Ricardo A. Fernandez, Ph.D.
Class of 1987
After graduating from Evergreen Park Community High School, Fernandez studied art at Moraine Valley. During his first semester, he discovered a passion for science and shifted his academic focus. While a student, he worked at the fitness center as a member services representative. He graduated in 1987 with an Associate of Science degree.
Fernandez earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree in physical therapy in 1989 from the University of Illinois Chicago. He returned to school in 1992 to earn a master鈥檚 degree in health science from the University of Indianapolis鈥 Krannert Graduate School of Physical Therapy. In 1998, he became a board certified clinical specialist in orthopedic physical therapy before earning his doctoral degree in physical therapy from Nova Southeastern University in 2007.
With a focus on strength and conditioning, orthopedics, shoulder rehabilitation, sports physical therapy and workplace health, Fernandez advanced in the health care industry and has worked in a variety of settings, including acute care, outpatient and private practice clinics, as well as in education.
Driven by a passion to teach future physical therapists, Fernandez became an adjunct instructor at Governors State University, Morton College, Northwestern University and Oakton College. He served on the Illinois Physical Therapy Licensing and Disciplinary Board as a member and chairperson. During his time on the board, he wrote licensure exam questions and orthopedic specialty exam questions for physical therapists seeking board certification.
Fernandez has delivered more than 200 presentations on physical therapy to community-based organizations and has lectured internationally. He also has traveled to Peru, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Honduras and Nicaragua to provide pro bono physical therapy. In 2013, the Illinois Physical Therapy Association named him Physical Therapist of the Year and awarded him with their Humanitarian Award in 2021.
In addition to his professional work, Fernandez is a volunteerism advocate. He volunteered with the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project for Habitat for Humanity and served as a physical therapist with the Senior Games in Missoula as well as on the Blackfeet Reservation with the Blackfeet Volunteer Medical Corps. He also is dedicated to veteran advocacy, having served as a guardian on multiple honor flights 鈥 he has brought over 2,500 veterans to Washington, D.C. Fernandez has completed hundreds of volunteer hours with USO-Illinois and helped raise funds for other veteran-focused foundations.
He recently published a collection of poems written by his grandmother, Jeanne Flood, titled 鈥淎merica, Love Stories and Other Poems.鈥 All proceeds support veterans, service members and their families. Flood, who also earned her associate degree from Moraine Valley, was an English as a Second Language teacher at the college when the Palos Hills campus opened in 1968.
Fernandez and his wife, Gina, live in Kalispell, Montana.
Janet Ogeneitsega Joseph
Class of 2015
Joseph enrolled at Moraine Valley in 2014 after graduating high school in Nigeria and immediately immersed herself in the campus community. She was a conversation partner with the International Conversation Partners Program, an orientation peer, a student tutor for chemistry and math, and president of the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Club.
She also was a recipient of the Moraine Valley Academic Achievement Scholarship and Matthew P. Walsh Scholarship. After graduating with honors, she attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in molecular and cellular biology. She later took part in the Mayo Clinic鈥檚 Graduate Research Employment Program, where she worked on spinal cord injuries, and the National Institute of Health where she was a postbaccalaureate intramural research training awardee.
Throughout her educational journey, Joseph has amassed multiple recognitions, including earning a summer undergraduate research fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, becoming a recipient of the 2020 National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Director鈥檚 Award for her work on the NIMH鈥檚 anti-racism task force and receiving a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Gilliam Fellowship, which encourages inclusivity and recognizes leadership in STEM fields. She also was accepted into the National Science Foundation鈥檚 Graduate Research Fellowship Program.
Joseph is passionate about providing opportunities for underrepresented communities. She founded the Pathobiology URM Focus Group, a supportive and inclusive community in her graduate program for underrepresented minority students to advocate for their needs. She also served as the academic chair for the Graduate African Student Organization, assisting new students from various cultural backgrounds in acclimating to the university. Within the pathobiology program, Joseph is a member and steward of the Graduate Labor Organization, ensuring the wellness of graduate students and creating measures to protect student rights. Currently, Joseph is part of the STEM to Stern and community STEM middle school mentorship program, helping students develop their science skills. She also teaches immunology to high schoolers at the Wheeler School in Providence.
At Brown University, Joseph鈥檚 research focuses on the impact of chemical and biological stressors on transcriptomic markers of the placenta, specifically targeting inflammatory and neuroinflammatory markers for a successful immunological response during pregnancy, combining the fields of immunology, neuroscience, multiomics and epidemiology. She is a contributor to numerous scientific publications, published abstracts and has given several poster presentations.
Those who know her say she is upbeat, personable and engages students with respect. Joseph鈥檚 educational experience, accolades and pursuits make her an exemplary Moraine Valley alumna.
Matthew J. O鈥橲hea
Class of 1989
Beverly and attended Christ the King Grammar School and Mount Carmel High School. In 1987, O鈥橲hea took his first classes at Moraine Valley and later transferred to Saint Mary鈥檚 University of Minnesota, earning his bachelor鈥檚 degree in political science in 1991.
