2008 Distinguished Alumni Honorees Announced
The Lake Park Educational Foundation has announced this year's Distinguished Alumni. The
honorees will visit with students at both Lake Park East Campus and Lake Park West Campus on
Thursday, March 13 and be recognized at a banquet beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Itasca Country Club,
400 E. Orchard Street, Itasca. Tickets to the banquet are $35 per person.
Beth Yeager Ahern, class of 1980, is a Captain in the United States Navy Reserves
and a technology systems engineer. In addition to receiving her M.A. in International
Relations from Tufts University and her B.S. in General Engineering from the University of
Illinois, Ms. Ahern also attended The Naval War College and The Joint Forces College. Ms.
Ahern was commissioned a line officer in the Navy from the Navy Reserves Officers Training Corps
from the University of Illinois. She served two tours on active duty and then transitioned to
an Intelligence Officer in the reserves. She serves as the Deputy Chief of Staff for
Operations for the Commander Navy Reserve Intelligence Command. Ms. Ahern is also currently
working full-time as a group leader and project manager with MITRE Corporation in the Center for
Intelligence Information Systems (CIIS) creating, manning, and sustaing government initiatives
critical to national security.
Richard Kolomay, class of 1976, is a fire captain and acting battalion chief with the Schaumburg Fire Department. He has been with the department since 1985. In addition to his daily duties, Mr. Kolomay commanded the serch and rescue task force (Schaumburg, Chicago and Bridgeview team) at the Utica tornado response and commanded the Chicago World Trade Center technical rescue team under the direction of CFD District Chief and FDNY Special Operations Command. Mr. Kolomay comes from a family tradition in fire services, with this father, two uncles, son and niece all serving in the field. He earned his B.S. in Fire Science Management from Southern Illinois University.
Jason Pankau, class of 1988, is a pastor, author and consultant. He obtained
his Masters of Divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is currently completing his
Doctorate of Ministry in Christian Leadership from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He
originally began his career in business, after double majoring in Business Economics and
Organizational Behavior and Management at Brown University. He is currently a motivational
speaker and consultant with Life Spring. He is also a founding partner and author of E
Pluribus Partners, a Connecticut-based think tank and consulting firm focused on helping
organizations create engaging work environments. His book, "Fired Up or Burned Out - How to
Reignite Your Team's Passion, Creativity and Productivity" encourages team building and assists
corporate leaders in getting the best out of their emloyees.
The mission of the Lake Park Educational Foundation is to provide resources for unique
programs and activities to enhance student learning at Lake Park High School. The Foundation
accomplishes this through several programs and activities throughout the year including its
Funds for Excellence grant program and scholarships. To learn more about the
Foundation or the Distinguished Alumni Program, please call 630-295-5401.