Denise A. Bunning, the Northern Illinois University College of Education’s Spring 2019 Educator in Residence, is an educator, support group leader and advocate who works to improve the lives of children with food allergies.
Bunning earned a B.A. in Early Childhood/Special Education from Boston College, an M.S.Ed. in Special Education from NIU and a Certificate of Advanced Study in School Administration from National Louis University.
She co-founded MOCHA (Mothers of Children Having Allergies), a support group for food-allergic families. In 2010, she served on a committee organized by the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Public Health to author Guidelines for Managing Life-Threatening Food Allergies in Illinois Schools, which served as the basis for school board policies statewide.
The co-author of “The Food Allergy Experience” with Dr. Ruchi Gupta, she serves on the Board of Governors for Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), the Founders’ Board of Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, and the Women’s Board of Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital.
Bunning and her husband of 27 years, Dave, have two sons with life-threatening food allergies and related issues. Both sons are now adults and are thriving.