Northwest welcomes new employees to begin spring semester

Dr. Isam Alobaidi has joined Northwest as an assistant professor in the School of Computer Science and Information Systems. Previously, he was an assistant professor at Al-Farabi University and has worked in various information technology roles throughout his professional career. He has a Ph.D. and master’s degree in computer science from Missouri University of Science and Technology as well as a master’s degree in computer science from Florida State University and a bachelor’s degree in software engineering from Al-Mansour University College in Baghdad.

Brandon Barker joined Northwest in October as a custodian in Facility Services. Previously, he was employed with Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corporation in Maryville.

Matthew Clements joined Northwest in September as a maintenance technician in Facility Services.

Hannah Cline joined Northwest in October as a recruitment coordinator. She previously worked as a graphic designer at Rapid Elite in Maryville and graduated from Northwest last spring with a bachelor's degree in graphic design.

Latonya Davis returned to Northwest in September as a recruitment coordinator in the Office of Admissions-Recruitment. Previously, she was an academic advisor and success coach for two years at Northwest and an elementary physical education teacher for 15 years in St. Louis. She has a master’s degree from Northwest in K-12 physical education.

Alicia Engstrand joined Northwest in December as a human resources specialist in the Office of Human Resources. Previously, she was employed as a front desk manager at Holiday Inn Express in Maryville. She completed a bachelor’s degree in business in October at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa.

Elayna Gasque joined Northwest in December as a custodian in Facility Services. Previously, she was employed at Oak Pointe in Maryville.

Maggie Grishow joined Northwest in October as an equity coordinator in the Office of Title IX and Equity.

Michele Heastan joined Northwest in October as an employee wellness coordinator in the Office of Human Resources. A registered nurse and teacher, she taught health occupations during the last eight years at Savannah High School and, prior to that, worked for 10 years as a cardiac step-down nurse at Mosaic Life Care. She has a bachelor’s degree in nursing degree from Missouri Western University as well as a vocational educator certificate.

Travis Hoffman joined Northwest in December as a custodian in Facility Services. Previously, he was employed at OPS.

James Janecek joined Northwest in September as a mechanical, electrical and plumbing supervisor in Facility Services.

Tiffany Kribbs joined Northwest in September as a part-time instructional associate at the Phyllis and Richard Leet Center for Children and Families. She graduated from Northwest last year with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. 

Lillian Mistretta joined Northwest in October as a campus tour and visit assistant in the Office of Admissions-Recruitment.

Michael Morrison joined Northwest in November as a custodian in Facility Services. Previously, he was employed at Eaton Corporation in Shenandoah, Iowa.

Hope Ozanne joined Northwest in September as a custodian in Facility Services.

Randi Rogers joined Northwest in November as a secretary in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. Previously, she was employed for 14 years with Burger King, most recently as a general manager.

Tracy Russell joined Northwest in December as a financial assistance counselor in the Office of Financial Assistance. Previously, she worked for 12 years as a financial assistance counselor at St. Francis Hospital, SSM Health and Mosaic Medical Center-Maryville.

Amity Snider joined Northwest in September as a financial assistance counselor in the Office of Financial Assistance.

Randy Snider joined Northwest in November as a custodian in Facility Services.

Will Walker joined Northwest in September as director of equipment operations in the Department of Athletics.

Gretchen Wehmeyer joined Northwest in September as a part-time instructional aide at Horace Mann Laboratory School.

Derek Williams joined Northwest in September as a custodian in Facility Services.

Macy Williams joined Northwest in September as an associate women's basketball coach in the Department of Athletics. Williams was a member of the Bearcat women’s basketball team from 2015 to 2018 and then served as a student assistant and graduate assistant. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in applied health and sports science, both from Northwest.

Alice Wong joined Northwest in October as a custodian in Facility Services.

Weipeng Wu joined Northwest as an instructor of finance in the Melvin D. and Valorie G. Booth School of Business. Last fall he served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling University and previously was a teaching and research assistant at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he is a Ph.D. candidate in personal financial planning. He has a master’s degree in economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a bachelor's degree in economics from Zhejiang Gongshang University.