One Laker Nation One Laker Nation
UpBrewingSuccess
Fellow Alumni:
This past year has been both dynamic and fulfilling for the Foundation & Alumni Office. We were thrilled to congratulate our 2024 graduates with Alumni tote bags, honor our outstanding 2023 award recipients, launch an enhanced e-newsletter and achieve another record-breaking Love a Laker campaign. We are also excited to announce, with the college’s support, this magazine is being sent not only to alumni but to all members of our district. Even if you’ve never attended a class at Lake Land College, we believe it’s important for you to see our impact on your community.
While we didn’t host our annual Golf Classic, we’ve redirected our efforts toward launching the new Community Partners Program, designed to provide our supporters with a wide range of opportunities to get involved. To learn more about this program, please refer to the back of the magazine or contact me directly. Whether you graduated from Lake Land College, completed a single credit hour or are a valued member of our district, we welcome you into One Laker Nation. Stay connected by liking our Facebook page and visiting our Alumni webpage for the latest updates on events and opportunities. There’s always something for everyone at Lake Land College!
AMANDA ALLEN
Laker Nation Class of 2015 Director of Annual Giving & Alumni Relations 217-234-5376 atucker1563@LakeLandCollege.edu
Update your information to receive the monthly Alumni e-newsletter at LakeLandCollege.edu/Alumni and be sure to follow us on social media.
at the
We welcome our newest alumni!
LAKER NATION CLASS OF 2024
FROM FARM ROOTS TO CORPORATE HEIGHTS:
An Alumnus' Path to Leadership
AS THE
HEAD of Case IH North America, Kurt Coffey oversees the production of tractors, combines and advanced technology for the future of farming. Every day, he deploys a proficient knowledge of agriculture, marketing, economics and statistics to guide the company with strategic precision. It’s an impressive combination of skills for anyone to possess, and Kurt credits Lake Land College as the foundation of his expertise.
Kurt considered many different career trajectories coming out of high school, but having grown up on a farm in Ashmore, he always gravitated toward agriculture. Lake Land therefore became an obvious choice to continue his education, and Kurt was immediately impressed with the College’s blend of classroom instruction and practical application.
“There’s something to be said about proving you have what it takes with hands-on experience, because that makes you grittier and scrappier than a lot of students who attend big schools following high school,” Kurt said. “I entered the workforce with a mindset that I can get in a pool with sharks and alligators and still find a way to swim.”
and he earned marketing director status just three years later. Even as his career rapidly progressed, Kurt never allowed himself to be distracted by any end goal. Instead, he focused on learning everything he could and keeping his path broad to increase his knowledge as much as possible.
“People often think of career growth in terms of connecting point A to point B with a straight line, but your path isn’t always going to be linear,” Kurt explained. “There’s tremendous value in moving laterally or even moving backward to learn as much as you can and develop new skills.”
In 2021, Kurt became the head of Case IH, the world-famous subsidiary of CNH responsible for manufacturing bright red farming machines and the cutting-edge technology within them. With thorough experience in all business functions, Kurt manages the company with a rare degree of comprehensive mastery. Even more vital to the success of a company and the retention of talent is leadership, and Kurt continuously strives to be the type of leader who others want to work with.
"There’s something to be said about proving you have what it takes with hands-on experience... I entered the workforce with a mindset that I can get in a pool with sharks and alligators and still find a way to swim."
After graduating from Lake Land, Kurt transferred to Illinois State University and eventually began a career in agriculture. His relentless, hard-working approach to his craft earned him a strong reputation in the industry and placed him on the radar of CNH Industrial, the parent company of Case IH.
-Coffey
In 2008, Kurt joined CNH as a field representative. In this entry-level role, he promoted CNH products and managed customer relationships in his assigned region throughout Illinois. It was a competitive position, with 50 other employees just like him making their case for a finite number of promotion opportunities.
Kurt’s work ethic once again set him apart from his peers, and he gradually began to advance through the company and earn opportunities for career growth. By 2011 he became a marketing manager,
Kurt considers his position with Case IH to be a dream job, but he also suspects it won’t be the final stop of his career. He considers himself a lifelong learner, always adding new skills to his crowded resume and opening new paths for himself to follow. He hopes to find new ways to give back and pour into others, a way to return the favor for all the blessings he’s received over the years. He also finds himself looking back to his life growing up on the family farm in Ashmore, and he hopes to one day return to where his love for agriculture all began.
“I suppose it’s a little ironic. People fight and claw for the chance to retire and golf down in Florida and live a life they’ve never had,” Kurt said. “I’d like to return to where my life began and farm all over again. It’s just what I love.”
