Homecoming 2026: Outstanding Alumni Awards

Each year, Homecoming Weekend begins with the Outstanding Alumni Awards, which this year took place on Oct. 8, 2026. You can watch the full ceremony here.

CARDINAL PRIDE AWARD

Honors alumni who embody enthusiasm, dedication and exceptional pride or their alma mater through involvement, advocacy, and support. Recipients nurture the Cardinal spirit through their love of, and devotion to, the College’s people and ideals.

Jan Roll ’75 Baumgartner has been closely connected to North Central since graduating summa cum laude in 1975 with a degree in mathematics and secondary education. She worked in financial aid at North Central from 1980 until 2018, and she has served as the alumni representative for the Class of 1975 for more than four decades, including as a member of the 50-Year Reunion Committee. Jan and her husband, Larry, are longtime Naperville residents. All year long, they attend football games, reunions, the Holiday Open House, Presidents Club Dinner, and other gatherings that bring Cardinals together to celebrate their connection, pride, memories, and commitment to students through generosity and engagement.

“North Central was so much more than a place where I earned a degree. It was a place where friendships began, experience shaped me, and memories were created that have stayed with me throughout my life.”

— Jan Roll ’75 Baumgartner

Ken Helberg ’82 taught science for 28 years at Wheaton Central/Wheaton Warrenville South High School in Wheaton, Ill, where he was also the longtime boys track & field head coach, earning induction into the IHSA Hall of Fame. After retiring in 2016, Ken taught physics and chemistry at North Central as an adjunct faculty member for eight years. In 2018, he received the Distinguished Teaching Award for Part-Time Faculty. In addition, he was an assistant coach for NC men’s and women’s track & field until 2023. Ken served on the alumni board, and he and his wife, Paula Strickland ’82 Helberg, were co-chairs of the Parent Campaign for more than three years.

“Anything that I have been able to give back and any accomplishments that I have had as a teacher or a coach are all grounded in my time at North Central.”

— Ken Helberg ’82

WALL OF WITNESS AWARD

Recognizes and honors alumni of North Central College or the Evangelical Theological Seminary whose lives embody the values — and the commitment to principled leadership, justice and service — of our mission and heritage.

Rev. Ashley Prescott Barlow-Thompson ’06 has devoted her ministry to nurturing communities of faith, equipping leaders, mentoring youth, and working for justice within the church and throughout society. An ordained deacon in the United Methodist Church (UMC), she serves as clergy at Calvary UMC in Wichita, Kan., where she and her husband, Adam, reside with their son. As a leader within the UMC, Ashley has been elected multiple times as a delegate to the denomination’s General Conference, contributing to shaping the church’s future. She is known for her compassionate leadership, creative ministry, and unwavering commitment to God’s inclusive love. In her community, she founded a network of interfaith clergy who work to support immigration reform and the dignity of all people. She also co-founded a local interfaith organization to address systemic challenges and pursue lasting change. Ashley remains deeply grateful for the education she received at North Central, including the meaningful relationships she formed and the sense of calling she discerned. She went on to earn both a Master of Divinity and an M.A. in Christian Education from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill.

“North Central has been a place where I began to understand who I was becoming. It was a place where my faith was not simply something I was asked to believe. It was something I was invited to live.” 

— Ashley Prescott Barlow-Thompson ’06

ALUMNI RECOGNITION AWARD

Recognizes potential for success in a career, community service, or support to North Central College by younger alumni within 15 years of graduation.

Rima Ziuraitis ’12 has been honored for her selfless volunteer service to provide humanitarian, military, and medical aid in Ukraine over the past four years. After earning a bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy from North Central, Rima began a career in corporate finance. In 2014, she joined efforts to support Ukrainian sovereignty and later served as managing director for an organization focused on delivering non-lethal military and medical aid Feeling called to stand on the frontlines of freedom, she left her finance job and traveled to Ukraine, eventually enlisting in the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2024 and earning certification as a combat medic-corpsman She now performs medical evacuations and has trained hundreds of soldiers in lifesaving techniques In 2026, she was honored by the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago as its Global Citizenship Hero. Born in Berlin, Germany, and raised in Naperville, Rima is of Lithuanian descent. Her family history includes relatives who were executed or deported to Siberia under Soviet occupation. She has served as president of the U S Lithuanian Youth Association and worked to preserve historical accounts of World War II refugees.

“North Central gave me the foundation I needed to give back to the world, and I also am proud of my time there.”

— Rima Ziuraitis ’12
 

OUTSTANDING ALUMNI AWARDS

Honor one or more North Central College or Shimer College alumni who graduated more than 15 years ago and have excelled in their careers while demonstrating service to the community and North Central College.

