Alumni

Zac Craft

B.S.Ed. Elementary Education, '12

Zac Craft is principal of Highland School in Downers Grove Grade School District 58. Craft previously served as an assistant principal in Yorkville CUSD115 and as a teacher in Batavia. He has a master's degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from Aurora University and is a doctoral candidate in educational leadership. Craft is dedicated to helping NIU students succeed in the classroom and in their careers.

Diana Zaleski

• M.S.Ed. Educational Psychology, '09
• M.S Ed. Research and Evaluation, '11
• Ph.D. Educational Psychology, '12

Diana J. Zaleski is an educational psychologist, experienced educator and researcher who has worked in public schools, universities and state agencies. Zaleski specializes in education policy and is currently the Education Policy and Agency Relations director for the Illinois Education Association.

Samantha Camacho

M.S.Ed. Special Education, '23

Samantha Camacho is the program coordinator and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst at Turning Pointe Autism Foundation, which serves adults and children impacted by autism spectrum disorder. Camacho also manages and conducts research in collaboration with outside university partners, including NIU. A certified autism specialist and a Northeast MultiRegional Police Trainer, she also is a volunteer teaching assistant in the NIU College of Education.

Ehren Jarrett

• M.S.Ed. Educational Administration, '04
• Ed.S. Educational Administration, '06
• Ed.D. Educational Administration, '09

Ehren Jarrett has led the Rockford Public Schools as superintendent since 2013. Jarrett and his leadership team are implementing a systemwide framework to ensure all students succeed. This includes working with the City of Rockford to invest in Rockford Promise, which awarded nearly 500 full-tuition scholarships in its first three years. He also is finding solutions to the worker and teacher shortage with unique grow-your-own teacher pathway programs.

Christine M. Melone

• B.S.Ed Special Education, '71
• M.S.Ed. Special Education, '82
• Ed.D. Educational Administration, '04

Christine M. Melone is an enthusiastic advocate for education and continual growth and improvement in schools. A teacher and administrator in education since 1971, both in public and private schools, she currently is a mentor and coach for principals in the northwest suburbs and volunteer tutor for English Second Language Learners. She originally was a teacher of the visually impaired. She also has been an administrator and teacher throughout P-12.

Joe Volin

• M.S.Ed. Adult and Higher Education, '11
• Ed.D. Adult and Higher Education, '16

Joe Volin is an advancement and higher education professional focusing on non-profit organizations. His dissertation examined the relationship between undergraduate student involvement and subsequent alumni engagement. He currently leads a comprehensive alumni engagement and annual giving team at Illinois Institute of Technology, developing a culture of philanthropy and engagement. Volin's work earned him recognition as a "50 Under 50" (Almabase, powered by Blackbaud) in 2023.

Larry Wood

• B.S. Preventive and Rehabilitative Exercise Science, '06
• M.S.Ed. Exercise Physiology / Fitness Leadership, '09

Larry Wood has worked as the assistant director of Simulation Operations at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science since 2014. He and his family, especially his daughter, love attending home and away NIU football games.

Sharif Shahadat

Sharif Shahadat is a doctoral candidate in Instructional Technology and former president of the ETRA Graduate Student Association (ETRA GSA) at Northern Illinois University. From humble beginnings in ETRA GSA as a treasurer to becoming a president of the organization, he prepared and presented the yearly budget to the NIU Student Government Association; helped organize numerous events such as coffee hours, fall and spring colloquium; and gave back to the community by volunteering in NIU Cares Day, STEMfest and other events. He has recently served as a judge at NIU's Conference on Undergraduate Research and Engagement.