Brewing Up Success
LAKER ALUMNI FIND
PASSION IN CAFFEINATING OUR COMMUNITIES
ANY COFFEE ENTHUSIAST
knows there’s no experience quite like visiting a local, family-owned café. There are endless places to order coffee, but there’s something special about a place where customers are greeted by familiar faces, new friendships are routinely made, and the owners are deeply invested in the surrounding community. Central Illinois is home to many special family-owned coffee shops, including Joe Sippers in Effingham, Oliver Coffee Company in Shelbyville and Casey Coffee Company in Casey. The owners of all three coffee shops share a similar goal: creating community through coffee beans. They just so happen to share a similar past as well: they all are graduates of Lake Land College.
JOE SIPPERS CAFÉ –A REFLECTION OF COMMUNITY
When Emily and Brennan Debenham purchased Joe Sippers Café in 2018, they didn’t become the owners of any ordinary coffee shop. Joe Sippers had been a pillar of the Effingham community since it opened in 2005. As a Lake Land College nursing student in 2014, Brennan would visit the café himself almost every day before heading to class. Never once did he suspect he’d be running the place in just four years.
“It was just a matter of being in the right place at the right time,” Emily explained. “We found out this iconic location of Effingham was available to own, and that just seemed like a no-brainer to us.”
The Debenhams had never owned a business before purchasing Joe Sippers, but the culinary environment was nothing new to them. Shortly after Emily graduated from Lake Land in 2008, she and Brennan traveled to Alaska and Las Vegas to study culinary arts and work in worldrenowned restaurants. As owners of Joe Sippers, Emily and Brennan have pulled from this extensive experience to build upon the company’s framework. They’ve added catering
services, online ordering, a full bakery and even a roastery, which they use to craft their own products and supply coffee beans to local vendors.
While the Debenhams have found new ways to expand the business, they’ve always retained the heart of Joe Sippers: community. Continuing a tradition from the previous owners, the Debenhams curate local artwork and display countless drawings and paintings throughout the café’s interior. The entire shop is an evolving canvas, a collaboration of artists of all ages and an unforgettable experience for all visitors.
The art gallery is one of many features that makes Joe Sippers more than just a coffee shop. Here, visitors are encouraged to stick around and meet new friends in a personal, comfortable dining space. Whether it’s business partners holding a meeting, friends enjoying a book club, or even a nervous young couple on a first date, Joe Sippers is the go-to place to connect over a cup of coffee.
“The best part about it is just being a fly on the wall,” Brennan said. “You see so many different people come in, meet a new friend, experience the art and enjoy the atmosphere. It’s all special to witness.”
OLIVER COFFEE COMPANY –ALL OF OURS
About 30 miles northwest of Joe Sippers and residing in the heart of Shelbyville is Oliver Coffee Company, owned by Tom and Hannah Shoaff. When the two opened the business in 2022, they hoped to provide Shelbyville with a local, high-quality coffee option. It didn’t take long, however, for the café to surpass these goals and become a staple of the Shelbyville community.
Tom and Hannah met at Lake Land in 2014 when they both were students in the College’s Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA) program. After graduating, they began PTA careers in Springfield and opened a photography business on the side. In 2020, they moved to Shelbyville, became new parents and began to consider opening their own coffee shop.
“Oliver” isn’t a reference to any specific person, and all customers are encouraged to reach their own personal meaning from the title. As for the Shoaffs, they connect the name to the phrase “All of Ours.”
“The success of our photography business gave me confidence we could open a coffee shop,” Hannah said. “I figured we own one business already, so what’s another one?”
Tom was harder to convince. “I thought she was joking at first,” he said. “Then I really started to think about it, and I realized this was something we could do.”
“It’s incredible how many relationships you can build with people in a little café like this."
-Dashiell
The Shoaffs created the Oliver Coffee Company café by renovating a recycled shipping container into an operational restaurant complete with a drive-thru. All products are locally sourced, with coffee beans from Joe Sippers and other ingredients from neighboring towns. Outside the café, patrons gather on a spacious patio, which routinely serves as the host location for birthday parties, community movie nights, local vendors and fall festival markets.
While Tom and Hannah are the café’s legal owners, they stress that Oliver Coffee Company truly belongs to the community. In fact, the name
“We love the idea that ‘Oliver’s Coffee is All of Ours,’” Hannah explained. “It’s a phrase that encourages so much connection and belonging, and it’s a reminder that everyone in Shelbyville is a part of this journey.”
CASEY COFFEE COMPANY –COME SIP AWHILE
Around the same time the Shoaffs were opening Oliver Coffee Company, Tasha Dashiell was considering a career change. Like the Shoaffs, the former Lake Land College softball player had started a career as a Physical Therapist Assistant, but she struggled to find fulfillment working in the midst of the pandemic. With three young girls at home, she assumed she would have to just continue her current job. That was until she saw a commercial for the local Casey Coffee Company.
