Alumni

NMU alumna Rebecca Normington, who earned a bachelor's degree in English in 1990, was appointed director of marketing communications for Security Health Plan of Wisconsin Inc., after almost 20 years in the affiliated Marshfield Clinic Health System.

Northern Michigan University alumnus Tim Hamill was hired by the Outdoor Sportsman Group (OSG) ad sales department as the national endemic account executive.

At least two of the documentaries being screened at the Fresh Coast Film Festival Oct. 13-16 in Marquette were created by NMU alumni and students. Cameron Mattson and Kevin Paczesny, who began collaborating on projects as NMU digital cinema students, will premiere "All Hop'd UP," which explores the unique craft brewing subculture that has been growing in the Marquette area since the mid-1990s. Current student Fischer Genau's first film, "From the Ground Up," is about Partridge Creek Farm in Ishpeming, where he is completing an internship.

Northern Michigan University Alumni Relations is celebrating the return of 1973 alumnus Rick Comley as NMU's athletic director with a special Northern Now digital event at 7 p.m. EST Wednesday, Oct. 19. Alumni and friends are invited to join to hear his vision for the future of NMU Athletics, and also receive updates from NMU Volleyball Head Coach Mike Lozier and NMU Women's Basketball Head Coach Casey Thousand.

Sault Ste. Marie's Downtown Development Authority recently appointed Northern Michigan University alumna Stephanie Sprecker as the new DDA director. She completed NMU's master of public administration (MPA) program in 2022.

For 31 years, Marquette native Steve Nystrom successfully used the knowledge, skills and leadership qualities he acquired while earning two Northern Michigan University degrees to successfully contribute to U.S. national security. He served in the U.S. Army during the Cold War, as a senior analyst in the Defense Intelligence Agency, and as division chief and program manager with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Nystrom was selected as the 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient based on his esteemed career and active involvement on behalf of the community and NMU.

Northern Michigan University 2003 alumnus Chris Mosier of Chicago is a trailblazing transgender athlete who has been a catalyst for policy change and a staunch advocate for inclusion in and beyond sports. Abiding by his motto, “Be who you needed when you were younger,” Mosier is a dedicated mentor to transgender and nonbinary youth, a highly regarded speaker and a leading grassroots organizer against the current wave of anti-trans legislation across the United States. For these reasons and more, he was selected as the recipient of NMU's 2022 Alumni Service Award.

Jim Paquette of Negaunee developed an interest in history and archaeology at a young age, in large part because his paternal grandfather instilled pride in the family's French Canadian-First Nation Métis ancestry and traditional lifestyle. As he grew older, Paquette wanted to learn more about his family's history in the region. He read and copied volumes of material from the library at Northern Michigan University, his alma mater, and began searching for and locating early cultural sites where various ancient stone and copper artifacts helped to reveal the story. This led to an avid passion for more discoveries and a partnership with NMU faculty, both of which continue today.

Stephanie Lay, who received her bachelor's degree in sociology from Northern Michigan in 2011, is this year's recipient of NMU's Outstanding Young Alumni Award. She provides crisis care to suicidal adolescents as a member of the behavior emergency response team at Children's Hospital Oakland in California. She also has a private therapy practice in nearby San Francisco, where she specializes in gender identity, depression, suicidal ideation and self-harm.

Northern Michigan University's 2022 Homecoming features several events for alumni and community members. This year's celebration is Friday and Saturday, Sept. 23 and 24.