Alumni

Northern Michigan University alumnus Mark Burton ('99 BS) has joined Honigman LLP as partner and co-leader of the firm's economic development incentives group. He  additionally serves in the government relations and regulatory practice and is based in Honigman's Lansing office, according to a press release. Burton most recently served as CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).

NMU accounting alumnus Nick Metcalfe ('20 BS) rented a marquee on Sunday at the iconic Birmingham 8 Theatre downstate to propose to his fiancée Kiley Transit at the site of one of their first dates in high school. The Detroit Free Press highlighted their story to demonstrate that proposals in light have become “an optimistic sign of the times,” with most theaters back in business and vaccine supplies and clinics on the rise.

Dallas Seavey, who trained as a wrestler at the U.S. Olympic Education Center at NMU, won a record-tying fifth championship in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Monday morning, matching the mark of Rick Swenson. Seavey had made Iditarod history twice before: in 2005, when he became the youngest musher to run the race; and in 2012, when he became the youngest to win it.  

When the pandemic pushed his main revenue sources—catered events in the Fox Cities area and meals prepared for a brewery tap room—to the back burner, NMU alumnus David Bennett (BS '17) opted to adapt rather than wait it out. He successfully accelerated the launch of a take-and-heat meal service to keep the business going.

Northern Michigan University alumna Jennifer Whittet (BS '98) has become the first woman to hold the rank of deputy chief in the Daytona Beach Police Department. She is also only the second woman to reach that rank in the Seventh Judicial Circuit that includes four counties.

A car accident motivated U.P. native and alumnus Mike Sherman (BFA '83, MA '89) to refocus on his art, which he had honed as an illustration major at NMU. The self-described “artist naturalist” creates vibrant watercolors and detailed drawings that often combine his love of nature with nostalgic structures such as an old building or barn.

Northern Michigan alumnus and native Michigander Robert Saleh is the new head coach of the New York Jets. He spent the past four seasons as the San Francisco 49ers' defensive coordinator and has coached in the NFL since 2005.

Former Wildcat hockey player Darien Craighead, a first-year forward with the South Carolina Stingrays, is featured in a team story titled "A Rookie's Life Inside the ECHL Bubble." Craighead became the fourth NMU alumnus to sign with the Stingrays for 2020-21, joining team captain Andrew Cherniwchan, forward Justin Florek and defender Jordan Klimek.

NMU alumna Susan (Gilbert) Lockhart, a junior/senior high school math and physical education teacher, was the subject of a recent newsletter spotlight for effectively channeling her passion for fitness to benefit students academically. She has taught in the Stockbridge (Mich.) Community School District for 16 years. 

NMU criminal justice alumnus Thomas Nolan (AS '05) was recently promoted to first lieutenant and commander of the Michigan State Police-Negaunee post.