Alumni

NMU 2011 marketing alumna Victoria Leonhardt has been appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to represent Upper Peninsula residents on the Rural Development Fund Board. The board is charged with advising the department on how to distribute tax revenue collected from mines to improve and strengthen local communities. 

Northern Michigan University alumnus DJ Hoffman was appointed chair of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians during a special board of directors meeting on June 27. He served as vice chair from 2016-22 and also two years as secretary. Hoffman earned a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from NMU. 

William Bausano, a 1973 music education alumnus, has embarked on a well-earned retirement after 41 years with Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. The Upper Peninsula native conducted two choirs—the Chamber Singers and Choraliers—and taught choral conducting and techniques courses. One of his colleagues called him “an institution” and “the cornerstone” of the voice department.

NMU alumna Liz Conway recently assumed the role of president and CEO of the Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce. She holds two degrees from Northern: a bachelor's in management earned in 2002; and an MBA earned in 2005.

NMU alumnus Russell Kassin has been named the 10th president in the 135-year history of Iron Mountain-based First National Bank & Trust. He graduated in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in financial management.

Two Northern Michigan University alumni have been appointed to the State of Michigan's advisory board that will help to plan America250, a nationwide commemoration of the 250th anniversary and founding of the United States. Dan Truckey, a 1990 grad, is director of the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at NMU. Steve Brisson, a 1989 alumnus, is director of Mackinac State Historic Parks. Both recently participated in the advisory board's first meeting.

NMU alumna Caitlin Sternberg, who earned her environmental science degree in 2021, is the new director of outreach and communication for Citizens for a Safe & Clean Lake Superior, a Marquette County nonprofit. She previously worked as a Great Lakes Climate Corp crew leader with the Superior Watershed Partnership, partnering with diverse groups like the National Forest Service or the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community on environmental projects.

NMU alumnus Mike Garland ('78 BS), who has served as an assistant coach for his former Wildcat basketball teammate and longtime friend Tom Izzo, is retiring after 22 seasons with the Michigan State Spartans.

A poverty-stricken childhood in Washington, D.C. did not stop NMU alumnus and boxer DaVarryl “Touch of Sleep” Williamson from compiling a long list of impressive achievements and accolades—not only for his powerful punch in the ring, but for his dedication to community service and education. The two-time national Golden Gloves champion, 10-time national amateur champ and former professional heavyweight was recently among six 2022 inductees into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. 

The long-awaited sequel to "Top Gun" has hit movie theaters, treating viewers to another round of visually engaging and intense flying sequences. NMU alumnus and U.S. Navy Lt. Zach Fini put his media production degree to use creating videos that project a similar feel, but in an authentic context depicting actual Navy Growler pilots, not actors. Assembling live footage from jet cockpits and the flight deck, along with musical backdrops, he produced some of YouTube's most popular Navy cruise videos.