CAST Rising Redbirds Recipients

John Heiser

Agriculture

John Heiser is a 2011 graduate of Illinois State University, where he earned a degree in Agricultural Education. He began his career in agricultural education at Putnam County High School in Granville, Illinois, serving as an Agricultural Teacher and FFA Advisor. During his nine years at Putnam County High School, Mr. Heiser taught a wide range of courses, including agricultural business, horticulture, veterinary science, and agricultural mechanics, among others. His commitment to student success and program growth helped strengthen the school’s agricultural education program.

Heiser has been deeply involved in professional organizations supporting agricultural education. He has served in numerous leadership roles within the Illinois Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers (IAVAT), including District 1 Director, IAVAT President, and Chairman of the Administrative Council. Under his leadership at Putnam County High School, the FFA chapter experienced significant achievements, including earning 29 State FFA Degrees and capturing the State Championship in the Agricultural Issues Career Development Event in 2015.

In the summer of 2020, Heiser transitioned from the classroom to join the Facilitating Coordination in Agriculture (FCAE) Project as the District 1 FCAE Program Advisor. FCAE is a project of the Illinois State Board of Education. In this role, he supports nearly 118 agricultural teachers by assisting with grants, coordinating professional development, and providing on-site program support, averaging approximately 225 program visits each year.

In addition, he has also played a key role in statewide initiatives such as administrator and counselor professional development series and the Education with Stipulations (ELS) Conference for alternatively licensed agricultural teachers. His work has earned him recognition, including the NASAE Outstanding Young Member Award and the Eastern Region NASAE Innovation Award.

Gio Circo

Criminal Justice Sciences

Giovanni (Gio) Circo is a senior data scientist and applied researcher whose work bridges advanced analytics, machine learning, and public-impact problem solving. He currently serves as a Senior Data Scientist on the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AIML) team at Gainwell Technologies, where he develops data science solutions across healthcare, fraud detection, and AI applications.

Circo earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Criminal Justice Sciences from Illinois State University, where his master’s thesis on police perceptions of prescription drug abuse helped spark a deeper interest in quantitative research. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Michigan State University, with training in causal inference, spatial analysis, and survey modeling - skills that continue to inform his applied work. He later served as an Assistant Professor at the University of New Haven, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in statistics, research methods, data visualization, crime mapping, and data science.

In his current role, Circo leads analytics initiatives, including AI-based quality assurance systems for call center analytics, anomaly detection models for healthcare fraud, waste, and abuse, and synthetic data generation.

Circo lives in New Haven, Connecticut with his wife, Meg, and their dog, Orzo. Outside of work, he enjoys running, traditional French cooking, travel, and occasional data science blogging.

Sara Krewson

Family and Consumer Sciences

After completing a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Eastern Illinois University, Sara (Burton) Krewson earned a master’s degree in Human Development and Family Sciences from Illinois State University in 2011.  In addition to her academic coursework, Krewson credits her work at the Honors Program with guiding her through significant personal and professional development.  To fulfill her child life requirements, she completed an internship at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital.

Upon graduation, Krewson started as a Certified Child Life Specialist at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois.  During Sara’s time at CFH, the footprint of the child life team has grown, providing supportive services to pediatric patients in all departments, as well as to children of adult patients experiencing health challenges.  As a child life specialist, Sara has prioritized ensuring all families feel welcomed and supported at Carle, serving on Carle’s DEI Steering Committee and presenting at the Association of Child Life Professionals national conference about the history of health disparities in the U.S.

Recognizing a responsibility to promote the field of child life, Krewson has welcomed students from ISU’s Child Life program for pre-internship experiences for many years.  She has also participated in the Child Life Certification Commission since 2013, most recently completing a term as Chair of the Exam Assembly Committee.

Krewson continues to apply the knowledge and skills learned during ISU’s Child Life program in her daily work; crediting Drs. Keri Edwards and Bill Anderson with pushing her to think deeply and challenge initial judgements.  When not in the hospital, she stays busy chasing around her two young sons at home with her #1 fan, husband, Clint.  

Eddie Gordon

Health Sciences

Eddie Gordon is a transfusion medicine professional whose career reflects a strong commitment to laboratory excellence, clinical education, leadership, and community engagement. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Biological Studies from Illinois State University in 2012 and later completed a Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science in 2017. During his early career, Gordon worked as a medical laboratory scientist across multiple laboratory disciplines before discovering a passion for transfusion medicine.

He went on to serve as a Medical Laboratory Scientist III in the blood bank at a Level I trauma center, supporting complex transfusion needs, emergency response, and high-acuity patient care. In April 2024, Gordon earned his Specialist in Blood Banking (SBB) certification, further strengthening his expertise in transfusion practice, quality systems, and education.

Currently, Gordon serves as a Customer Relations Coordinator for ImpactLife, where he functions as a clinical education resource for hospital partners, promotes safe transfusion practices, supports client concerns with clear and timely solutions, and contributes to quality improvement initiatives. He is also pursuing a master’s degree in Clinical Laboratory Management at Rush University, with a focus on leadership, operations, and strategic management. 

Beyond his professional role, Gordon has served as a blood drive coordinator and as Co-Chair of the ImpactLife Urbana Associate Board, supporting donor engagement and community outreach. He has presented research at the 2024 Association of Donor Relations Professionals Conference, coordinated two peer-focused blood banking webinars, and currently serves as President-Elect of the Illinois Association of Blood Banking.

