves rock shows and bourbon.
Cindy Ross-Ringer | B.S. 1971; M.S. 1973

Taught briefly at Illinois Central College in East Peoria, Illinois before accepting a position with State Farm Insurance Companies, where she spent the remaining 30+ years of her career. She worked in Illinois and Michigan, holding positions in several departments, including Human Resources, Public Affairs and Agency. In 2012, she retired as Director of Sales Communications. Cindy is the chairperson of the English Studies Alumni Advisory Board.
August Schiess | B.A. 2013

As the director of digital strategy for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, I help lead the vision and brand for our university social media, digital marketing, graphic design, and web development teams. Previously, I worked as a communicator for the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science & Technology and the Coordinated Science Lab, two research facilities at Illinois. I received a bachelor's degree in English publishing studies from Illinois State University, and a master's in advertising from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I also am an adjunct professor at Columbia College of Chicago and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.