Feature/Profiles

A Northern Michigan University librarian was accepted into the highly competitive American Library Association's (ALA) Emerging Leaders Program. The program accepts no more than 50 participants each year, and Emera Bridger Wilson is one of them for 2024.

A Northern Michigan University librarian was accepted into the highly competitive American Library Association's (ALA) Emerging Leaders Program. The program accepts no more than 50 participants each year, and Emera Bridger Wilson is one of them for 2024.

NMU Trustee Brigitte LaPointe-Dunham did not have to look far for inspiration on effective leadership qualities when she became CEO of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) in July 2021. She had two prominent role models within her own family. Her grandfather, Donald LaPointe, formerly served as president and CEO and guided the KBIC through some pivotal moments of progress and growth. Her paternal grandmother, Myrtle Tolonen, had blazed a trail as the first female tribal council president.

Northern Michigan University senior Zoe Fess was invited to participate in the Biennial United Nations Global Indigenous Youth Forum in Rome, Italy. She joined peers representing all seven socio-cultural regions of the world to raise their voices, share concerns and work on proposals for the UN and its member states on improving the lives of Indigenous youth. Topics included climate and biodiversity action, the impacts of pesticides and ultra-processed foods, and the protection of plant genetic resources.

A Northern Michigan University associate professor published a scholarly book about British literature of World War II that looks at fictional British diplomats, officials and spies in books and films that respond to wartime Fascism and to the political instability of the postwar years.

Kathy Andel of Marquette has not missed a Northern Michigan University home football game in 24 years. She is also a hockey regular and routinely attends other Wildcat athletic events. Her unwavering loyalty could easily be tested at times, but she remains a fixture in her front-row seat on the 50-yard line. Even health conditions that now require her to use a walker and portable oxygen, or have thinned her hair to the point she no longer spray-paints it with team colors, have not diminished Andel's spirit. She still wears Wildcat apparel accented by a feathery boa and other “bling” while cheering on the players. She's also there to support her son, Hans, the equipment supervisor for all NMU varsity sports except hockey.

As a Northern Michigan University trustee, Greg Toutant recently attended the dedication of the new WellBeing Center on campus, which provides comprehensive physical and mental health services in one easily accessible location. A few weeks earlier, in his full-time role as CEO of Great Lakes Recovery Centers Inc., he had participated in a ribbon-cutting and open house for the John Kivela Center, a new behavioral health campus in Negaunee that also offers integrated care and services under one roof.

Emily Lanctot, director and curator of Northern Michigan University's DeVos Art Museum, recently participated in a two-week residency that brings an international consortium of artists to Monte Castello di Vibio, Italy. The gathering culminates in an exhibition of artworks and corresponding catalog.  

Northern Michigan University environmental studies and sustainability major Elizabeth Williams completed a three-month internship at BLOXHUB, the Nordic hub for sustainable urbanization in Copenhagen, Denmark. She pursued the opportunity as a recipient of the prestigious Voyager Scholarship created by the Obama Foundation and Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb. She states her dream is to redesign cities in ways that are equitable and financially, socially and environmentally sustainable.

Northern Michigan University professor Stacy Boyer-Davis, who also serves as assistant department head of accounting and the MBA program in the College of Business, has been appointed to the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA) Board of Directors.