Annual Meeting 2022

The Alpha Chapter at the School of Information Sciences (iSchool), University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign celebrated its Annual Meeting and Initiation Ceremony on Saturday, May 14th as part of our Commencement Weekend. Embracing our new tradition born out of necessity of the pandemic, new initiates were invited to join the Alpha Chapter officers for a group photo in Zoom. This year, we were delighted that new members were able to join us from Turkey and distant State-side locations, genuinely reflecting the Alpha Chapter’s global reach.

We welcomed 39 graduates from August and December 2021 and May 2022, as well as one from the Class of 2020. For the first time, we welcomed graduates of our BS in Information Sciences program. Our BSIS Program has seen remarkable growth, and we look forward to the excitement this new step brings to the Alpha Chapter.
In that spirit of dynamism, we enthusiastically announce planning for the Alpha Chapter’s 75th Anniversary (1948-2023). As the first BPM Chapter in the nation, we are calling all members past and present to join us during our 75th Anniversary year to celebrate. Drawing on our rich archives and diverse membership, we know there are many stories to tell that reflect our many facets. We look forward to spotlighting our collective roles as catalysts in our fields, and how we shape the future through our scholarship, service, and leadership.

At the 2022 Convocation ceremony, we had the pleasure of presenting the Anne M. Boyd Award to Cheyenne Puetz and the Kathryn Luther and William T Henderson Award to Katie Peterson. We heartily congratulate them both on the demonstrated contributions they’ve made to our community.

Please join us in welcoming our newest Alpha Chapter members. From the Class of 2022: Busola A. Akinwale, Joshua Amir Altshuler, Sarah Appedu, Emma Ann Lapsley Bezilla, Julia Sullivan Burns, Alexandra Virginia Byerly, Maria del Carmen Cifuentes, Jamie A. Coen, Tacia Jasmine Diaz, Susannah Frey, Amanda He, Dianah Twinoburyo Kacunguzi, Eugene P. Kannenberg, Jr., Luisa Alexandra Leija, Abigail Elizabeth Mastin, Craig Steven Metsch, Tuvya Aaron Miller, Megan R. Okesson, Katherine M. Peterson, Tammy L. Sheedy, Addyson L. Smith, Yu-Jui Sung, Yilin Tao, G Frances Trupp, Mia Anne Walter, and Emily G. Zerrenner. From the Class of 2021: Felipe E. Aquino, Nancy Proctor Bieschke, Jacob Albert Blumenfeld, Hanna Leigh Dahlstrom, Bibiana L. Fox, Sarah Huth, Ashley Nicole Mitchell, Josiah Theddy Peralta, Abigayle M. Pignatari, Shadi Rezapour, Nathan C. Sonnenschein, Victoria K. Turner, and Olivia Kathryn Warren. From the Class of 2020: Michael R. Cummings.

In attendance were Alpha Chapter Officers: President Sharon Comstock, Vice President/President-Elect Pia Hunter, Secretary/Treasurer Linda Smith, and Past President Paul Healey. Also in attendance and serving Alpha Chapter this year was Emily Knox, Faculty Advisor and Beta Phi Mu Past President, and newly selected Vice President/President Elect Anna Elizabeth Mitchell.