27 Notable alumni of Northeastern Illinois University
Updated: June 14, 2026 EliteDegrees
Northeastern Illinois University is ranked #2,177 in the world and #553 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 27 notable alumni from Northeastern Illinois University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Northeastern Illinois University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Shinobu Sato
1955-. (aged 71)
classical guitarist
Shinobu Sato, is a Japanese classical artist. Shinobu debuted in 1988 with the tape Red Dragonfly: World Music on Guitar, which was released on audio CD in 1992. His second major album, Little Signs of Autumn was released on audio CD in 1994.
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2. Nancy Davidson
1943-. (aged 83)
sculptor
designer
video artist
artist
Nancy Davidson is an American artist best known for large-scale inflatable sculptures regarded as hyper-feminized abstractions of the human female form. Bulbous and flesh-like, the sculptures resemble buttocks and breasts and employ erotic cultural signifiers in their shape and decoration. Davidson's work spans art media but centers around sculpture. It is largely post-minimal in character and described by commentators as...
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3. Teresa Fraga
community organizer
activist
teacher
Teresa Fraga is a Mexican-born teacher, community organizer, and activist in Pilsen, Chicago. She is an executive board member and the treasurer of Pilsen Neighbors Community Council, and the co-chair of the Pilsen Planning Committee.
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4. Marie Agnes Hinrichs
1892-1979 (aged 87)
physiologist
zoologist
Marie Agnes Hinrichs Ph.D., M.D. was an American scientist specializing in zoology, physiology, and physical health. She earned a Ph.D. in zoology in 1923, conferred from the University of Chicago. She taught at the University of Chicago, before moving on to direct departments at Southern Illinois University and University of Illinois. She became known for her research into the effects...
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5. Milly Santiago
politician
Milagros "Milly" Santiago is an American politician who served as alderman of the 31st ward of Chicago, Illinois from 2015 to 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
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6. William Delgado
1956-. (aged 70)
politician
William "Willie" Delgado is a former Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 2nd district from 2006 until June 2016. He was first elected in 2006, replacing Miguel del Valle, who was elected Chicago City Clerk. Previously, Delgado served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1999 to 2006 and was replaced by Luis Arroyo.
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7. Juliana Taimoorazy
1973-. (aged 53)
Juliana Taimoorazy is an Assyrian American activist from Iran. She is the founder and current president of the Iraqi Christian Relief Council, a position that she's held since its inception in 2007. From 2015 to 2020, she was a senior fellow with the Philos Project, an organization that aims to increase Christian engagement in the Middle East. She became a...
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8. John C. D'Amico
1962-. (aged 64)
politician
John C. D'Amico is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 15th District from November 2004 to November 2021.
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9. Margaret Laurino
1952-. (aged 74)
politician
Margaret Laurino Barnette is a former alderman of the 39th Ward of the City of Chicago. She is the daughter of former Alderman Anthony C. Laurino, the sister of former state Representative William Laurino, and the wife of former 39th Ward Democratic Committeeman Randy Barnette.
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10. Gilbert Villegas
1970-. (aged 56)
politician
Gilbert Villegas is an American politician. He is a member of the Chicago City Council, serving as alderperson for the city's 36th ward. The 36th ward includes Belmont-Cragin, Galewood, Hermosa, Humboldt Park, Montclare and Portage Park. Prior to his election to the Chicago City Council, he served as chief of staff of the Illinois Capital Development Board.
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11. Miguel del Valle
1951-. (aged 75)
politician
Miguel del Valle is an American politician who has served in various roles in municipal and state government in Chicago. He was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1987, becoming the first Hispanic member of the body, and served until 2006. He was appointed to fill a vacancy for Chicago City Clerk by Mayor Richard M. Daley in 2006, and...
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12. George Cardenas
1964-. (aged 62)
politician
George A. Cárdenas is an American public official serving as a commissioner of the Cook County Board of Review for the 1st district. He previously represented Chicago’s 12th Ward on the Chicago City Council from 2003 to 2022, where he served in leadership roles including deputy floor leader and chair of the Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy.
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13. Iris Martinez
1956-. (aged 70)
politician
Iris Y. Martinez is a former American politician and administrator. In 2020, she was elected clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County. She previously served as a member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 20th district from 2003 until becoming clerk. A member of the Democratic Party, she rose to Assistant Majority Leader in the State Senate. As court...
