Northwest welcomes new employees for spring semester

Lauren Adams began Jan. 1 as a multimedia specialist in the Office of University Marketing and Communication. She completed her bachelor’s degree in mass media with a broadcast production emphasis at Northwest in December.

Nikita Alimohammad joined Northwest in September as the assistant director of wellness education and prevention in Wellness Services. Previously, she was a mental health promotion specialist at Washington State University. She has a bachelor’s degree in health sciences with a management and administration emphasis from California State University, East Bay, and she earned a master’s degree in public health with a health promotion and behavioral sciences emphasis from San Diego State University.

Derek Allen began work at Northwest in October as an HVAC technician in Facility Services. Previously, he was employed with Lewis HVAC Services in Maryville.

Taylor Ashford is an assistant transfer specialist in the Office of Admissions.

Samantha Baker joined Northwest in November as custodian in Facility Services. Previously, she was employed with Walmart.

Brianna Billie joined Northwest in September as a part-time assistant softball coach in the Department of Athletics.

Prasad Chetti joined Northwest this month as an assistant professor in the School of Computer Science and Information Systems. He has 19 years of teaching experience, including five years in varied roles at the University of Nebraska Omaha. He has Master of Technology degrees in computer science and engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati and in geo-informatics and surveying technology from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad in India as well as a Bachelor of Technology degree in computer science and engineering from P.R.R.M. Engineering College in India. He is pursuing his Ph.D. in information technology at the University of Nebraska Omaha.

Zachary Copeland joined Northwest in December as custodian in Facility Services. Previously, he was employed with A&G Restaurant in Maryville.

Wick Cunningham returned to Northwest in October as an assistant cross country and track coach in the Department of Athletics. Previously, he was employed as a title abstracter with Marion County Abstract and as an academic advisor at Northwest. He has a bachelor’s degree in middle school education and a master’s degree in health and physical education, both from Northwest.

Dr. Ruma De arrived at Northwest in September as a post-doctoral research assistant in the Department of Natural Sciences. Previously, she served as an adjunct faculty member at North Central Missouri College and at Northwest. She also was a physics instructor at Louisiana State University and Kansas State University. She earned her doctorate in theoretical high energy physics as well as master’s and bachelor’s degrees in physics, all from Visva Bharati University in Santiniketan, India.

Derek Demott began work at Northwest in November as a project manager in Facility Services. He previously worked at Herzog Railroad Services Inc. and has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Jen Downing joined Northwest in August as a transitional kindergarten instructor at Horace Mann Laboratory School. Previously, she taught Spanish to students in kindergarten through 12th grade and STEM to kindergarten through fifth grade in the West Nodaway R-I School District. In addition to a certification to teach k-12 Spanish, she earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education at Northwest and a master's degree in ELL from Western Governors University.

Shelby Eitel joined Northwest in November as an admissions specialist in the Office of Admissions. Previously, she was the program director at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nodaway County. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from Northwest in 2013.

Carissa Everhart arrived at Northwest in October as a staff nurse in Wellness Services. She has worked in varied roles throughout her nursing career, including at the former St. Francis Hospital in Maryville. She has an associate degree in nursing from North Central Missouri College.

Duane Havard joined Northwest in October as director of alumni relations in the Office of University Advancement. He spent 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. He earned his bachelor’s degree in broadcasting at Northwest.

Christopher Holder arrived at Northwest this spring as an instructor of accounting in the Melvin D. and Valorie G. Booth School of Business. His professional experience includes services with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Office of Inspector General, the Missouri State Auditor’s Office and as an adjunct instructor of accounting and business Instructor at Metropolitan Community Colleges in Kansas City, Missouri. He earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting and corporate finance at Northwest in addition to a Master of Accountancy at the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Master of Business Administration at Northwest.

Joe Huddleston joined Northwest in December as an officer with the University Police Department. Previously, he was employed as a corrections officer at the Maryville Treatment Center. He is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in criminology at Northwest.

