Northwest appoints interim vice president of culture, interim police chief

Northwest Missouri State University has named Krista Barcus as its interim vice president of culture and Lt. Amanda Cullin as interim chief of police, effective April 1.

Krista Barcus

Lt. Amanda Cullin

The appointments were approved Thursday by the Board of Regents. Barcus, who currently serves as assistant vice president of human resources at Northwest, and Cullin, a lieutenant of administration in the University Police Department, will succeed Dr. Clarence Green, who has assumed both roles, after his retirement from the University on March 31.

The vice president of culture at Northwest focuses on organizational culture and articulating, infusing and reinforcing the shared beliefs, norms and values important to the institution’s success and effectiveness. Barcus will serve as a member of the Northwest Leadership Team and oversee the Office of Human Resources, the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, and the University Police Department.

“Ms. Barcus will bring a tremendous sense of passion and dedication to this role,” Northwest President Dr. Lance Tatum said. “Krista has proven her effectiveness on the Senior Leadership Team, and I am confident she will contribute as a member of the Northwest Leadership Team and serve well as the leader of our division of culture.”

Barcus joined Northwest in the fall of 2018 as director of human resources and came to the University from SSM Health St. Francis Hospital, now Mosaic Medical Center-Maryville, where she served in many roles during a 15-year span, including with the hospital’s executive leadership team as its human resource leader. She has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Northwest and a master’s degree in leadership and management from Western Governors University.

Cullin rejoined the Northwest staff in the fall of 2015 as a communications and project coordinator for the University Police Department, having been employed with the department previously as a police officer.  Before returning to Northwest, she was employed with the Jefferson C-123 School District, where she taught English arts, social studies and early childhood parent education for 10 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in advertising from Northwest and graduated on March 15 from the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

“Lt. Cullin demonstrated her ability and effectiveness to lead our University Police Department during the interim presidency of Dr. Green,” Tatum said. “I appreciate her willingness to again serve as interim police chief while we begin the search for a new chief of police.”