Nick Brunick ’96 grew up in Dixon, Ill., where he gained the lifelong perspective that everyone should be able to live in a neighborhood with affordable homes, safe streets, and good schools. At North Central, he was involved in athletics, student government and more. He went on to The University of Texas at Austin, earning a master’s degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs and a J D /law degree through the School of Law. Today, Nick is an attorney and partner at Applegate & Thorne-Thomsen, P.C., in Chicago. With expertise in corporate, real estate, finance, zoning, and tax law, he represents developers who are creating housing or commercial developments. He also represents not-for-profit entities and for-profit businesses that are building affordable homes or creating schools, grocery stores, hospitals, manufacturing facilities, and more, and he serves as counsel to community development corporations, housing developers, and lenders who focus on investment and economic development in places that need it. Nick credits North Central with encouraging lifelong service. He has coached youth sports, served on non-profit boards, and advances Reclaiming Chicago, an effort to build affordable homes. Nick and his wife, Katie, live in Oak Park, Ill., with their four children and are active in their parish school and community.

“This place gave me the gift of a vocation ... a purpose in life. North Central College helped me to learn how to use each day as an opportunity to grow mentally, physically and spiritually and while doing so, to try to make the world a better place.” 

— Nick Brunick ’96

Tracie Morris ’02 develops inspirational and innovative people strategies that propel organizations forward. Over three decades, she has championed learning, development, recruitment, retention, culture, and well-being programs and led culture transformation and execution of inclusion and talent strategies. Currently, she is chief people officer at Corewell Health, where she has brought more than 65,000 employees around a shared purpose and unified approach to work. Previously, she held senior human resources and culture leadership roles in the financial services and energy sectors. Tracie graduated from North Central with a BS in organizational communications, then earned an MS in management organizational behavior from Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill. She has served on the North Central College Board of Trustees since 2020. She also serves on the board of Leadership Greater Chicago and is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, the Executive Club of Chicago, the Chicago Club, and other organizations. She has been named a Crain’s Grand Rapids Business Notable Leader in Human Resources (2024) and was listed among Savoy magazine’s Most Influential Executives in Corporate America (2024), Modern Healthcare’s Leading Women (2025), and Becker’s Chief People Officers to Know (2026). Tracie resides in Plainfield, Ill with her partner Kevin, and she has four adult children.

“When I look back, now I realize I found more than just a community at North Central. I found a home.” 

— Tracie Morris ’02

Deborah Sperberg S’59 is an American poet, naturalist, and former executive at IBM. Two of her published poetry collections include “I Say Yes” and “After We Say Yes.” Deborah was a student at Shimer College during the Great Books era, having enrolled after her junior year of high school. Now a resident of Carlsbad, Calif., she volunteers as an interpreter at the Anza-Borrego Natural History Association in Borrego Springs, Calif. Previously, Sperberg served on the Board of Trustees for Shimer College. At North Central College, she has established the Deborah Sperberg S’59 and John O. Strong Endowment Scholarship to provide financial assistance to two female undergraduate students who are in good academic standing, with first preference given to students majoring in business or engineering. In 2012, Deborah was awarded an Alumni Service Award by the Shimer College Alumni Association. She and her husband, John, reside in Carlsbad, Calif.

I say yes. It is one of the pleasures of my life that yeses are easy, uncomplicated, and sometimes immediate.

I can say yes because it is not a promise. It says nothing about next week, next month, next year, or happily ever after.

It simply says yes. The way I feel is Yes. The sun is shining.

Yes.

— Deborah Sperberg S’59, from her poem “I Say Yes”

Scott Wehrli ’91 credits early mentors with teaching him about servant leadership and how to foster a sense of community and inclusiveness. He has lived out those lessons over four decades in business, banking, law enforcement and public service, including serving as the mayor of the award- winning City of Naperville since 2023. Wehrli is the principal owner and chairman of Naperville- based DuKane Precast, a longstanding industry leader that employs more than 200 people. An example of his dedication to the community was an effort to co-organize a group of business leaders to create community banks specializing in local lending. He also served for 35 years as a part- time sworn Naperville Park District police officer and for 29 years on the city’s liquor commission. Today, Wehrli sits on the boards of several organizations, including the North Central College Board of Trustees. In 2023, he was recognized as an Edgar Fellow by the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs. In 2024, he was one of 39 mayors from 11 countries selected to participate in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. Scott received the Alumni Recognition Award in 2006. He and his wife, Lynda, reside in Naperville and have two adult children.