Debra Baker
Class of 1984
After earning her associate degree from Moraine Valley, she attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in economics. She then secured her first position in the financial industry and has proudly worked in the field for 35 years. Baker holds the designations of Morgan Stanley Family Wealth Director, CFP® (Certified Financial Planner™), Portfolio Manager Director and Financial Planning Specialist. As a Family Wealth Director, she joined a select group of fewer than 4% of Morgan Stanley financial advisors who completed this rigorous certification program.
Baker was recognized as a Five Star Wealth Manager in “Chicago Magazine” in 2010, 2015 and 2019.
As a lifelong resident of Orland Park, Baker has been committed to giving back to her community. She has been involved with Rotary International for 12 years, serving on the Rotary Club of Orland Park’s board for nearly a decade and eventually becoming the president of the local service organization. She also served as the youth exchange officer, overseeing student exchange programs. She has been recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow and Society member with Rotary International and, as president, along with her local Rotary Club, received the Rotary Presidential Citation.
In addition, Baker has been a member of the Orland Park Chamber of Commerce for 15 years and has held numerous positions within that organization. She has volunteered for Catholic Charities and the Greater Chicago Food Depository, as well as helping coordinate food, clothing and toy drives. She also is the philanthropic chair for Morgan Stanley Orland Park.
Michael Duran
Class of 1986
Duran is recognized as a leader in the field of compliance. He was a panelist with Department of Justice and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regulators to discuss compliance trends in 2021; he served as a member of a United Nations working group; and he was a founding member of the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance.
He began his education at Moraine Valley and went on to earn his bachelor’s degree from DePaul University in finance. In 1993, he completed his Juris Doctor at the University of Illinois College of Law. Five years later, he earned a Master of Business Administration degree in finance from Indiana University.
Duran worked in the finance industry for a couple of years before attending law school. He began his law career in Nevada, serving as deputy legislative counsel for the Legislative Counsel Bureau and then working in the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office as a deputy district attorney.
He later worked at General Electric, where he held several positions before serving as the senior compliance manager for Marsh & McLennan Companies in New York City. He later relocated to Minnesota to join 3M.
Duran serves on the advisory board for the Organizational Ethics and Compliance Program at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. He also is a guest lecturer there and at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law.
Ronnie Malley
2022 Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient
Class of 1997
Malley was an actor, musician and Arabic dialect coach for the Broadway show “The Band’s Visit,” which won 10 Tony Awards and a Grammy. His film and theater credits are extensive and include work at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Goodman Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Silk Road Rising, Berkeley Rep, International Voices Project and many more. An international performing artist, he has traveled across the globe and played with numerous groups and ensembles.
He completed his general studies at Moraine Valley before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in global music studies from DePaul University. He was the first person in his immediate family to earn a college degree and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in linguistics and classical Arabic and Hebrew at the University of Chicago. He plans to eventually earn his doctoral degree.
In 2019, Malley co-wrote “American Griot,” a play that explores the shared history of Islam and the blues in Africa and America, as part of Moraine Valley’s Mosaics: Muslim Voices in America project. The play had its world premiere at the college.
He was the recipient of the 2020 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Citizen Artist Award and Certificate of Merit for Music Direction for “American Griot.” He also received Jeff Award nominations in 2017 for Best Original Music for “Great Expectations” and in 2014 for Best Original Music for “The White Snake.”
Malley is an educator who has worked as a teaching artist for the Chicago Public Schools, Global Voices Initiative and Chicago Arts Partnership in Education. He is on the faculty of the Old Town School of Folk Music and is a guest lecturer at various universities.
Terry Vorderer
Class of 1977
Serving as Oak Lawn’s mayor culminates a life of service, which began when Vorderer served in the U.S. Army in Viet Nam. After the war, he was hired by the Oak Lawn Police Department, where he worked for 34 years. He rose through the ranks, holding the positions of patrolman, detective, sergeant and captain, and ended his career in law enforcement as the chief of patrol.
Vorderer enrolled at Moraine Valley because he knew he would need further education to advance his career. He completed his bachelor’s degree at Governors State University and graduated from Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command.
After retiring from the police department, Vorderer was a commissioner on the Oak Lawn Park District board for six years and its president for one year and served as a village trustee for more than eight years before running for mayor. He was president of the Northern Illinois Chapter of the Disabled American Veterans and has been a longtime member of the Oak Lawn VFW, American Legion and Elks Lodge.
