Moraine Valley Community College is pleased to announce the induction of five former students into the college’s Alumni Hall of Fame.
The newest Hall of Fame members, to be inducted Nov. 2, include Dr. Daniel Geiter, of Chicago; Gina Leahy, of Justice; Nicole A. Selvaggio, of Oak Lawn; Kathleen Karwoski, of Oak Forest; and Keith Karlson, of Chicago.
Dr. Geiter earned an Associate in Arts degree from Moraine Valley in 2009. He also earned a bachelor’s degree from Saint Xavier University, a master’s degree from the University of Chicago and a doctorate degree from Benedictine University. He serves as president of Ward College, founded to help ex-offenders get an education to help reduce their chances of being re-incarcerated, and was chief executive officer at Catalyst Educational Research Center in Chicago. In addition, Dr. Geiter was a professor and a research specialist at Saint Xavier University and an instructor for the general education degree program at the Langston Hughes Educational Initiative in Chicago. He is a member of the American Conference on Education, Urban League Educators of Chicago, American Association of African American Educators, and the American Association of Distance Educators.
Leahy earned an Associate in Arts degree from Moraine Valley in 2012, a bachelor’s degree from Elmhurst College and is expected to graduate in May 2017 from the DePaul University College of Law. In addition to serving on the Indian Springs School District 109 Board of Education, Leahy is an associate editor of the DePaul Law Review. While at Moraine Valley, she was part of the honors program, a member of Phi Theta Kappa and was active with the International Communication Partners organization.
Selvaggio earned an Associate in Arts degree in 2013 before going on to graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Saint Xavier University and a master’s degree from Southern New Hampshire University. She is a Communications adjunct instructor at Moraine Valley and a Language and Literature adjunct instructor at Saint Xavier University.
While a student at Moraine Valley, Selvaggio played two years on the tennis team earning numerous awards for her athleticism and academics, including being an undefeated region and conference singles champion and a national qualifier. She also was the head women’s tennis team coach at Moraine Valley for three years, where she was named regional coach of the year, as well as conference coach of the year. Selvaggio served as a facility manager at the college’s Health, Fitness and Recreation Center, plus continues to serve as a volunteer at the Moraine Valley Speaking and Writing Center.
Karwoski, who completed science classes at Moraine Valley and completed the dental hygiene program at Prairie State College, has been a registered dental hygienist for more than 30 years. She created the Dental Personnel Placement Service, a temporary and permanent placement service for auxiliary dental staffing, and has coordinated dental seminars for more than 200 professionals bi-annually. She also has been a clinical instructor for more than 15 years.
Her philanthropic endeavors include providing dental service for pediatric patients through Healthy Smiles, fundraising efforts for St. Jude’s Research Hospital, and volunteer work with Special Olympics, Peoples Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), Tender Loving Care (TLC) Animal Shelter, Smiles from the Heart, and Misericordia. Karwoski also has served on dental committees for Proctor and Gamble, 3M, and Phillips, as well served on the board for the Illinois State Dental Society for Allied Dental Personnel and the 3M Council for Innovative Dental Hygiene
Karlson earned an Associate in Arts degree from Moraine Valley in 1997. He also earned a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University, a master’s degree from Ball State University, and a juris doctorate from DePaul University College of Law.
Karlson concentrates his practice in the area of public safety labor law, constitutional rights of public employees, and public section pension law representing police and fire unions in Illinois and Indiana. In addition to performing numerous pro-bono hours for disabled police officers denied federal benefits, Karlson serves as secretary on the board of directors for the American Blues Theater, deputy general counsel for the Illinois Public Pension Fund Association, and as a volunteer speech coach at Moraine Valley and North Central College.
“We welcome all of our newest Alumni Hall of Fame members,” said Patricia Trebe, assistant director of annual giving and alumni relations at the Moraine Valley Foundation. “They all are fine examples of the true mission of Moraine Valley and we are proud of their accomplishments and successes.”