“The ad literally said, ‘Have you considered a career change?’” Tasha said with a laugh. “I always loved coffee shops, and I felt like God placed this in my life at the right time. So, I took a leap of faith.”
In 2022, Tasha became the general manager of Casey Coffee Company, and she ultimately
purchased the business just one year later. Trading the professional environment of healthcare for the unpredictable world of business ownership was a major adjustment, but Tasha quickly found joy in building relationships with customers.
Since assuming ownership of Casey Coffee Company, Tasha has found creative ways to place her unique spin on the café. Her seasonal menus incorporate pop culture themes, from “Harry Potter” in the fall to “Elf” during the winter, and ensure there’s always something new for even the most frequent visitors. She also partners with local businesses to host community classes, trivia nights and even open mic events. In 2024, she purchased “Sips in Motion,” a mobile food truck she uses to sell her products and spread the community of Casey Coffee Company throughout central Illinois.
Tasha describes Casey Coffee Company as a “third place.” It’s not home or work for any customers, but it’s a place where all are welcome to visit as long and as often as they like. With multiple company slogans prominently displayed inside the café, Tasha encourages community members and tourists alike to “Come Sip Awhile” and connect with friends over “Better Beans, Better Brew, Better Coffee.”
“There’s so much history in this small town, and I love getting to be a part of that and sharing it with people as they visit,” Tasha said. “It’s incredible how many relationships you can build with people in a little café like this.”
STANDING IN THE Foundation and Alumni Center lobby, Mike Sullivan reviews the story of Lake Land College, presented visually across four acrylic plaques lined side by side along the wall. Each plaque contains a collection of photos that highlight the most pivotal moments across the College’s six-decade life. Occasionally Mike stops to comment on a photo, if only just to say, “I remember that one.”
Having announced his resignation from the Lake Land College Board of Trustees in February 2024, Mike concludes his 37 years of dedicated service as the longest-tenured trustee in the College’s history. His connection to Lake Land began many years prior however, when Mike, stationed in Vietnam as a member of the U.S. Navy, began to plan for his return to his hometown of Mattoon. Attending the city’s brand-new community college, described in letters sent from his father, seemed as good an option as any.
With the help of Virgil H. Judge, the College’s first president, Mike departed the Navy just in time for the start of the 1968 fall semester. His student experience predated a proper campus, and he still recalls rushing across Mattoon to attend his classes. At the groundbreaking of campus in 1969, Mike was there, documenting the event for the student newspaper with the camera he brought back from Vietnam.
During his time as a student, Mike continuously sought new opportunities for campus involvement. He eventually joined the Student Government Association and became the second SGA President in Lake Land history.
“I didn’t really know what I was doing,” Mike recalled. “Being just the second president meant there wasn’t much of a blueprint to follow for the position.”
Blueprints or not, Mike didn’t need them. He used his position to become a trailblazer for student representation, voicing his perspective at Lake Land board meetings and working with the state to establish official student trustee positions throughout Illinois. He even developed the Spring Carnival, one of Lake Land’s most cherished traditions still held annually to this day.
Mike completed his studies in 1970, though his graduation would only be a brief pause in his Lake Land journey. In fact, one of his former instructors, Bill Rich, predicted it all with his final advice to Mike.
“I remember him telling me to go out into the world and get some experience,” Mike said. “Then, come back and help us.”
Mike’s return to Lake Land came in 1987 when he was elected to the College’s Board of Trustees. The 37 years that followed would be a time of expansion and enrichment for Lake Land College, with Mike leading the way on a number of key initiatives. He was the board chair when the Kluthe Center was built in Effingham, and he helped establish Lake Land as a leader in energy conservation.
Always an advocate for a welcoming campus, Mike was influential in the creation of Alumni Park in 2007. With the names of alumni and friends of the College engraved into its many tables and benches, the park honors the students of Lake Land’s past while providing a space for current students, staff and community members to enjoy the beauty of campus. However, Mike’s most cherished and personal campus project is the Veterans’ Memorial, a jet-black granite monument in Podesta Park. Dedicated in 2019 and accompanied by a granite U.S. flag in 2022, the Veterans’ Memorial recognizes the courage and sacrifice of all veterans, including Mike himself.
What Mike most remembers about his time at Lake Land is not any project or initiative, but the people by his side through it all. As he resigns from his trustee position, he rests assured that his connection to the College will always remain. He plans to return to campus often, whether to enjoy Alumni Park, visit the Veteran’s Memorial or just reconnect with old friends. He is also thankful to have made lasting relationships with many Lake Land students, whose success was his greatest motivation throughout the years.
