Northwest Missouri State University’s Office of University Advancement has announced the naming of Duane Havard as its next director of alumni relations.

Havard will be responsible for planning and implementing programs, events and projects that engage the University’s 80,000-plus alumni and friends and provide benefits to alumni as well as students. He also will lead the Northwest Alumni Association’s 24 alumni chapters across the United States and Japan in collaboration with its 19-member Board of Directors.

“Duane will be a strong addition to Northwest’s alumni program and the Office of University Advancement, bringing with him an impressive background in working with volunteers and creating enthusiasm while being responsible for important elements such as public relations, communication, budget oversight and fundraising,” Mitzi Marchant, vice president of university advancement and executive director of the Northwest Foundation, said. “As a student at Northwest, Duane was very involved in academics and co-curricular activities, and even after graduation he was a recruiter for our admissions office – all of which will enhance his success in his new role.”

Havard, a native of Moravia, Iowa, earned his bachelor’s degree in broadcasting with a minor in music from Northwest in 1990. His professional career as an accomplished chief executive officer in the non-profit sector includes extensive experience and success in service, fundraising, budget and personnel management, and staff and volunteer board leadership.

He returns to Northwest after 26 years as an executive with the Boy Scouts of America in Nebraska, Maine, and the last 14 years as scout executive with the BSA’s French Creek Council in Erie County, Pennsylvania. He began his professional career at Northwest, working for three years as an admissions representative, focusing on recruitment in the St. Louis area.

As a Northwest student, Havard was heavily involved in the music program as a member of the Celebration show choir, Madraliers, Tower Choir, University Chorale and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, in addition to working at KDLX, the University’s student-led radio station. He and his wife, Polly, met as Northwest students and reconnected 30 years after leaving the University; she completed her bachelor’s degree in music education in 1987. Since their graduation, the couple have remained connected to Northwest and visited the campus often.

“I am very excited to return to Maryville and work for the University that I graduated from,” Havard said. “Over 30 years have passed since I attended classes, but walking on campus brings back memories like they happened yesterday. I look forward to involving our alumni as we share our experiences through on-campus and off-campus events.”

Havard and his wife will soon relocate to Maryville, and he will begin his employment Oct. 18 in the Michael L. Faust Center for Alumni and Friends, just prior to Northwest’s annual Homecoming celebration Oct. 29-30.

For more information about the Northwest Alumni Association, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/alumni. 

To make a gift to support Northwest, contact the Office of University Advancement at 660.562.1248 or visit www.nwmissouri.edu/GiveOnline.