Jennifer Knight joined Northwest in December as a custodian in Facility Services.

David Leipold arrived at Northwest in October as employee well-being coordinator in the Office of Human Resources. Previously, he worked in clinical research at the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience. He has bachelor’s degrees in psychology and neuroscience from Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Carmen Long arrived at Northwest in October as a custodian in Facility Services. She previously was employed with the Missouri Department of Corrections.

Tess Lovig joined Northwest in October as an annual giving and alumni relations specialist in the Office of University Advancement. She graduated from Northwest in 2020 with her bachelor’s degree in marketing and business management.

Dr. Tim Mattson joined Northwest in September as the adjunct coordinator and works in Academic Operations and Development. He retired as assistant superintendent of the Savannah R-III School District and has spent 30 years as an educator and administrator in Missouri. He also has served as an adjunct faculty member in Northwest’s School of Education. He has a Bachelor of Science in Education degree in English and speech as well as a master’s degree in educational leadership from Northwest and a doctorate degree from Saint Louis University.

Bailey Maxwell joined in November as the accounts receivable coordinator in Student Account Services.

Cameron Morrison arrived at Northwest in October as an admissions representative in the Office of Admissions. He completed his master’s degree in school counseling last summer at Northwest, where he also was a graduate assistant in behavioral sciences. He also has a bachelor’s degree from Northwest in psychology.

Matthew Muston joined Northwest this month as a resident director in the Office of Residential Life. He comes from Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota, where he was assistant director of residence life for programming and living learning communities. He has a bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences with a wildlife management emphasis from Northern State University and a master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of Sioux Falls.

Bryan Nigh joined Northwest in September as a graphic designer in the Office of University Marketing and Communication. His more than 13 years of professional experience includes design, marketing and production work in Los Angeles, Atlanta and the Kansas City area.

Trey Oglesby joined Northwest in December as a groundskeeper in Facility Services. He completed his bachelor’s degree at Northwest last year in general studies.

Danielle Phillps joined Northwest in November as a part-time instructional aide in the Phyllis and Richard Leet Center for Children and Families.

Genna Sarcione joined Northwest in August as a custodian in Facility Services. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in human services at Northwest.

Bryson Smith began work at Northwest in November as a custodian in Facility Services.

Danielle Smith joined Northwest in September as a part-time instructional aide at Horace Mann Laboratory School. She has an associate degree from Iowa Western Community College and a bachelor’s degree from Northwest, both in psychology.

Camryn Somers arrived at Northwest in December as an academic advisor and success coach. Previously, she worked at Eastern Florida State College as a mental skills coach for its men’s basketball team, and she owns a clothing business, GBK Designs. She earned a master’s degree in sport and performance psychology at the University of Western States and has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Northwest.

Isabelle Stewart began work at Northwest in August as student involvement coordinator in the Office of Student Involvement. She graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln last year with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education.

Alyssa Striplin joined Northwest in August as coordinator of academic support in Academic Success and Retention.

Kelli Tucker arrived at Northwest in December as a part-time office assistant in the Phyllis and Richard Leet Center for Children and Families. Previously, she was an administrative secretary at Omaha Northwest Magnet High School in Omaha, Nebraska. She graduated from Northwest in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in secondary English education.

Casey Wenstrand joined Northwest in October as a career services specialist in Career Services. He previously worked with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach as a youth program specialist and county youth coordinator. He has a Bachelor of Liberal Studies from Iowa State University and is pursuing a Master of Science in Education degree in curriculum and instruction at Northwest.

Megan Wiederholt joined Northwest in November as coordinator of housing assignments and administration in the Office of Residential Life. Previously, she owned and operated a restaurant with her husband. She has an associate degree in American Sign Language interpreting from Johnson County Community College.

Linda Woodard joined Northwest in September as a custodian in Facility Services.