Alumni

NMU Grad Promoted at Brokerage Firm

Image of Zachary Sturdy
Aug. 29, 2018 —
Zachary Sturdy ('17 BS) has been promoted to financial adviser at Northstar Investment Management in Marquette. He joined Northstar as a research analyst after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in finance from the NMU College of Business. Northstar Investment Management is an independent, full-service brokerage firm with an emphasis on income-producing investment. “We feel very fortunate to have a person as passionate and diligent as Zachary join our investment management team,” said Northstar’s founder, Douglas LaBar.

Alumnus Named Sports Editor

Image of Rich Palzewic
Aug. 24, 2018 —
NMU alumnus Rich Palzewic ('95 BS) is the new sports editor of The Press, which covers high school and college sporting events in Ashwaubenon, Howard-Suamico and De Pere, Wis. The U.P. native and Stephenson High School graduate earned his NMU degree in elementary education. He taught English in Rhinelander for several years before a 2007 move to Green Bay, where he became the main sports freelancer for the Green Bay Gamblers and St. Norbert College. Palzewic joined The Press staff in August 2015.

Alumnus Named to Conexus Indiana Board

Image of Gary Bertoline
Aug. 14, 2018 —
Gary Bertoline ('74 BS) has been appointed to the Conexus Indiana board of directors, which guides efforts to promote and grow the state's advanced manufacturing and logistics economy through innovative collaborations. He is dean of the Purdue Polytechnic Institute and distinguished professor of Computer Graphics Technology and Computer & Information Technology at Purdue University.

May's Book Noted by 'The New Yorker'

An American Quilt Book Cover
Aug. 2, 2018 —

NMU English Professor Rachel May's An American Quilt appeared at the top of a recent "Briefly Noted" column in the books section of The New Yorker. The description reads: "In this far-reaching history, the discovery of an unfinished antebellum quilt becomes an investigation of the fragile scraps of documents used to make its backing. The fragments lead May to a white couple in South Carolina, who incorporated fabric left over from their slaves’ “gowns” into the quilt, as well as to some of the 13-plus people whom the family owned.

Alumna Recounts Value of NMU Experience

Image of Alumna Tiffany Kleiman in uniform as a security officer
Aug. 2, 2018 —
NMU alumna Tiffany Kleiman (’15 BS) will embark this fall on a doctoral program in criminal justice with a concentration in behavioral science at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She recently recounted the value of her undergraduate experience and thanked faculty and staff who made “an imprint” on her life in an email to President Fritz Erickson and Provost Kerri Schuiling.

Former Wildcat Accepts New Coaching Position

Aug. 1, 2018 —
Mark Simon ('86), former Wildcat basketball player and NMU Sports Hall of Fame member, has been hired as girls basketball coach at St. Thomas Aquinas (formerly Catholic Central) in Marinette, Wis. Simon played for Stephenson High School, including the 1981 Class C state championship team. He returned there to coach the girls team to a 20-3 record in 2014, according to the Escanaba Daily Press.

Alumnus Combines Culinary and Graphic Art

Drake Nagel ('12 BFA)
Jul. 31, 2018 —

Drake Nagel ('12 BFA) puts his graphic design skills honed at NMU to work on behalf of his two culinary ventures: Happy's Taco Shop in Petoskey; and a food truck business that extends to Traverse City. In a Petoskey News-Review artist profile, Nagel said cooking is his first love, but he also recognizes the importance of establishing a brand through a logo and other visual elements. So he has combined both talents, creating a number of menu boards for the food trucks and designs for available merchandise offered through the company.

Schwenke Joins NRRI

Stacy Schwenke
Jul. 30, 2018 —

NMU alumna Stacy Schwenke ('07 MAE) has joined the Natural Resources Research Institute in Duluth. She fills a new position dedicated to strategic management of the organization's grants and contracts, which comprise about 55 percent of NRRI's research funding. NRRI's mission is to "deliver research solutions to balance our economy, resources and environment for resilient communities." Schwenke's previous research administration work experience included positions with University of Wisconsin System campuses and the Marine Biological Laboratory.

Former OTS Weightlifter Helps Revive Infant

Ronnie Tucker, a former weightlifter at NMU's Olympic Training Site
Jul. 26, 2018 —

Ronnie Tucker, a former weightlifter at NMU's Olympic Training Site, helped to save the life of an unresponsive newborn outside the Michigan State Police Jackson Post. He has been a state trooper for eight months. Tucker was first on the scene to assist a couple in an SUV parked outside whose baby emerged feet first and wasn't breathing. With CPR equipment from his vehicle and the training he underwent in the police academy, he kept the newborn's airway open and tried rubbing her chest for stimulation, eventually finding success.