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14. Sara Feigenholtz
1956-. (aged 70)
politician
Sara Feigenholtz is a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate who has represented the 6th district since 2020. The district includes the lakefront Chicago neighborhoods of Lake View, Lincoln Park, and the Near North Side. From 1995 to 2020, she was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives representing the 12th district.
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15. Walter Burnett, Jr
1963-. (aged 63)
politician
Walter Burnett Jr. is an American politician who served as the alderman for Chicago's 27th ward from 1995 to 2025. The 27th ward includes the West Loop, Greektown, East Garfield Park, Near North Side, Old Town, West Humboldt Park, West Town, Goose Island and the Illinois Medical District. From 2023 to 2025, he also served as vice mayor of Chicago.
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16. Laura Fine
1967-. (aged 59)
politician
Laura Fine is an American politician who has served as a member of the Illinois Senate from the 9th district since 2019, representing parts of Chicago and several North Shore suburbs in Cook County. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously represented the 17th district in the Illinois House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019. In 2025, Fine announced...
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17. Dan Crawford
1953-. (aged 73)
basketball player
basketball official
Danny Crawford is a retired American professional basketball referee in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He made 23 straight NBA Finals appearances, achieving this in Game 1 of the 2017 Finals. Crawford was an NBA referee from 1985 to 2017 and worked at least one NBA Finals game each season from 1995 to 2017. He will be inducted into the...
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18. Ana Castillo
1953-. (aged 73)
writer
poet
novelist
essayist
Ana Castillo is a Chicana novelist, poet, short story writer, essayist, editor, playwright, translator and independent scholar. Considered one of the leading voices in Chicana experience, Castillo is most known for her experimental style as a Latina novelist and for her intervention in Chicana feminism known as Xicanisma.
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19. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
assistant professor
Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor is an American academic, writer, and activist. She is a professor of African American Studies at Princeton University. She is the author of From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation. For this book, Taylor received the 2016 Cultural Freedom Award for an Especially Notable Book from the Lannan Foundation. She is a co-publisher of Hammer & Hope, an online magazine...
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20. Luis Gutiérrez
1953-. (aged 73)
teacher
politician
Luis Vicente Gutiérrez is an American politician. He served as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 4th congressional district from 1993 to 2019. From 1986 until his election to Congress, he served as a member of the Chicago City Council representing the 26th ward. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus...
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21. Delia Ramirez
1983-. (aged 43)
politician
Delia Catalina Ramirez is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 3rd congressional district since 2023. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
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22. Michael Angelo Batio
1956-. (aged 70)
music educator
guitarist
musician
Michael Angelo Batio, also known as Michael Angelo, Mike Batio or MAB, is an American heavy metal guitarist. He was the lead guitarist for the glam metal band Nitro in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is currently the permanent guitarist for the band Manowar.
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23. Tim McIlrath
1979-. (aged 47)
singer-songwriter
guitarist
actor
singer
Timothy James McIlrath is an American rock musician. He is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, songwriter and co-founder of the punk rock band Rise Against. He is vegetarian and straight edge.
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24. Karen Yarbrough
1950-2024 (aged 74)
politician
Karen A. Yarbrough was an American politician who served as the Cook County Clerk from 2018 until her death in 2024. Yarbrough served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013, and as Cook County Recorder of Deeds from 2012 to 2018. She briefly served as the interim chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois...
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25. Karen Lewis
1953-2021 (aged 68)
teacher
trade unionist
Karen Lewis was an American educator and labor leader who served as president of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), Chicago's division of the American Federation of Teachers, from 2010 to 2014. For nearly 20 years before becoming president of the teachers union, she was a high school chemistry teacher.
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26. Art Porter, Jr
1961-1996 (aged 35)
saxophonist
jazz musician
Arthur Lee Porter Jr. was an American jazz saxophonist. He was the son of jazz musician Art Porter Sr. and the namesake of "The Art Porter Bill".
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27. Angelo Reyes
1945-2011 (aged 66)
military personnel
politician
Angelo Tomas Reyes also known as General Reyes, was a Filipino retired general and politician who served as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff from 2000 to 2001 under President Joseph Estrada. At the height of the 2001 EDSA Revolution, Reyes withdrew his support for Estrada, which led to the installation of Vice President Gloria Macapagal...
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