Alumni

Not long before a distant relative was among four students killed in the 2021 Oxford High shooting, Northern Michigan University alumnus John Hebert had co-founded a new business that provides full-time, onsite K9 teams certified for firearm and explosives detection to schools and other public entities. The irony of the timing is not lost on Hebert, but he said his personal connection to the tragedy only fueled his drive to offer additional measures to enhance safety for students, teachers and staff.

A multi-function seat belt buckle intended for space travel, developed by Northern Michigan University alumnus Curt Tucker and co-inventor Jacob Avery, is being reviewed by NASA Johnson Space Center engineers. This is just one of the innovative products Tucker has developed. Applications range from motorsports and military safety to medical mobility devices such as a wheelchair and docking system, next-generation crutches and a state-of-the-art physical therapy and nursing sling.

Northern Michigan University Alumni Relations will host Alumni Fridays in Marquette County this summer. The NMU community is invited to join at various locations to connect, socialize and network with fellow Wildcats during Happy Hour. Additionally, alumni are invited to go back in time with a historical walking tour or discover campus with a virtual scavenger hunt.

Northern Michigan University 2017 alumnus Benjamin Bartz of Wakefield has been appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to serve on the state's Ski Area Safety Board. He is chief of mountain operations at Midwest Family Ski Resorts, which owns the rebranded Snowriver Mountain Resort that includes the areas formerly called Indianhead and Blackjack.

Northern Michigan University 1998 BFA alumnus Kelsey Mann is directing his first feature film, Disney and Pixar's Inside Out 2, which premieres in theaters June 14. The sequel to the Academy Award-winning best animated feature returns to the mind of the original human character, Riley. She is going through puberty and encountering new emotions on top of the originals introduced in the first film. Actors Amy Poehler, Lewis Black and Maya Hawke are among those whose voices are featured in the film.

Northern Michigan University 1995 alumnus and NMU Sports Hall of Fame inductee Jim Hiller has been named head coach of the NHL's LA Kings—the team that originally drafted him. He had been elevated to interim head coach on Feb. 2, 2024, after serving as an assistant coach over the past two seasons.

Diane White Husic, a 1981 biochemistry graduate and vice president of the NMU Alumni Advisory Board, has been appointed the inaugural leader of the new Center for the Environment at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y. She will assume her new post in July. 

The three leaders of the "small but mighty" NMU Rec Sports team are featured in the cover story of the May/June issue of "CAMPUS REC" magazine. All are alumni who worked there as students. Tricia Bush stayed in her hometown after graduation and is director of campus recreation. Adam Fancher returned after a stint in the Pacific Northwest running and opening successful bike shops to serve as intramural sports and outdoor equipment manager. Katie Moe completed a graduate assistantship and took a job at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, but came back to NMU a short time later.

Northern Michigan University 1995 alumna Michele Arquette-Palermo has been promoted by the Conservancy of Southwest Florida from water policy manager to the newly created executive-level role of chief program officer, according to a CSF press release. She completed a bachelor's degree in biology/ecology from NMU and also some graduate-level coursework in biology, ecology, botany and fisheries management. 

In her 1990 student commencement address at Northern Michigan University, Rebecca Slough encouraged her fellow graduates “to lead with integrity, not because anyone is looking, but because it's who you are.” Twenty-five years later, her daughter Kylee (Slough) Deckert stood behind the podium, urging peers to approach the future with courage and “embrace success in all of its forms—not only what we achieve in our respective careers, but the type of people we become.” It is no surprise they expressed similar themes, because Kylee said her mom and dad instilled those qualities in their three children.