Celebrating Our Alumni Throughout the Decades
SIUE is proud of the countless accomplishments its 120,000 alumni have made in nearly every sector of society. In honor of the Alumni Association’s 50th anniversary, the articles below highlight the work of alumni from each of the past five decades.
1970s: A Voice for Presidential Politics
Peter Maer, BA Mass Communications ’70
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
As a longtime White House correspondent for CBS News, Peter Maer was a voice for national news for more than a quarter century. From 1986 until his retirement in 2015, Maer covered everything from presidential politics to major national and international disasters. Maer has been cited for his commitment to integrity and to advancing public dialogue on controversial and divisive issues.
Inspired to become a journalist while watching coverage of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Maer was a member of the first class of SIUE mass communications majors, graduating in 1970. Prior to joining CBS News, he worked as a reporter covering state government and civil rights at radio stations in St. Louis, Nashville and Atlanta.
Maer is a recipient of several national awards including the Interfaith Alliance Walter Cronkite Faith and Freedom Award, three Edward R. Murrow Awards, five Merriman Smith Awards for Presidential Coverage Under Deadline Pressure and the Overseas Press Award. Locally, Maer received the St. Louis Press Club's Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the St. Louis Media Hall of Fame.
Despite covering some of the nation’s most important news stories of the day, Maer has remained connected to his alma mater. SIUE honored him as its Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in 1995 and awarded him an honorary doctorate of humane letters in 2007. Maer was inducted into the SIUE Alumni Hall of Fame in 2012.
Following his retirement, Maer has begun creating a special collection at Lovejoy Library of memorabilia, press passes and notes from his time at CBS News.
“So much of my journalism adventure started at SIUE,” said Maer. “I hope my papers and souvenirs of my travels with six U.S. presidents will inspire students as they begin their own career journeys.”
1980s: From Open Mic Nights to Sold Out Theaters
Kathleen Madigan, BA Mass Communications ’88
Photo credit: Luzena Adams
The Detroit Free Press has described Kathleen Madigan as “one of the funniest stand-up comedians of her generation.” After more than three decades in the industry, Madigan continues to sell out theaters across the country and around the world with her stand-up act during which she has “all but perfected the art of crafting and delivering a perfect joke,” according to the Chicago Tribune.
But Madigan didn’t always aspire to be a comedian. When she attended SIUE in the 1980s, she had plans to be a journalist.
After earning a bachelor’s in mass communications in 1988, she was hired to write the Missouri Athletic Club’s magazine. Occasionally, she and her friends would attend the St. Louis Funny Bone comedy club’s open mic nights. When Madigan eventually decided to try it herself, she was a hit. Before long, she was performing at Funny Bone comedy clubs across the country.
Fast forward to today, and Madigan is still traveling the country 250 nights a year while squeezing in appearances on late night talk shows, cruising with Jerry Seinfeld on his Netflix show, “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” and performing at international comedy festivals.
Madigan has released five highly-rated comedy specials, including her most recent Netflix special, “Bothering Jesus.” Her album of this latest special was the highest selling comedy album and most played comedy album on streaming services since 2014. Madigan’s sixth comedy special will be released in early 2023.
While Madigan’s wildly successful career as a stand-up comedian may have strayed from her original career ambitions, she undoubtedly uses the writing skills she gained at SIUE.
“I majored in journalism and the professors there were very serious,” said Madigan. “I found it somewhat annoying at the time but once out in the real world, I was glad I knew everything they made us learn because I was able to do all of it. Everything involved in a publication...from layout to cropping pictures and writing the articles. For stand-up comedy, editing is one of THE most important things if you want to succeed and although I learned it through journalism, it was helpful for stand-up after all of those years of editing unnecessary words in articles. I also had a way better press kit than other comedians at my level thanks to journalism!”
1990s: Enhancing Cybersecurity for Organizations Around the World
Angela Heise, BS Computer Science ’96
Angela Heise has dedicated her career to securing organizations through information technology and advanced cybersecurity programs. She currently serves as corporate vice president of defense and intelligence for the Microsoft Corporation. In this role, she works with defense and intelligence agencies to advance their missions to promote stability and security for residents, nations and multinational alliances.
Heise graduated from SIUE in 1996 with a bachelor’s in computer science and joined Lockheed Martin as a software engineer in 1997. She rose through the ranks to become vice president of Lockheed Martin Commercial Cyber before joining Leidos Civil as its president in 2016.
In 2018, Heise completed Harvard’s Advanced Management Program, was named to Washington Exec’s Top 25 Executives to Watch list and was inducted into SIUE’s Alumni Hall of Fame.
Heise currently serves on the board of directors of Essent Guaranty, as well as the advisory board for the SIUE School of Engineering. She values supporting women in STEM leadership roles, and to this end, she has pledged a sizable gift annually for four years to support SIUE’s computer science development initiatives and computer science scholarships that give preference to female and minority students. Microsoft has agreed to match her annual contributions.
