McHenry County College adds Laurie Retzlaff, Jay LeCoque to list of distinguished alums

A human resources professional and a CEO in the health care life sciences sector have been named this year’s winners of McHenry County College’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

The pair – Laurie Retzlaff and Jay LeCoque – were chosen by MCC and the Friends of MCC Foundation.

Retzlaff came to MCC as a wife, mother and grandmother and graduated in December 2002 with an associate degree, according to a news release. She went on to major in human resources at Roosevelt University before gaining experience in the field at a Fortune 100 company.

She returned to McHenry County, where she joined the team at the State Bank Group in Wonder Lake as a certified human resource professional, according to the release. She retired in 2019 after almost 14 years as its vice president of human resources.

Retzlaff also volunteered in the community via school programs, scout leadership, Phi Theta Kappa, the Illinois Bankers Association and Leadership Greater McHenry County. She also has served on the board of Stateline SHRM, the local chapter of the National Society for Human Resources Management, as treasurer and president.

LeCoque, who grew up in Crystal Lake and attended MCC in the early 1980s, has worked in the health care life sciences sector for more than 25 years, according to the release. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Miami University in Ohio and his master’s in business administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

LeCoque worked in various sales and market development roles at AptarGroup and Baxter Healthcare before joining Celsis International, a startup biotechnology venture based in Cambridge, England, in 1995. He became the company’s CEO in 2000. He now is executive chairman of SourceBio International based in Nottingham, England, according to the company’s website.

LeCoque sits on the board of the Dole, and LeCoque and his wife, Sharon, both helped to create the new Farmers Market+ at the Dole, according to the release.

“Our distinguished alumni shine as a bright light in our community – their stories are a driving force behind what we do at the college,” MCC spokeswoman Christina Haggerty said in a statement. “Laurie and Jay are a testament to the value of an MCC education, and are an inspiration to our staff, faculty, students and community. We are proud to call them MCC alumni and excited to honor them with this award.”