The outstanding accomplishments of Western Illinois University (WIU) graduates Steven J. McCann and Scott D. Clarke will be recognized Saturday, May 11 at Western’s Spring 2024 Commencement in Western Hall in Macomb.
Mr. McCann will be presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award at the 9 a.m. ceremony. Mr. Clarke will be honored at the 1:30 p.m. ceremony, the university said in a news release.
The Distinguished Alumni Award has been given since 1973. It recognizes alumni who have brought credit to the university and themselves through exceptional professional accomplishments and meritorious service to ensure the continued excellence of WIU and through service to their communities at the national, state or local levels.
Mr. McCann, a 1978 accountancy graduate, was an assurance partner with RSM US LLP until his retirement in 2017. He served a variety of closely held and family-owned businesses. He’s remained employed with the firm part-time as a senior advisor in the Business & Transition Advisory Services line of business.
He is a Certified Public Accountant. And a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Illinois and Iowa Societies of Certified Public Accountants.
He is a graduate of the RSM CFO Program through the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. There he received training to more effectively advise CEOs and CFOs in essential areas, including strategy, operations, marketing, organizational behavior, leadership and change management.
Mr. McCann has a decades-long history of serving the Quad Cities region on nonprofit boards. That includes stints as the chair of Gilda’s Club and the John Deere Classic. He currently sits on the board of directors of the American Red Cross Quad Cities and West Central Illinois. He also is board president of Oakwood Country Club in Coal Valley, Illinois.
History of service
Mr. McCann’s efforts have been recognized through multiple awards. They include the Women’s Connection Male Champion of Change, John Deere Classic Community Hero, WIU Accountancy Preferred Partner in Education, and the 2003 WIU Alumni Achievement Award. He also is a member of the Honors Level of the WIU Foundation Fellows.
Mr. McCann was involved in the development of the WIU-Quad Cities campus as a member of the Renew Moline Board of Directors. He currently serves on the WIU Foundation Board. There he is a member of both the executive and investment committees. Mr. McCann is a member of the WIU College of Business and Technology National Advisory Board. He has served as its chair since 2015. Additionally, Mr. McCann is the co-chair of the WIU-Quad Cities Planning Advisory Council. And he served as Quad Cities community representative on the 2020 WIU Presidential Search Committee.
Mr. Clarke, a 1981 political science graduate, is retired from the State of Illinois’ Division of Banking. He worked in the division for 35 years, the last 20 of which he served as assistant director.
He was responsible for the regulation of state chartered and foreign banking offices, supervision of the state’s bank examiners and the regulation of the largest number of banks of any state in the country and the regulation of more than $7 trillion in assets.
To date, 110 WIU alumni have been bestowed the Distinguished Alumni Award. View a complete list of recipients here.
