Alumni

Alumnus Joins Elevate97

Oct. 3, 2018

Bill Hawker ('95 BS) built a career in professional sports, establishing corporate partnerships for three NFL north division franchises: the Bears, Packers and Lions. Now he has returned to Green Bay as director of business development for Elevate97. The business creates and distributes marketing solutions for world-renowned retail brands. Clients include Carhartt, Calvin Klein, Pandora jewelry, Tommy Hilfiger, TaylorMade Golf and his former employer, the Packers.

Bill Hawker ('95 BS)

Grad Joins Flat Rock PD

Sep. 28, 2018
NMU alumna Morgan Sundberg recently joined the Flat Rock Police Department in Wayne County as a patrol officer. According to a story in the Monroe News, she has worked in law enforcement since 2014. Sundberg earned a criminal justice degree and completed the NMU Regional Police Academy. She started her law enforcement career with the Huron-Clinton Metroparks Police Department and also worked as a deputy with the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department.

Woodworkers Inspired at Anderson Ranch

Sep. 26, 2018

NMU Senior Tim Kruger has long been interested in woodworking, particularly furniture design. But “an epiphany” during a woodturning class led by Professor Jason Schneider convinced him to hone in on his true passion: teaching. Kruger was inspired to apply for a summer workshop at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, Colo., and received a scholarship to attend. Schneider also returned to “the Ranch,” where he had worked for a decade before joining NMU’s faculty, to teach two summer workshops.

Furniture workshop

Alumna Settling In as New Superintendent

Sep. 26, 2018

Heidi Kattula ('98 MA), the new superintendent of East Grand Rapids Public Schools, is featured in a School News Network article. She has 26 years of experience in public education. She also serves as the treasurer of International Baccalaureate Schools of Michigan, which focus on educating from a global perspective. East Grand Rapids is exploring the designation and Kattula was a principal in Bloomfield Hills when it became the first IB district in the state.

Kattula with students

Teachable Moment: Alumna Rescues Student at Black Rocks

Sep. 19, 2018

“Reach or throw; don’t go.” NMU alumna and former Wildcat swimmer Shawn Robinson-Sobczak (’98 BS) routinely recites that phrase when she leads swim lessons or serves as a lifeguard instructor. When someone is in distress and it’s not possible to extend a hand to pull the swimmer to safety or throw something that floats, bystanders should not risk their own lives by entering the water. But Robinson-Sobczak has also been a certified lifeguard for 34 years.

Blackrocks

Alumnus Named CFO

Sep. 7, 2018
Adam Gingery ('04 BS) is the new chief financial officer at Western Wisconsin Health in Baldwin, Wis. He has been working in the healthcare industry for more than a decade, previously serving as the CFO at Door County Medical Center in Sturgeon Bay. Gingery received his bachelor's degree in accounting, business administration and computer information systems from NMU. He has served on numerous boards, is an active member of the Wisconsin Hospital Association and the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative and also is a National Rural Health Association Fellow.

Alumna Joins UPHS Emergency Medicine Staff

Sep. 3, 2018
Dr. Shawn Brown ('07 BA) has joined the UP Health System-Marquette Emergency Medicine staff. She earned her NMU bachelor's degree in athletic athletic training with a minor in Emergency Medical Services before attending the University of Michigan Medical School. Brown previously served as a physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine for St. Luke’s Hospital, working clinically in the ED as well as serving as the physician liaison for emergency preparedness and mass casualty planning.
Image of Dr. Shawn Brown