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The Moraine Valley Foundation welcomed four inductees into the college’s Alumni Hall of Fame during the annual induction ceremony held March 5 at the college’s Palos Hills campus. The Hall of Fame Class of 2026 included the following inductees: Brian P. Swift, J.D., Ricardo A. Fernandez, Ph.D., Janet Ogeneitsega Joseph and Matthew J. O’Shea.

“We had an exceptionally large number of outstanding nominees this year, further demonstrating how well our alumni do after leaving Moraine Valley,” said Patti Mehallick, director of Alumni and Annual Programs for the Foundation. “All of our 2026 inductees have excelled in their careers and given back to their communities. We are so proud to have them represent our college in our Alumni Hall of Fame.”

Swift was the 2026 Distinguished Alumnus Award winner. Swift is a motivational speaker, author and founder and president of Swift Outdoor Accessible Recreation, a nonprofit organization that offers equipment, programs and services for individuals with disabilities to help them enjoy the outdoors.

Swift enrolled at Moraine Valley in 1980, less than one year after sustaining a spinal cord injury and becoming a C5/6 quadriplegic. After graduating from Moraine Valley and Saint Xavier University, he attended DePaul University College of Law, where he received his juris doctor.

After spending 20 years in corporate sales and developing employee training initiatives, Swift turned his focus to helping others. As a certified motivational speaker, he delivers keynote addresses and provides executive coaching. He has authored nine motivational books, including a series called “Swift Fixes.”

As this year’s Distinguished Alumnus Award winner, Swift is the college’s nominee for the Illinois Community College Trustees Association statewide contest.

Fernandez is a physical therapist, philanthropist and public speaker. He specializes in sports rehabilitation, orthopedics and workplace health.

Fernandez has used his education to heal injuries and restore physical function, and teach the next generation. He has delivered more than 200 presentations on physical therapy and has traveled across the world to provide pro bono physical therapy.

Fernandez is a volunteerism advocate. He has worked with the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project for Habitat for Humanity to build homes for those in need and served as a guardian on multiple honor flights, bringing over 2,500 veterans to Washington, D.C.

Joseph enrolled at Moraine Valley in 2014 after graduating from high school in Nigeria. While at Moraine Valley, she was a conversation partner, orientation peer, student tutor and president of the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Club. After graduating with honors, she attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for molecular and cellular biology.

Joseph has amassed multiple recognitions from the Mayo Clinic, the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Science Foundation. She is a graduate student researcher at Brown University conducting research in immunology, neuroscience, multiomics and epidemiology.

O’Shea serves as the alderman of Chicago’s 19^th Ward and has represented the communities of Mount Greenwood, Morgan Park and his hometown of Beverly since 2011. After transferring from Moraine Valley, he attended Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, earning his bachelor’s degree in political science.

O’Shea worked as an aide for several politicians, including state Rep. Kevin Joyce and former 19^th Ward Alderwoman Ginger Rugai. He is passionate about public safety and is an advocate for volunteerism, specifically with local nonprofit organizations.

For information about the Alumni Hall of Fame, contact Patti Mehallick at (708) 974-5551 or mehallickp@morainevalley.edu.

For news media inquiries, contact Joshua Lahey, Moraine Valley communications specialist, at (708) 974-5652 or laheyj5@morainevalley.edu.

About the Moraine Valley Foundation
The Moraine Valley Foundation was founded in 1982 to provide scholarships and emergency assistance to 911������ students, fund innovative programs at the college and offer financial support to its Fine and Performing Arts Center. As a 501(c)3 entity, the Foundation partners with corporate and individual donors and has awarded over $1 million to support the college’s mission. In the last fiscal year, over $325,000 in scholarship funds were awarded to students pursuing a better life through higher education. Please help make our students’ dreams possible through a donation to the Foundation at morainevalley.edu/donate.