John and Anne Landgraf

With their generous gift, John C. Landgraf and Anne Marie Siepka Landgraf will enhance NIU students’ educational experiences by creating opportunities outside the classroom and providing them with ‘real world’ experience. Both John and Anne graduated from NIU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in the 1970s. John earned his bachelor’s degree in biology in 1974 and his master’s degree in microbiology in 1975. He began his career as a scientist at Inolex in Glenwood, Illinois developing diagnostic tests. From there, he moved to the diagnostic division of Abbott Laboratories in North Chicago, Illinois. Over the next 36 years at Abbott, John excelled in a wide variety of positions in the diagnostic, international, corporate engineering, global pharmaceutical operations, nutrition, and chemical and agricultural product divisions. These positions exposed him to the business side of the health care industry and inspired him to pursue his M.B.A. at the Lake Forest Graduate School of Business. M.B.A. in hand, John worked his way up to executive vice president of Abbott Nutrition Worldwide. In this role, he was responsible for Abbott’s largest business with more than $7 billion in sales and 15,000 employees worldwide. With his extensive influence on the international business world and our global economy, John has a keen understanding of the importance of international experiences for college students. Anne earned a bachelor’s degree in history with minors in education and biology in 1973. After graduation, she taught middle school history and science for several years. Once she and John became parents of three children, Anne Marie made the decision to stay home and use her education and teaching experience to guide her children. She became a highly engaged volunteer at their schools, serving on the executive boards of parent/teacher organizations, leading Cub and Girl Scouts, teaching religious education at her church, and volunteering in the classrooms of her children’s schools. She was elected to the local high school district board of education where she served for 10 years, four of which she served as board president. All three children are graduates of the University of Illinois and are pursuing successful careers. Education has always been a top priority for Anne, not only for her own children and grandchildren, but for her community as well. She currently serves as the president of District 128 Foundation for Learning and enjoys her time with her six granddaughters.