Alumni

Northern Michigan University 1996 alumna Karen Saari, whose work as a playwright is inspired by her Upper Peninsula roots, will watch the world premiere of Rain on Fire at the FIM Flint Repertory Theatre on Friday, Sept. 15. The show runs through Oct. 1. The play with music explores how the opioid crisis affects one U.P. family. While addiction and grief are themes, so are redemption and finding peace. Saari also injected humor into the script. 

Northern Michigan University 1992 psychology alumnus John Driscoll has been appointed new president and CEO of Caron Treatment Centers, effective the first week of October. He has more than 30 years of experience in the addiction treatment field. He started as an alcohol and drug counselor in Chicago and most recently worked as senior vice president at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, an addiction and mental health treatment organization.

Northern Michigan University 1992 alumnus Rob Peterson was hired as the senior associate athletic director and chief financial officer at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. He brings more than 20 years of collegiate athletic administration experience at five different higher education institutions to the role, and most recently served as a consultant with CarrSports Consulting.

Northern Michigan University alumna Kathryn Flagstadt of Marquette has been appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to the Michigan Council for Rehabilitation Services. The retired site manager at Michigan Rehabilitation Services is a member of the State Employee Retirees Association and the Marquette County Aging Services Advisory Committee.

NMU alumna Melissa Cavill was recently appointed as the new executive director of Marquette's Trillium House, which offers care and safety for individuals receiving hospice services who cannot be home at the end of life, along with short-term respite care.  

Northern Michigan University held a dedication ceremony for a memorial display case and named annual scholarship honoring the legacy of Carl Holm, an NMU alumnus who worked 42 years in Housing and Residence Life, retiring as its director. A committee of colleagues, friends and family raised more than $15,000 for both projects.

NMU alumnus and former Wildcat hockey player Ryan Black is one of two new assistant coaches joining the Sioux Falls Stampede Tier 1 junior hockey team in South Dakota this season. 

Northern Michigan University 2014 BFA alumnus Adam Papin has been promoted from sports reporter to sports editor at The Minot Daily News in North Dakota. The newspaper reported that prior to joining its staff in May, Papin was editor of The Paulding County Progress, a weekly newspaper in Paulding County, Ohio. In that role, he was responsible for both the news and sports editorial content, as well as providing leadership to staff and freelance writers and photographers.

Northern Michigan University Alumni Relations has announced the recipients of its 2023 NMU Alumni Awards: Ellen J. Narotzky Kennedy ('71 MA, '72 MAE) of St. Paul, Minn., Distinguished Alumni; Mitchell Stephenson ('13 BA) of Dillon, Mont., Outstanding Young Alumni; and Charles Hawes ('77 BS) of Lansing, Mich., Alumni Service-Community.  

Dr. Eric Schaff, a radiation oncologist and 2013 NMU biology/physiology alumnus, has joined U.P. Health System-Marquette's Cancer Center team. According to a UPHS press release, Schaff specializes in the treatment of adult cancers, offering advanced personalized radiation options for Upper Peninsula residents close to home.