Gordon lives in Charleston, Illinois, with his wife, Courtney Gordon, whom he met while attending Illinois State University. He later proposed to her at a campus bench dedicated to those who have fallen in love at ISU. Courtney was also named a Rising Redbird Award recipient in 2024. Together, they are raising three children.

Ramtin Davanlou

Information Technology

Ramtin Davanlou completed his M.S. in Information Systems at ISU in 2014, building on a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and an MBA from Sharif University of Technology. Davanlou immigrated to the United States with his wife at the age of 35, choosing to restart his journey through graduate school. ISU became his launchpad, both a safe landing in a new country and a platform for the next chapter of his career in technology.

During his master’s program, Davanlou spent most of his two years at ISU designing and building a high-performance computing lab for the School of IT. Working closely with faculty, he secured access to over 50 years of U.S. crime data, negotiated space within the department, and assembled the compute infrastructure needed to process massive datasets using cutting-edge technologies developed by Google. In that lab, he led an ambitious effort to analyze long-term crime trends at national scale, an experience that sharpened his technical depth, proved the real-world impact of his work, and directly helped him land his first role in Silicon Valley.

After graduate school, Davanlou focused his career on building and scaling AI, analytics, and cloud platforms for enterprises. He joined Accenture Applied Intelligence group in 2014 to help design and launch AI and analytics offerings used by Fortune 500 clients. He now serves as the Chief Technology Officer for the Accenture & Intel Partnership, where he leads joint AI and cloud strategy, driving experimentation-led product development and growth for platforms that bring advanced AI capabilities to customers around the world.

Davanlou remains closely connected to Illinois State University, engaging with students and alumni who are interested in AI, product management, and technology leadership. Most recently, he returned to campus to lead an AI hackathon hosted by the College of Business and the Hagge Innovation Institute, where students from across majors worked in teams to design responsible, real-world AI solutions and pitch startup ideas. His goal in these collaborations is to demystify AI, help students feel more confident about their future in a rapidly changing job market, and show how curiosity, resilience, and collaboration can turn uncertainty about AI into opportunity.

Lindsay Vahl Dean

Kinesiology and Recreation

Lindsay Vahl Dean exemplifies leadership, service, and advocacy in higher education while maintaining a lifelong commitment to health and wellness. A two-time graduate of Illinois State University, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and Fitness (2006) and a Master of Science in College Student Personnel Administration (2009). Vahl Dean currently serves as Assistant Vice President of Alumni Engagement and Executive Director of the Northwestern Alumni Association, leading strategic initiatives and overseeing programs that connect more than 260,000 alumni worldwide.

Her journey began at ISU in 2002, where she became an active leader and advocate for underrepresented students. Lindsay held roles as an Admissions Ambassador, MASAI mentor, and student leader within Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., the National Pan-Hellenic Council, and Profound Pioneers Entertainment Group. She also contributed to TRIO/SSS, the Big Red Marching Machine, and the Exercise Science Club.

Beyond Northwestern, she serves on the CASE V District Cabinet, PCUAD Governance Committee, and the James R. Jordan Boys and Girls Club of Chicago Council. Her achievements have earned multiple ISU honors, including the 2011 Emerging Leader Award, the 2018 Redbird Proud Young Alumni Award, the 2023 Civil Service Distinguished Service Award, and induction into the 2025 Steve and Sandi Adams Legacy Hall of Fame.

Fitness remains central to Vahl Dean’s life. A lifelong recreational athlete, she has played co-ed flag football for over a decade, and taught HIIT classes for more than five years at Chicagoland Fat Loss Camps, a Black woman-owned gym. During the pandemic, she embraced cycling and completed two 100-mile rides. Certified in Xtreme Hip Hop, a fresh approach to step aerobics, she continues to support the fitness community and promote wellness. 

Troy Deiss

Technology

Born and raised in Peoria, Illinois, Troy Deiss has built a distinguished career at the intersection of workforce development, talent strategy, and manufacturing operations. He graduated from Illinois State University in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in education and returned to earn a master’s degree in 2012 focused on Training and Development—an academic foundation that continues to shape his people-centered leadership approach.

Deiss began his career as a manufacturing and technical education teacher, serving at Pekin Community High School and Metamora Township High School for more than a decade. His work in the classroom ignited a passion for developing others and building strong workforce pipelines.

He joined Morton Industries in 2012 as a Training Coordinator, strengthening training systems and employee readiness. Upon returning to the company after several years in education, he advanced through a series of critical leadership roles—including Training Manager and Human Resources Manager—where he led talent development, organizational alignment, and cultural initiatives. His operational responsibilities expanded as he became Director of Illinois Operations, then Vice President of Operations – Illinois, and ultimately Vice President of Operations for the entire organization.

In these roles, Deiss has overseen multi-plant operations, implemented data-driven processes, championed continuous improvement, and led strategic initiatives that enhance performance, quality, and workforce engagement.

Throughout his career, Deiss has been recognized for his steady leadership, collaborative mindset, and commitment to developing strong, cohesive teams. His blended background in education, human resources, and operational leadership uniquely positions him to guide complex manufacturing environments with clarity and purpose.