“SIUE gave me an unbelievable gift,” said Heise, who recalls being one of two females in her courses. “My professors always called on me when I raised my hand. They always made sure I had a voice, and they encouraged me constantly to use it and share my perspective in class.”
“I want to thank SIUE for that gift,” she continued, “because it meant that every job I took, I raised my hand and always used my voice. Today, I give my employees the same sense of inclusion and encourage them to use their voice to make the world better.”
2000s: Ruling the Boxing Ring
Jessica McCaskill, BA Mass Communications ’06
Professional boxer Jessica “CasKILLA” McCaskill became the unified and undisputed welterweight champion in 2020. She was one of only three female fighters in the world to hold the undisputed title at that time.
With this level of success, it may come as a surprise that only after she earned a bachelor’s in mass communications in 2006 did McCaskill first try the sport of boxing. She started boxing purely for fitness and had her first amateur bout in 2009. After making her professional debut in 2015, it took McCaskill only three years to become the World Boxing Council’s Super Lightweight Champion.
In 2018, Ring Magazine named McCaskill its Most Inspirational Fighter. She was also featured in the 2018 Amazon Prime documentary, “Making McCaskill.”
McCaskill became the unified World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association Super Lightweight Champion in 2019 before moving to the welterweight division.
As a first-generation college student at SIUE, Jessica quickly learned to take advantage of the resources needed in order to be successful. She asked questions, visited office hours and got involved in extracurriculars while earning her degree.
“I had to jump in and be bold,” explained McCaskill. “I took advantage of my access to teachers and office hours. I asked a million questions. I did everything needed to be prepared and succeed.”
McCaskill’s strong work ethic is one of many reasons why she has seen unprecedented success throughout her boxing career.
“I have definitely used those standards of ‘show up early, leave late, work hard every single day, push yourself, motivate other people’ in everything I’ve done — whether it was classes in college, a corporate job and now into boxing.”
2010s: Providing Life-Saving Care a World Away
Maj. Michael Johnson, PharmD ’16
Maj. Michael Johnson, PharmD, chose to pursue a career in pharmacy, in part, because of the positive impact he could make on the lives of others. He chose SIUE’s School of Pharmacy because of its thoughtful approach to the education of each student. He later came to appreciate the thorough understanding of his craft he would gain, which allowed him to think and act quickly and courageously in key life-saving situations.
Johnson joined the U.S. Air Force following graduation in 2016, and since that time, he has filled several key roles. Johnson’s greatest challenge to date, however, came on August 26, 2021, when a suicide bomber carried out an attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) in Kabul, Afghanistan. Johnson was the sole pharmacist remaining in the country responsible for providing care to coalition forces under dangerous circumstances.
Johnson had been in Afghanistan since March 2021, first overseeing pharmacy services at Bagram Air Base before its closure, and then moving to HKIA. Following the terrorist attack, Johnson’s hospital received an influx of 62 patients in need of life-saving medications and supplies.
“I ran from patient to patient, assessing the injuries, leaving behind necessary medications for each medical team to stabilize their patients and providing tactical combat casualty care to those in immediate need,” Johnson explained.
He made frequent trips to the ICU and operating rooms, assisted in delivering a baby, and worked closely with the aeromedical evacuation teams to supply and conduct the largest aeromedical evacuation in U.S. history.
“Having now made it home safely, I take great pride in the work our military members and coalition forces were able to perform in the constraints we were in,” said Johnson. “This was a dangerous operational environment requiring the use of true, expeditionary medical skills, but I am grateful for the opportunity to have served in this capacity.”
2020s: Embodying the True Spirit of the Nursing Profession
Domonique Dones, BS Nursing ’21
Inspired to help people through some of their most difficult times, alumna and current doctoral candidate Domonique Dones chose to pursue a career in nursing.
“Nurses have nurturing hearts that help to heal, whether someone is sick physically or emotionally,” Dones said. “The diversity in patients one can see and the lives one can impact is truly inspirational.”
When Dones graduated from SIUE in December 2021 with a bachelor’s in nursing, she was honored with the School of Nursing’s Student Leadership Award. This award recognizes a student who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership qualities by embodying the true spirit of the nursing profession and helping others to realize their goals.
As an undergraduate, Dones illustrated these characteristics through her involvement within the School and on campus. She served as president of the Student Nurse Achievement Program and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority; was a liaison for the School’s Alumni Advisory Board; and was a member of the Student/Dean’s Advisory Board, Black Student Union and National Society of Leadership and Success.
Following graduation from SIUE, Dones accepted a position as a graduate nurse in the intensive care unit at SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital-St. Louis. She is thankful for the variety of hands-on learning opportunities she gained during her undergraduate studies at SIUE, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dones is eager to become an even better nurse through the School’s doctor of nursing practice-family nurse practitioner program (DNP-FNP).
“I decided to enroll in SIUE’s DNP-FNP program because I wanted to have an impact in the minority community and encourage other minorities to advocate for their health,” said Dones. “As a minority nurse, it is extremely important for me to advocate for patients and encourage them to utilize all healthcare resources.