13 Notable alumni of University of Illinois at Springfield
Updated: June 15, 2026 EliteDegrees
University of Illinois at Springfield is ranked #2,167 in the world and #549 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 13 notable alumni from University of Illinois at Springfield sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with University of Illinois at Springfield won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Elgie Sims
politician
Elgie R. Sims Jr. is the Illinois state Senator for the 17th district. The 17th district includes the Chatham neighborhoods of Chicago along with the all or parts of Burnham, Calumet City, Lansing, Ford Heights, Lynwood, Sauk Village, Beecher, Manteno, and Grant Park.
+ show more
2. Jim Langfelder
1960-. (aged 66)
politician
Jim Langfelder is the former mayor of Springfield, Illinois, the state capital and seat of Sangamon County. Prior to his election to Mayor of Springfield, he served as the city treasurer for three terms spanning from 2003 to 2015. Municipal offices in Illinois are legally nonpartisan, however, Langfelder is a member of the Democratic Party.
+ show more
3. Jermaine Love
1989-. (aged 37)
basketball player
Jermaine Love-Roberts is an American professional basketball player for Esenler Erokspor of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). A 6'3", 186 lbs combo guard, Love played for Prairie State College (where he became the school's first All-America selection in men's basketball) and at the University of Illinois at Springfield, before going overseas to Lithuania, to play for Palanga and Vilnius of...
+ show more
4. Brian K. Hopkins
1961-. (aged 65)
politician
Brian K. Hopkins is an Alderman of Chicago, representing the 2nd ward. The 2nd Ward includes Streeterville, Old Town, Lincoln Park, and the Gold Coast. Prior to his election to the Chicago City Council, he served as Chief of Staff to Cook County Commissioner John P. Daley.
+ show more
5. Ward Churchill
1947-. (aged 79)
writer
political activist
university teacher
ethnologist
Ward LeRoy Churchill is an American activist, author, and former academic. He was a professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado Boulder from 1990 until 2007. Much of Churchill's work focuses on the historical treatment of political dissenters and Native Americans by the United States government, and he expresses controversial views in a direct, often confrontational and abrasive...
+ show more
6. William Enyart
1949-. (aged 77)
lawyer
businessperson
military officer
politician
William Lee Enyart Jr. is an American general and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 12th congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party, Enyart was elected on November 6, 2012, and assumed office on January 3, 2013. Enyart is a former attorney and Adjutant General of Illinois.
+ show more
7. Dana Perino
1972-. (aged 54)
journalist
politician
Dana Marie Perino is an American political commentator and author who was the 26th White House press secretary, under President George W. Bush from September 14, 2007, to January 20, 2009. She was the second female White House press secretary, after Dee Dee Myers who served during the Clinton administration.
+ show more
8. Mike Cernovich
1977-. (aged 49)
journalist
Michael Cernovich is an American right-wing social media personality and political commentator. Though he initially called himself alt-right, he dissociated from the movement after Richard Spencer became its public face. Cernovich describes himself as part of the new right and some have described him as part of the alt-lite.
+ show more
9. Timothy Davlin
1957-2010 (aged 53)
politician
Timothy J. Davlin was the mayor of the U.S. city of Springfield, Illinois, from April 2003 until his suicide in December 2010 at age 53. Although the mayor's office is officially non-partisan, the Illinois capital has a strong tradition of partisanship, including municipal races. Both major parties of Sangamon County endorse candidates. Davlin had the backing of the Democratic Party.
+ show more
10. Al Lewis
journalist
Al Lewis is an American journalist who has served as a columnist for The Wall Street Journal Sunday, MarketWatch and The Denver Post. On April 1, 2016, he became business editor of the Houston Chronicle. On March 15, 2024, he launched Business Blunders, a Substack newsletter chronicling the biggest missteps in business.
+ show more
11. Cheri Bustos
1961-. (aged 65)
business executive
politician
journalist
lobbyist
businessperson
Cheryl Lea Bustos is an American lobbyist. Formerly a journalist, healthcare executive, and politician, she served as the U.S. representative from Illinois's 17th congressional district from 2013 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the first woman elected to Congress from her district in the northwestern part of the state, anchored by the Illinois side of the...
+ show more
12. Gordon S. Heddell
1943-. (aged 83)
U.S. Secret Service agent
Gordon S. Heddell is a former Inspector General (IG) of the United States Department of Defense. Previously, Heddell also served as Inspector General for the Department of Labor.
+ show more
13. Bobby McFerrin
1950-. (aged 76)
beatboxer
animator
university teacher
recording artist
conductor
Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, and conductor. His vocal techniques include singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rapidly alternating with arpeggios and harmonies—as well as scat singing, polyphonic overtone singing, and improvisational vocal percussion. McFerrin performs and records regularly as an unaccompanied solo vocal artist and...
+ show more