Northwest welcomes new employees as spring semester begins

Dr. Lee Allard arrived at Northwest in November as assistant vice president of research and institutional effectiveness in the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness and has worked in the field for nearly 20 years at several institutions. Before transitioning into higher education, he worked as a lay minister in the Catholic church and was employed in technical documentation, academic and medical research, statistical analysis and custom programming. He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Dallas and master's degrees from Vanderbilt University in English and theology as well as a master's degree in epidemiology from the University of Cincinnati; he earned his Ph.D. in human development and communication science at The University of Texas at Dallas.

Tanner Berg began his employment in September as an assistant track and field coach in the Department of Athletics. He served as a volunteer assistant coach at Kansas State University for the past two seasons. He earned his bachelor's degree in human performance and fitness at Northern State University in South Dakota, where he had a storied collegiate career that included a 2022 national championship in the hammer throw.

Angela Bremken came to the University in September as a gardening specialist in Landscape Services. She spent the last 14 years with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services vocational department where she operated a greenhouse employing clients with disabilities. She also has experience in floriculture and horticulture at several Omaha businesses. She is pursuing a bachelor's degree at Northwest in general studies.

Christopher Colvin joined Northwest in October as a custodian in Facility Services.

Joe Connelly began his employment in October as a part-time instructional aide at Horace Mann Laboratory School. He graduated from Northwest last May with a bachelor's degree in organizational communication.

Lilly Cook began her employment in October as a multimedia specialist in the Office of University Marketing and Communication. She completed her bachelor's degree in digital media last spring.

Charlie Doud joined Northwest this month as a Franken Hall resident director in the Office of Residential Life. He is a recent graduate of Iowa State University where he worked as a resident assistant and earned a bachelor's degree in history. He also has an associate degree from Des Moines Area Community College.

McKenzie Gilliard began work in September as a custodian in Facility Services.

Emily Hansen began her employment in September as a marketing specialist in the Office of University Marketing and Communication. She completed her bachelor's degree last spring at Northwest in communication with a public relations emphasis.

Sheila Harding joined Northwest this month as a project director in Upward Bound. For 15 years, she taught English and language arts in grades 6 through 12 and served as professional development chairperson for six years in the Cainsville R-1 School District. She also was employed as a human resources assistant at Gumdrop Books. She has a bachelor's degree in business management from Northwest and a master's degree in educational leadership from Arkansas State University.

Dr. Elise Hepworth began her work at Northwest in September as the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Most recently, she was assistant vice president and vice provost in the Office of Academic Affairs at Missouri Western State University, where she also served as interim chair of the Department of Engineering Technology, interim dean of the College of Business and Professional Studies, and support for the Office of Assessment and Accreditation, in addition to a faculty role in its School of Fine Arts. She also taught in the Department of Music at Wayne State College in Nebraska from 2008 to 2014 and has served as a guest conductor, adjudicator and clinician for numerous choral groups throughout the region. She has a graduate diploma in vocal performance from New Zealand School of Music, a Doctor of Arts degree in vocal pedagogy from The University of Mississippi, a master's degree in music education from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a bachelor's degree in music education from Northwest. Additionally, she holds national certifications in the pedagogies of Zoltán Kodály and Orff Schulwerk.

Taylin Hunter joined the University in October as a staff nurse at Wellness Services. She was previously employed with Mosaic Life Care for three years and earned her licensed practical nurse degree and associate degree in nursing from North Central Missouri College.

Paresh Jayaram Gowda began his employment at Northwest this month as a database software engineer in the Office of Information Technology. He was employed previously as a database engineer with Accenture. He earned his bachelor's degree in electronics and communication engineering from Acharya Institute of Technology in India, and he completed his master's degree in information systems at Northwest in December.

Erin LaMaster joined the University in October as a purchasing coordinator in the Office of Purchasing. Previously, she was employed for five years at Conception Abbey, most recently as gifts/database manager.

David Mackenzie began his employment in September as a carpenter in Facility Services.

Ellie Maguire began employment at Northwest this month as a recruitment coordinator in the Office of Admissions. She expects to graduate from Northwest with her bachelor's degree in psychology this spring.