“You can look in any career field and find our students doing great things,” Mike said. “I’m glad I get to see it. I like to walk through Alumni Park and look at the names of the students and think, ‘I remember that one.’”
"You can look in any career field and find our students doing great things. I’m glad I get to see it. I like to walk through Alumni Park and look at the names of the students and think, ‘I remember that one.'"
-Sullivan
ALUMNUS'
LIFETIME OF SERVICE LEAVES A LASTING
Legacy of Leadership & Dedication
DR. SARAH BERGBOWER’S
JOURNEY to earning a Doctorate in Clinical Laboratory Science was an extensive process, and the feeling of graduating was unreal. The fact that she was the first person from Illinois to complete a doctoral program offered at just two universities across the country certainly played a role in that feeling. But for Sarah, the most unreal part of it all was that she achieved a dream she thought was abandoned long ago.
Ever since high school, Sarah knew she wanted to earn a doctorate. Her passion for science fueled these ambitions, and she selected Lake Land College’s biology program as the first step to this journey. She excelled at Lake Land and continued her success well past graduation, eventually earning a master’s degree in 2011. She then became a certified Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) and began working with St. Anthony’s Hospital in Effingham. Three years later she returned to college, this time as a faculty member with Olney Central College.
with her husband to the following terms: she would only continue as long as they had the finances to cover tuition.
Sarah took on the program slowly, completing as few classes per semester as possible while working full-time. The tuition money never ran out, as a well-timed scholarship here and a muchneeded grant there allowed Sarah to continue. The extensive time spent away from her family proved to be the greater challenge, but still she persisted. One year became two years, then three and eventually five, and Sarah suddenly found herself achieving a dream she’d patiently held for years.
“I just kept going, and one day I realized, ‘I’m actually going to do this, aren’t I?’” Sarah said.
“I just kept going, and one day I realized, ‘I’m actually going to do this, aren’t I?’”
-Bergbower
While working in a wonderful job and raising a growing family, Sarah placed her doctoral aspirations on the back burner. However, a dream as powerful as Sarah’s couldn’t be ignored forever, and one morning as she drove to work, she felt that dream slowly resurface. She recalled learning years ago about a new program in development, the Doctorate of Clinical Laboratory Science (DCLS). The program serves as the terminal step beyond the MLS certification, and scientists with the degree use laboratory testing to help physicians provide efficient, effective patient diagnostics and management.
Sarah discovered that she met every qualification to enroll, but the nearest university that offered the program was about 900 miles away. Most of her studies could be completed online, but she would still need to make four separate monthlong trips to Galveston, Texas to complete her inperson clinicals. Perhaps the more pressing issue was the cost of out-of-state tuition. She assumed this challenge might prevent her from completing the program. Still, she enrolled after agreeing
During her time in the program, Sarah completed research in laboratory utilization and created an algorithm to reduce key errors in the healthcare of pregnant women. Since finishing her research, she has presented her findings at national conferences and has submitted her manuscript for publication in a scientific journal. She was also elected to the Nominations Committee and appointed vice chair of the DCLS Oversight Committee within the American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS), which advocates for excellence in the practice of laboratory medicine.
Sarah completed the program in 2023 and became one of just 50 people across the nation to hold the Doctor of Clinical Laboratory Science title. As she soaked in the unreal feeling of graduating, she reflected on the journey of a lifetime, like a scientist at the end of a great experiment. The last five years were far from easy and required great sacrifice, but as she stood on stage, Sarah reached just one conclusion: it was worth it all to accomplish a lifelong dream.
“I thought I had given up long ago,” Sarah said. “Not only did I come back and finish a doctorate, but I did it in a completely new area where I’m one of the first in the country to ever do it.”
Reviving a Dream
ALUMNA EARNS GROUNDBREAKING DOCTORATE
IN CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE
5001 Lake Land Blvd.
Mattoon, IL 61938
New Sponsorship Opportunity for 2025
Become a Community Partner! Strategic alliances between corporations and colleges have become increasingly valuable in an era where businesses seek meaningful connections to drive success. The benefits of becoming a Community Partner include:
EXPOSURE TO STUDENTS
You’ll have an advantage in developing a talent pipeline by interacting with our students and creating awareness of your organization throughout campus.
EVENTS
You will have the opportunity to sponsor and participate in several Foundation and College events throughout the year.
CAMPUS VISIBILITY
We will work together to display your company’s logo and sponsorship activities among students, employees and visitors.
LEARN MORE LakeLandCollege.edu/foundation/community-partners 217-234-5363
