Alumni

Bruce Closser, a Marquette resident and 1967 business administration graduate of Northern Michigan University, successfully completed a Guinness World Record attempt to become the oldest person to bike across the country. At age 78, he traveled from Yorktown, Va. to Astoria, Oregon via the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail. The 4,200 mile journey traverses mountain passes, national parks and major cities.

Northern Michigan University 2013 alumnus Dr. Mitchell Stephenson applies experiential teaching approaches he learned from his NMU sports science faculty mentors to his role as an associate professor of Health & Human Performance at the University of Montana Western. The certified strength and conditioning specialist's academic and government-sponsored biomechanics research is focused on methods to improve human performance and reduce injury rates in sport and military environments. 

According to NMU 1977 graduate Charles Hawes of Lansing, his main “claim to fame” prior to his selection as this year's Alumni Service-Community Award recipient was being a teammate of Tom Izzo for all four of his seasons as a Wildcat. 

Dr. Ellen Narotzky Kennedy received the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award from Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan, on Sept. 15.Education and social justice have been closely intertwined throughout most of her adult life. 

Joan Kelley, a 1972 Northern Michigan University alumna who is part of a four generation Wildcat family, recently traveled to Mackinac Island for the NMU Arts and Athletics Showcase. While she wasn't able to stay for very long, Kelley still found it nice to reconnect with the school that generated such fond memories.

Northern Michigan University 1996 alumna Karen Saari, whose work as a playwright is inspired by her Upper Peninsula roots, will watch the world premiere of Rain on Fire at the FIM Flint Repertory Theatre on Friday, Sept. 15. The show runs through Oct. 1. The play with music explores how the opioid crisis affects one U.P. family. While addiction and grief are themes, so are redemption and finding peace. Saari also injected humor into the script. 

Northern Michigan University 1992 psychology alumnus John Driscoll has been appointed new president and CEO of Caron Treatment Centers, effective the first week of October. He has more than 30 years of experience in the addiction treatment field. He started as an alcohol and drug counselor in Chicago and most recently worked as senior vice president at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, an addiction and mental health treatment organization.

Northern Michigan University 1992 alumnus Rob Peterson was hired as the senior associate athletic director and chief financial officer at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. He brings more than 20 years of collegiate athletic administration experience at five different higher education institutions to the role, and most recently served as a consultant with CarrSports Consulting.

Northern Michigan University alumna Kathryn Flagstadt of Marquette has been appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to the Michigan Council for Rehabilitation Services. The retired site manager at Michigan Rehabilitation Services is a member of the State Employee Retirees Association and the Marquette County Aging Services Advisory Committee.

NMU alumna Melissa Cavill was recently appointed as the new executive director of Marquette's Trillium House, which offers care and safety for individuals receiving hospice services who cannot be home at the end of life, along with short-term respite care.