Brayden Major joined the University this month as a financial assistance counselor in the Office of Financial Assistance. He is pursuing a bachelor's degree in accounting at Northwest.

Amiere McNeal began work in October as an academic advisor and success coach in the Office of Academic Success and Retention. Most recently, she served as a graduate assistant with the Office of Academic Success and Retention while pursuing her master's degree in school counseling at Northwest. She completed her bachelor's degree in psychology at Northwest in 2023.

Mary Ruth Nauman started her employment at Northwest in September as an admissions specialist in the Office of Admissions. She graduated from Northwest last spring with her bachelor's degree in English.

Collin Prosser arrived in December as an assistant football coach in the Department of Athletics. Previously, he served three seasons as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Wayne State College. He also has coached at Minnesota State, the University of South Dakota and Morningside College. He has a bachelor's degree from Wayne State and a master's degree from the University of South Dakota, both in health and physical education.

Renee Schlag joined Northwest in October as executive secretary in the Office of University Advancement. She came to Northwest from Missouri Western State University where she was an administrative assistant. She also served as an auction manager and marketing director at Younger Auction Company in Maryville for 22 years.

Alysa Simmons began her work in December as an accounts payable clerk in the Office of the Controller. She was previously employed at Nodaway Valley Bank for two years as a universal banker. She has a bachelor's degree in human services from Northwest and an associate degree from Highland Community College.

Hannah Staggs started her employment in November as membership development and events coordinator at KXCV-KRNW. She completed her bachelor's degree in marketing at Northwest in 2023.

Hannah Stephens returned to Northwest in September as a recruitment coordinator in the Office of Admissions. She worked for a short time as a graphic artist with Hanesbrands Inc. after her previous employment as a recruitment coordinator at Northwest. She earned her bachelor's degree in graphic design from the University in 2022.

Melissa Wellhausen began work in October as chief financial officer in the Office of University Advancement. She had served for the last 13 years as the director of human resources and auditor for Page County, Iowa. She also was employed previously as a senior auditor for the state of Iowa and as an accountant with Ernst & Young LLP in Des Moines. She has a bachelor's degree in public accounting and a Master of Business Administration in human resource management, both from Northwest.

Braxton Williams joined Northwest in September as an assistant men's basketball coach. He spent the previous year at Pittsburg State University in Kansas and before that was an assistant coach at Missouri State University-West Plains. Williams, who also served as a player development coach/trainer for Playmakers Basketball in Phoenix, began his coaching career at the NAIA level as a graduate assistant and developmental team coach at Ottawa University-Arizona. He has a bachelor's degree in health and human performance from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma and a master's degree in business leadership from Ottawa University-Arizona.

Jake Willrich began work in December as an assistant football coach in the Department of Athletics. He served as an assistant coach at Wayne State College in 2024 and previously was a member of the University of Nebraska-Kearney football coaching staff from 2014 to 2022. He also spent five seasons at Austin College in Texas as a defensive coordinator, secondary coach and strength and conditioning coach. He holds a bachelor's degree from Truman State University in history and a master's degree from Northwest in education with an administration emphasis.

Micah Wolf began work in December as an officer in the University Police Department.

Shelby Wolters arrived at Northwest in October as a printing specialist in Mail and Printing Services. She was employed previously with the Nodaway News Leader and Rush Printing in Maryville. She has an associate degree in graphic design from Southwestern Community College in Iowa.

Mark Wright began work this month as an assistant football coach in the Department of Athletics. He coached previously at Tulane University, Wayne State College and MidAmerica Nazarene in Kansas. He has a bachelor's degree in health, physical education and wellness from Langston University in Oklahoma.

Timothy Yourison began his employment this month as deputy athletic director for external relations in the Department of Athletics. He came to Northwest after working as the director of development for intercollegiate athletics at Southwestern University in Texas and before that as athletic gift officer at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Foundation. Prior to stepping into fundraising roles, he coached college football for 15 seasons at Luther College, Hamline University, Aurora University, Austin College, Western Illinois University and the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. He earned his bachelor's degree in physical education and exercise science at Luther College and a master's degree in kinesiology and exercise science from Western Illinois University.