Alumni

Northern Michigan University alumnus and former Wildcat Nordic skier Zak Ketterson will compete in his first Olympics next month as a member of the U.S. cross-country ski team. The Minneapolis native was one of the best collegiate skiers in the nation as a member of NMU's team from 2016/2017 through 2020/2021. He earned multiple All-American and All-Conference honors, regional victories and a CCSA Skier of the Year award. 

Former Northern Michigan University student and Wildcat football player Nick Baumgartner has qualified to compete in his fifth straight Olympics at age 44 as part of the USA snowboard cross (SBX) team. The Iron River native won a gold medal in 2022 with Lindsey Jacobellis in the debut of the mixed-team SBX event, becoming the oldest snowboarder to win an Olympic medal and the oldest U.S. gold medalist since the Winter Games in 1948.

Northern Michigan University 1973 English alumna Linda Fitzgerald's second mystery novel, A Superior Way to Die, is an Upper Peninsula–based story that draws deeply on her Munising roots and lifelong love of writing.

“Northern didn't just educate me; it gave me the courage to believe I belonged in spaces where people like me weren't always welcomed, and that belief has driven everything since.” Those words are from alumna Charlita Anderson White, keynote speaker for NMU's upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service luncheon on Monday, Jan. 19. She is a retired magistrate of the Lorain County Domestic and Juvenile Court in Ohio. She is also a member of the NMU Alumni Association Advisory Board, adjunct professor at Indiana Wesleyan University and founder of the Outside Circle Theater Project.

Nearly 30% of Michigan's maple syrup production was wiped out by a March 2025 ice storm in the northern lower peninsula. Northern Michigan University alumnus Richard Anderson (‘78 MA), who co-founded Iron Fish Distillery, recently partnered with the Michigan Maple Syrup Association to use his business as a force for good by releasing a special edition Ice Storm Whiskey to help generate support for those impacted.

Benjamin Manogura, a May 2025 Northern Michigan University controlled environment agriculture (CEA) alumnus, has embarked on a new and unique position in his career. He is a research and development specialist and cultivator for Cai Foods in New Buffalo, Mich., which operates America's first indoor wasabi farm.

Two Northern Michigan University education majors recently wrapped up their fall semester student teaching placements in New Zealand, supported in part by the Joseph and Nancy Prinzi Educational Study Abroad Scholarship. Elementary education major Kari Betters and secondary English education major Taylor Priestley even connected with donor Joe Prinzi, who was visiting the country, when he treated them to dinner at a revolving restaurant in Auckland's Sky Tower. 

Northern Michigan University students had an opportunity to design and prepare original dishes that they recently presented to their professor and a team of alumni representing the Delft Bistro in downtown Marquette. The restaurant is running select creations as a special feature menu Dec. 1-28, and students whose dishes were chosen will receive a complimentary dinner at the Delft for themselves and a guest to celebrate their achievement alongside classmates.

Northern Michigan University alumna Beth Rodenhuis was recently appointed by as executive vice president, chief operating officer, and business architect at Northwestern Mutual, a financial security company based in Milwaukee. She is responsible for technology and digital strategy with oversight of strategic execution and prioritization of the company's strategy, platform and operating model design, technology health and enterprise architecture.

Michigan State Police First Lt. Jay Peterson, a 1995 NMU justice studies alumnus,  recently became the new commander of the MSP Hart Post. He oversees all operations serving Oceana, Lake, Mason and Newaygo counties.