After graduation, O鈥橲hea began his career in public service and community advocacy in Cook County. He worked as an aide for several politicians, including former 19th Ward Alderwoman Ginger Rugai and state Rep. Kevin Joyce. He served as a social worker in the Cook County court system, the assistant director of operations for Cook County Sheriff Michael Sheahan and the director of community programs at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences. In 2011, O鈥橲hea became alderman of the 19th Ward, the ninth in the ward鈥檚 history.
Many of O鈥橲hea鈥檚 accomplishments have benefited the Beverly, Morgan Park and Mount Greenwood communities. He has worked to increase access to high quality public school options, welcomed new businesses to commercial corridors and helped open the Beverly Arts Center and the Morgan Park Sports Center. O鈥橲hea chairs the city council鈥檚 Committee on Aviation and serves on the following committees: Budget & Government Operations, Education & Child Development, Finance, Committees & Rules, Ethics & Oversight, License & Consumer Protection, and Special Events.
Passionate about public safety, O鈥橲hea secured funding for more than two dozen public safety cameras within the 22nd District. He also raised more than $500,000 to purchase new bulletproof vests for officers through his work with the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation. Furthermore, O鈥橲hea worked with the Chicago Police Department to build a new officer wellness facility, which opened in 2023.
An advocate for volunteerism, O鈥橲hea participates with local nonprofit organizations, including the Beverly Area Planning Association, Maple Morgan Park Community Food Pantry, Mount Greenwood Community & Business Association, Saint Vincent DePaul Society, Saint John Fisher Holy Name Society, Road Home Program at Rush Medical Center and Ronald McDonald House at Advocate Children鈥檚 Hospital.
O鈥橲hea and his wife, Cara, live in West Beverly with their three children, Brigid, Patrick and Eileen.
Brian P. Swift, J.D.
Class of 1982
Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient
When Swift was 17 years old, he became a C5/6 quadriplegic after sustaining a spinal cord injury while playing football with his friends. Finding the courage and strength to recover through rehabilitation, he was determined to defy statistics, achieve more than anyone expected of him and become the best person he could be.
Swift took his first classes at Moraine Valley in 1980, less than one year after his injury and graduated two years later with his Associate in Arts degree. After earning his bachelor鈥檚 degree from Saint Xavier University in 1984 and being selected as a Student Laureate of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois, he attended DePaul University College of Law, where he received his juris doctor. Swift said the strong foundation he learned while attending Moraine Valley equipped him to further his education.
After working as a law assistant for a personal injury attorney and an accessibility consultant for American Accessibility, Swift took a position with telephone directory publisher YP Midwest Publishing LLC (formerly DonTech). Within his first year of employment, he earned the company鈥檚 Rookie of the Year Award for his accomplishments in sales.
While in sales, he developed and implemented many new employee training initiatives, built strategic alliances to achieve aggressive sales objectives and created a new unit of the company, which involved interviewing, hiring and training 60 sales professionals. At one point, Swift was asked to oversee a team with historically low sales figures and, within a year, led them to become one of the top sales teams. When he departed in 2006, he earned awards for being in the top 10% and 5% in sales for multiple years.
In 2015, Swift started Swift Outdoor Accessible Recreation (SOAR) with his wife, Monica. SOAR is a 501(c)(3) volunteer-run nonprofit organization which offers equipment, programs and services for individuals with disabilities to help them get back outdoors and promote being close to nature. The organization provides access to adaptive recreational equipment and outings for fishing, camping, cycling, hunting, water sports and all-terrain wheelchair riding. Since its founding, SOAR has disbursed over $1.3 million in support, funded $700,000 in grants, served over 200 athletes and empowered over 2,000 individuals and families to enjoy the outdoors.
Beyond Swift鈥檚 professional career, he became a certified John Maxwell speaker and has used his leadership development practices to deliver keynote addresses and executive coaching, even returning to Moraine Valley to share his story. His success strategy, as he explains it, is CIA: commitment, integrity and attitude. Also an accomplished author, Swift has written nine motivational books: 鈥淭he Quadfather,鈥 鈥淪wift Fixes: Overcoming Pain,鈥 鈥淪wift Fixes: Goals and Inspiration,鈥 鈥淪wift Fixes: Overcoming Traumatic Injury,鈥 鈥淩ising Up: Difficulties Disappear When Faced Boldly,鈥 鈥淗ave A Ball: Being Your Best,鈥 鈥淕o Ask Your Dad: Questions, Answers & Stories About Fathers, Fatherhood & Parenting,鈥 鈥淯p: Getting Up is the Key to Life鈥 and 鈥淒eveloping True Grit: Become Unstoppable.鈥
Swift and his wife, Monica, live in Mokena with their three children, Spencer, Sydney and Callaghan.
