The Northern Michigan University Alumni Association announces four new members of its Board of Directors effective on Sept. 25, 2020: Jeri Hosang (BS '92, BSN '99) of Marquette, Mich.; Amalea Karavias Vega (BS '02) of Denver, Colo.; Kurt VanWormer (BS '77) of Houston, Texas; and Morgan Waller (BS '16, MPA '18) of Burnham, Ill.
Members are selected by fellow alumni to represent the alumni base. They bring a unique perspective and passion to provide strong leadership for association programs and activities in collaboration with the university and the NMU community.
Hosang is the owner of Jeri's Consulting, LLC, a nurse case management company, and she works as an RN on the Acute Care Unit at UPHS Bell. She previously worked for Michigan Hospital Association/Coverys as a senior disability management consultant for 12 years. She graduated magna cum laude in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. While obtaining her degree, she was the director of the NMU Community Outreach gymnastics program and head gymnastics coach at Marquette Senior High School. She graduated summa cum laude in 1999 with a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) and was the recipient of the NMU College of Nursing Award of Merit.
Karavias Vega is a senior consultant of advisory solutions for Vizient, Inc., the largest member-driven health care performance improvement company in the country. She is a board member for the Colorado Healthcare Strategy and Management organization, a volunteer patient advocacy trainer with the Citizens for Patient Safety, and a volunteer for the Women's Sports Foundation. She received her bachelor's degree in 2002 in public relations and business administration and received her master's degree in healthcare leadership from the University of Denver in 2011. During her time at NMU, she was a member of the Student Leader Fellowship Program and the NCAA Swim & Dive Team, where she served as team captain in 2001.
VanWormer's career began in sales followed by product marketing, where he was awarded two U.S. patents. Prior to retirement, he finished his career in supply chain management working in electrical power distribution, automotive, high tech, and the oil and gas industries. Some of the companies he worked for include Eaton Corporation, Dell Computer, Direct TV, Toshiba International, FMC Technologies and Oceaneering International. Over the course of his career, business travels have taken him to 22 countries, flying more than 2 million air miles. He also worked in Mexico for five years. VanWormer graduated from NMU in 1977 with a degree in business administration and marketing and received his master's degree from Keller Graduate School of Management in 1990.
Waller is a young emerging executive with S&P Global who earned a bachelor's degree in public relations in 2016 and master's degree in public administration (MPA) in 2018. She was recently elected by the community to serve as the youngest and only African American woman on the school board for Thornton Fractional School District 215. Waller serves as chair of the equity committee working to bring fairness to the district. She was also appointed as the membership director for the Chicago chapter of the National Black MBA Association and accepted a prestigious award as Top 100 Emerging Leader Award of 2019 for Diversity MBA Magazine.
The new board members will be welcomed virtually during the NMU Alumni Association Board of Directors Homecoming meeting on Friday, Sept. 25.
For more information on the NMU Alumni Association Board of Directors, visit nmu.edu/alumniassociation/board. To nominate a board member, visit nmu.edu/alumniassociation/nominate. The NMU Alumni Association can be contacted at alumni@nmu.edu.
This story was prepared by Kylie Bunting of the NMU Alumni Association.