Last year, The Scout wrote about 10 women important to Bradley’s history, including the first graduate on record and Lydia Moss Bradley herself. From politicians and activists to actors and academics, there have been many notable women who have walked on Bradley’s campus since its founding.
Here are 10 more women, including alumnae and previous faculty members, that The Scout would like to recognize in honor of Women’s History Month.
Jo Lakota
Local Indigenous People’s activist Jo Lakota has made a name for herself in the Peoria area. She fought to get the statue of Christopher Columbus Statue in Laura Bradley Park removed and travels around the community sharing stories of Indigenous cultures to help educate those who might lack knowledge on the subject.
Lakota got married at the age of 16 and became pregnant before dropping out of Manual High School, after which she moved to El Paso, Texas. While living in Texas, Lakota’s husband abandoned her and their two children, forcing her to raise the children alone at the age of 19. She was invited to live with an Indigenous couple in Santo Domingo Pueblo but chose to go to Peoria to continue her education. After two years at Illinois Central College, she got an art scholarship and was able to attend Bradley. After graduating from Bradley, she went on to teach for 30 years.
Lisa Moon
Lisa Moon currently holds the title of President and Chief Executive Officer of The Global FoodBanking Network. She studied Security Policy Studies at George Washington University and pursued International Studies, Political Science and Spanish at Bradley University.
Originally, Moon held the title of Vice President of Global Agriculture and Food at the Chicago Council. During her previous job title, she participated in studies about the role of agriculture in different emerging economies, the nexus between health and agriculture, pressures of water scarcity and climate change’s effects on the global food system.
Lillian Glass
Sometimes referred to as the “Queen of Communication,” Lillian Glass graduated magna cum laude from Bradley with a Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Sciences in 1974. She then received her Ph.D. in communication disorders at the age of 24 from the University of Minnesota. Glass also works as a film director and producer, having won awards for documentaries such as “Reinventing Rosalee” and “De-Escalation.” She is also an author of self-help books, including “Toxic People,” “The Body Language of Liars” and “Attracting Terrific People.” In addition to her professional work, Glass is also a member of Bradley’s Centurion Society, which is dedicated to “alumni who have brought national and international credit to the university.”
Connie L. Johnson
Connie LaJoyce Johnson graduated from Bradley with a Bachelor of Science in Communications in 1991 and continued her education at Saint Louis University School of Public Health and School of Law. She was the minority whip in the Missouri House of Representatives and a Committeewoman for the 27th Ward for the City of Saint Louis.
Bonny Pierce Lhotka
Bonny Lhotka majored in painting and printmaking while at Bradley and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1964. She has written three books about digital art and alternative photography: “Hack the Digital Print,” “The Last Layer” and “Digital Alchemy.” Lhotka has had artwork displayed in many notable places including with United Airlines, U.S. Department of State, several American Embassies and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Skyy Calice
The most recent alumna on this list, Skyy Calice received the Outstanding Young Graduate Award in 2021, which recognized her work serving as a police officer and starting the organization Girls Run the World. She graduated from Bradley with degrees in sociology and administration of criminal justice before joining the Aurora Police Department in 2013. Calice has also earned recognition from the town of Aurora and the state with the Law Enforcement Award from the Illinois State Bar Association, the Mayoral Commendation of Service and the Chicago Wolves Hometown Hero award.
Olive B. White
Olive B. White, the former Dean of Women here at Bradley, was also an author who wrote three books, including two Catholic history novels. Along with being an author, she taught at multiple institutions before traveling to Bradley in 1933; she taught at her alma mater Radcliffe for six years, and taught at Wellesley College for a year. However, she wasn’t appointed the title of Dean of Women until 1956. During her run at Bradley, she was a member of the President’s Advisory Committee and the Board of Social Control, as well as an Advisor to the Panhellenic Council, Association of Women’s Studies, Chimes, Federation of Scholars and other honors societies. Now, White’s legacy lives on through a scholarship for senior creative writing majors or minors for their contributions to the course.
Sibyl Moholy-Nagy
Sibyl Moholy-Nagy, formerly Sibylle Pietzsch, did not start her career until the age of 47. Moholy-Nagy lived an extravagant life after finishing her education at 17. In 1931, she left Frankfurt, Germany for Berlin, where she met László Moholy-Nagy. When having their second child, they moved to London for a year before moving to Chicago in 1937, where Moholy-Nagy was her husband’s assistant and primary educator for their children. During this period of time, she began writing her first book “Children’s Children” under the pen name S.D. Peech. She would then go on to write and publish two more books. During her time as a writer and educator, she taught at multiple institutions including Bradley, where she was the Visiting Professor of Art.
Jill Bennett
Jill Bennett grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana and began acting at the age of 16. At the age of 18, she won a state speech title before attending Bradley University on a theatre scholarship. Bennett first gained notability in acting when she starred in an action film titled “In Her Line of Fire” in 2006. Bennett has also acted in non-traditional films and starred in a comedy web series titled “3 Way.” Later on in her film career, she co-executive produced and starred in her own series “We Have to Stop Now” in 2009. One of her biggest roles was in the 2009 lesbian rom-com “And Then Came Lola.”
Denise “Mitzi” Epstein
Mitzi Epstein has been a member of the Arizona House of Representatives for District 18 since 2017. She earned her bachelor’s degree in computer science at Bradley in 1983 and went on to become a computer systems analyst for multinational companies such as Citicorp Mortgage. She also works with schools and has held positions on a school board and Parent Teacher Association groups while also co-founding Arizona Parents for Public Education (APPLE) and Yes Public Ed.
