A Marathon of Leadership
Kerl LaJeune crosses the finish line as he wraps up his 30-plus years of alumni service at UIC.
By Citlali Dominguez BA ’26
“I’ve served everywhere that I possibly could,” says Kerl LaJeune BArch ’92, who views his outgoing term as president of the University of Illinois Chicago Alumni Association (UICAA) as the pinnacle of a 30-year history of involvement with the university. He would know: LaJeune served as one of the founding members of the UICAA when it launched in 2020 focused on building a sustainable alumni community that can engage with UIC on a more substantial level. His journey has come full circle, evolving from student leadership to the highest levels of alumni board governance.
LaJeune studied engineering for his first two undergraduate years before switching to architecture, where he noticed that he was one of a handful of African American students in the program. That only fueled LaJeune’s determination to stay engaged. As a student, he became the UIC chapter president of the Illinois National Organization of Minority Architects (INOMA) for students and utilized his engineering background to become a teaching assistant for his structures classes.
“That was a great stepping stone because I ended up doing a double major in architecture, one focused on architectural design and the second on structural mechanics,” says LaJeune, who currently serves as Director of Planning and Design for the Public Building Commission of Chicago, where he oversees turn-key development of facilities for various public agencies on behalf of the mayor.
After graduating, LaJeune dedicated himself to giving back as a proud alumnus, serving on various alumni boards such as the UIC Campus Alumni Advisory Board and the University of Illinois Alumni Association Board of Directors. In addition to his alumni volunteer work and inspired by his teaching assistant experience, he served as an adjunct associate professor of architectural design and tectonics for 10 years.
In light of his ever-changing career and alumni volunteer positions, LaJeune turns to running as a constant, where he applies the same spirit of endurance to volunteer governance. This has carried him through 42 marathons, including 24 Chicago Marathons, and spurred him to become a certified marathon coach, which he has done for the past 17 years. He says he is excited to celebrate his milestone 26th Chicago Marathon next year on the race’s 50th anniversary.
“As a running coach, I have a responsibility to guide, to plan ahead and to practice what I teach,” LaJeune says. “And I look at alumni volunteering exactly the same way. Not only by providing leadership for those who are around me, but also to plan for the future on how that may happen, whether it’s things that I can put in place now or things that I know will have to change as I move along.”
Since the establishment of the UIC Alumni Association, LaJeune has progressed through a series of leadership roles, including Awards and Nominations Committee chair, president‑elect and, currently, president of the UIC Alumni Board. Although his term as president concludes in July, he will remain closely involved with the board by serving as immediate past president.
One of his proudest accomplishments as president was helping to formalize and elevate the UIC Alumni Awards, the highest alumni honor bestowed by the university. As chair of the Alumni Awards and Nominations Committee, he played a key role in establishing official guidelines that strengthened the integrity, consistency and prestige of the UIC alumni awards and nomination process.
LaJeune learned how to approach awards as chair of the Awards and Nominations Committee for the U of I System, which organized honorifics for all campuses. “When I was awards and nominations chair, I generated the guidelines, standards and principles for the awards process that we have become a permanent part of our operations,” he says — an exercise in consistency, continuity and longevity.
It’s that latter point that means the most to LaJeune.
“The alumni of the University of Illinois and the broader system hold a special place in my heart,” he says. “It’s the institution where I’ve devoted the most time in governance and service over the years. What means the most to me is knowing that my 30-plus years of commitment have made a lasting impact. I don’t seek additional recognition — it’s enough to know that my fingerprint can be found throughout the system and in the work I’ve been able to do.”
A Marathon
of
Leadership
Kerl LaJeune crosses the finish line as he wraps up his 30-plus years of alumni service at UIC.
By Citlali Dominguez BA ’26
“I’ve served everywhere that I possibly could,” says Kerl LaJeune BArch ’92, who views his outgoing term as president of the University of Illinois Chicago Alumni Association (UICAA) as the pinnacle of a 30-year history of involvement with the university. He would know: LaJeune served as one of the founding members of the UICAA when it launched in 2020 focused on building a sustainable alumni community that can engage with UIC on a more substantial level. His journey has come full circle, evolving from student leadership to the highest levels of alumni board governance.
LaJeune studied engineering for his first two undergraduate years before switching to architecture, where he noticed that he was one of a handful of African American students in the program. That only fueled LaJeune’s determination to stay engaged. As a student, he became the UIC chapter president of the Illinois National Organization of Minority Architects (INOMA) for students and utilized his engineering background to become a teaching assistant for his structures classes.
“That was a great stepping stone because I ended up doing a double major in architecture, one focused on architectural design and the second on structural mechanics,” says LaJeune, who currently serves as Director of Planning and Design for the Public Building Commission of Chicago, where he oversees turn-key development of facilities for various public agencies on behalf of the mayor.
After graduating, LaJeune dedicated himself to giving back as a proud alumnus, serving on various alumni boards such as the UIC Campus Alumni Advisory Board and the University of Illinois Alumni Association Board of Directors. In addition to his alumni volunteer work and inspired by his teaching assistant experience, he served as an adjunct associate professor of architectural design and tectonics for 10 years.
In light of his ever-changing career and alumni volunteer positions, LaJeune turns to running as a constant, where he applies the same spirit of endurance to volunteer governance. This has carried him through 42 marathons, including 24 Chicago Marathons, and spurred him to become a certified marathon coach, which he has done for the past 17 years. He says he is excited to celebrate his milestone 26th Chicago Marathon next year on the race’s 50th anniversary.
“As a running coach, I have a responsibility to guide, to plan ahead and to practice what I teach,” LaJeune says. “And I look at alumni volunteering exactly the same way. Not only by providing leadership for those who are around me, but also to plan for the future on how that may happen, whether it’s things that I can put in place now or things that I know will have to change as I move along.”
Since the establishment of the UIC Alumni Association, LaJeune has progressed through a series of leadership roles, including Awards and Nominations Committee chair, president‑elect and, currently, president of the UIC Alumni Board. Although his term as president concludes in July, he will remain closely involved with the board by serving as immediate past president.
One of his proudest accomplishments as president was helping to formalize and elevate the UIC Alumni Awards, the highest alumni honor bestowed by the university. As chair of the Alumni Awards and Nominations Committee, he played a key role in establishing official guidelines that strengthened the integrity, consistency and prestige of the UIC alumni awards and nomination process.
LaJeune learned how to approach awards as chair of the Awards and Nominations Committee for the U of I System, which organized honorifics for all campuses. “When I was awards and nominations chair, I generated the guidelines, standards and principles for the awards process that we have become a permanent part of our operations,” he says — an exercise in consistency, continuity and longevity.
It’s that latter point that means the most to LaJeune.
“The alumni of the University of Illinois and the broader system hold a special place in my heart,” he says. “It’s the institution where I’ve devoted the most time in governance and service over the years. What means the most to me is knowing that my 30-plus years of commitment have made a lasting impact. I don’t seek additional recognition — it’s enough to know that my fingerprint can be found throughout the system and in the work I’ve been able to do.”
