People of EIU: August 2023

Catherine Polydore brings a special vitality to EIU with her boundless enthusiasm and innovative spirit. She is Chair of the Department of Counseling and Higher Education, a member of EIU’s Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Accreditation Team, and founder of EIU’s increasingly popular Together We RISE Conference held annually in October since 2017. Hailing from the Commonwealth of Dominica, Catherine regularly shares that she chose EIU because she felt the love, respect, and comradery here when she first came to campus 15 years ago. At EIU, she found faculty, staff, and administrators who truly care about students, who are committed to their success, and who regularly go the extra mile to ensure their well-being—socially, academically, and mentally. She enjoys sharing ideas and celebrating successes at the beginning of every faculty meeting, and appreciates that those meetings are also safe spaces where people feel equally comfortable sharing new approaches and addressing concerns. Catherine enjoys dancing and diverse music, board and word games, hosting and entertaining friends, and traveling. She is an amateur pickleball player, and a self-proclaimed foodie who adores seafood/sushi, and trying new foods in general. Her close community of friends—including several other pickleballers—comprise current and retired colleagues from across the campus community who join her for monthly board & card games, food and drink. They talk about life in general, discuss the things that impact them, and take pride in just being there for one another—which she cheerfully admits is a large part of her happiness at EIU.

Marisol Gamboa and her team patrol EIU to ensure the campus remains safe and secure for students, employees, and community visitors. As EIU’s Chief of Police, Marisol made history as the first Latina Police Chief in the State of Illinois following a career as a full-time peace officer for 20 years, almost half of which was focused exclusively on policing in the higher education environment. She is a native of Alvin, Texas, and a 1999 graduate of Alvin High School. Notably, Marisol is the first member of her family to earn a college degree. She is using her time at EIU to inspire those around her—including first-generation, minority and other EIU students—with her own positivity and passion for higher education. When she’s not on campus, Marisol enjoys exploring the State of Illinois, taking road trips, and cheering for her Houston Astros. Chances are good you’ll see Marisol walking around campus introducing herself to students, welcoming visitors, and building relationships with her EIU colleagues. And if you catch her on the right day, she might just have Penny the EIU Law Enforcement Therapy Dog with her as well.

James Anthony “Tony” Craven is key to EIU’s foundation—and as a Masonry Foreman in Facilities Planning and Management, that description would be accurate. However, Tony also serves as EIU’s Employee Advisory Committee representative and President of the Staff Senate. Having graduated from EIU in the '80s with an Economics degree, Tony calls nearby Oakland, IL home. What makes him the proudest about his affiliation with EIU is joining forces with other members of the Facilities team to complete numerous projects over the years, often with very challenging time constraints. A partial list of those projects would include the Ford and McKinney renovation projects, the MLK Jr. University Union Food Court, the 9th Street Hall addition, the Pine Honors College renovation, the Legacy Garden between Lawson and Andrews Halls, as well as the Old Main and Booth Library masonry restoration projects. Those special projects are in addition to the maintenance and repairs the FPM shops work on more regularly throughout the year. Spending time at EIU extends beyond his work schedule—Tony says he also enjoys visiting Charleston on nice weekend days to walk around campus with his wife and family. Above all, Tony says, he appreciates hearing and seeing how everyone at EIU works together to create a community that prides itself on doing its best to take care of each other, supporting our students’ success, and enhancing the form and function of EIU’s physical campus itself.

Connor Mellott has certainly taken every opportunity at EIU he could to grow and to succeed, including as a Doudna Fine Arts Center crew member, a WEIU radio station DJ, Executive Vice President of the EIU Student Government Association, President of EIU’s Japanese Culture Club, member of EIU’s French Club, and serving as EIU’s Student Trustee during he 2022-23 academic year. Some of Connor’s best EIU memories include going to a Friendsgiving get-together in November with some friends and coworkers and having a good time eating dinner, chatting, and getting to know people on a deeper level outside of work. He enjoys learning new languages, performing in music and theatre, playing board games and video games with friends, going to club meetings and activities, being on the air for WEIU, and running shows for Doudna. A Charleston High School graduate, Connor is an Interpersonal Communications major and Asian Studies minor who wants other students to know that “EIU is such a wonderful campus to be on and there are so many amazing, intelligent people to meet who are passionate about so many different things. There's always something new to learn or experience at EIU and if you get outside your comfort zone and try out new things, you can have such a great time!”