Jun 9, 2025 | HR Corner, Intercom
Kudos to Danielle Quinlan. Danielle Quinlan coordinated and managed Extended Education’s first Campus Day since 2019. This event falls under “Community Engagement” in our current strategic plan. On May 9, 2025 Campus Day returned to the main Front Street Campus. Over $13K in net revenue (income minus direct expenses) was realized. The team welcomed 300+ participants, instructors, and volunteers. The day consisted of 40+ learning sessions from Extended Education offerings, plus community offerings such as Old Town Playhouse, BATA, city government, and the NMC Foundation. Thank you, Danielle, for making this event a huge success!
Kudos to our Grounds Crew. The grounds crew did an amazing job making sure that Front St. campus looked amazing for Campus Day on Friday, May 9th. They also set up picnic tables to ensure our attendees had outdoor seating at lunch time. Thank you, grounds team – we appreciate you!
Kudos to Garrett Croon & The Security Team. Garrett and his team facilitated all aspects of parking and security for Campus Day. In addition to providing assistance before the event began, they also stepped up to help secure an area for our BATA shuttle and assisted our guests who needed handicapped parking. You’re the best! Thank you for your support and collaboration.
Kudos to Kyle Morrison, Chris Hanna, and Dylan Schaub. The EdTech team assisted in all technical needs during our May 9th Campus Day event. They responded quickly to tech issues and walked instructors who were new to our campus through all technical challenges. And the best part – they did it collaboratively – it’s a pleasure working with you!
Kudos to Angie Adamick. Angie and her custodial team were instrumental in making sure campus looked great for Campus Day on May 9th. In addition to real-time sweeping and mopping of the floors in the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center, one of our participants wrote in his evaluation survey, “FYI, the cleanest bathrooms and classrooms I have ever seen. Your cleaning crew is excellent!”
Kudos to our Custodial, Grounds, and Maintenance departments, and Cathy Brown. The entire facilities department worked together to transform a storage closet in the Extended Education suite into an office for a new full-time hire. By utilizing the new work order system, we were able to have shelving removed, carpet replaced, walls painted, and furniture delivered and assembled in a few short weeks. The process was smooth and easy! Thank you!
Kudos to Lil Anderson, Marcus Bennett, Katy Knight, Kristi Hallett, Facilities Team, Educational Technology, Emily Crull, and more! I want to give a huge kudos to the folks who made our Pride Family Field Day with Up North Pride a success! It was a beautiful, sunny day filled with so much joy and fun, and it would not have been possible without everyone’s help!
Special thanks to Lil Anderson for jumping in and coordinating many of the moving parts, to Marcus Bennett and Campus Life for lending games and equipment, to Emily Crull and Katy Knight for their help with getting the word out to our communities, and to Kristi Hallett, the Facilities and Educational Technology teams for helping make sure we had the space set up the way we needed!
Thanks also to the folks who were there as vendors, everyone who volunteered to help during the event, and anyone who came out to enjoy a little fun in the sun with us! Your participation always helps make events like ours extra special!
Experts suggest maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” increases positivity for yourself and for others. Please encourage your colleagues by submitting a KUDOS. Let them know you appreciate their hard work and are thinking of them!
Jun 9, 2025 | HR Corner, Intercom
These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!
- Kathleen Moore – Faculty – CIT Infrastructure Instructor
- Tucker Nelson – Supplemental – GLMA Vessels AE
- Robert Caron – Supplemental – GLMA Culinary Intern
- Riley Smith – Student – Fitness Center
Jun 2, 2025 | HR Corner, Intercom
Kudos to Dennos Museum Center Team. The Dennos Museum hosted its 4th Spring Art Market with 25 Michigan artists in May. As a team, the staff knocked this event out of the park with their creativity, enthusiasm, time, and presence from set-up to tear-down. The event exceeded last year’s attendance and offered a range of fun for all ages through staff collaboration, from a Mother’s Day card-making project to Mimosas & a pianist in the galleries. The market garnered much praise from visitors and participants and one of the compliments heard most centers around the museum’s staff and volunteers. When asked what they love most about the event artists say,
- “The friendliness and helpfulness of staff and volunteers :)”
- “The beautiful venue, the happy atmosphere, and the wonderful staff & people”
- “It’s so nice to feel taken care of in every way. This is one of my favorite venues for a market!”
So, kudos to the entire Dennos Museum Staff!
Experts suggest maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” increases positivity for yourself and for others. Please encourage your colleagues by submitting a KUDOS. Let them know you appreciate their hard work and are thinking of them!
Jun 2, 2025 | HR Corner, Intercom
These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!
- Samantha Joslin – Adjunct – Culinary Arts Pastry Production
- Shawn Hayes – Supplemental – GLMA Vessels Deck Crew (AB)
- Melissa Fruge – Adjunct – Culinary Arts Bakery Sales, Merchandising and Packaging
May 27, 2025 | HR Corner, Intercom
The following employees are celebrating an anniversary soon. Please join us in congratulating them!
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May 27, 2025 | HR Corner, Intercom
Kudos to John Lutchko, Scott Swan, Phil McCuien, Brian Sweeney, Colleen Burry, Georgenia Hromada, Lisa Cooper, Tyler Bristol and Lisa vonReichbauer. The Yellow River Conservancy Technical University partnership is unique as it brings together NMC’s Construction Technology and Marine Technology programs for an international education experience. This experience begins by teaching online to the YRCTU cohort in the fall followed by an immersive in-person teaching course in the Spring. This program is over 10 years old, but had to be redeveloped from scratch this spring as the pandemic had changed much of the interaction. Execution would not have been possible without a cross-functional team willing to admit and register the students, passionate instructors to deliver the classes, and effective logistics to add appropriate sections and manage the travel process. I want to recognize those that played key roles in this:
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- Georgenia Hromada for developing class sections, completing admissions paperwork and managing contracts.
- Lisa vonReichbauer for managing the admissions and applications process (and not skewing our traditional academic metrics).
- Scott Swan, John Lutchko, Phil McCuien, Brian Sweeney and Tyler Bristol for developing and delivering the curriculum for the cohorts. Thank you to John, Phil, Brian and Tyler for traveling to China this spring for the hands-on portion of the classes. The trip is very difficult!
- Colleen Burry for handing the records and registrations aspect including registration, grade reporting and diplomas.
- Lisa Cooper for managing travel logistics including visa applications, travel requirements and business travel.
- To all – thank you for managing the timeline, budget and manual processes that are required to complete this!
Kudos to the NMC Custodial Team. Their unwavering dedication and tireless efforts in turning over both East and North Hall within a limited timeframe has been nothing short of extraordinary. Preparing both dorms for incoming summer students, interns and visiting groups is a monumental task. They rose to the occasion and exceeded expectations with professionalism, speed and care while still managing their daily tasks in other areas of our campuses.
We appreciate the dedication and effort of our custodial team, which allows us to provide clean, inviting and cozy environments that showcase our pride in the campus and our commitment to NMC’s value of excellence. We are sincerely thankful for all that they do (often working quietly in the background) and we acknowledge and honor their vital contribution to our success.
Thank you, custodial team! You are the core of this operation, and we recognize your hard work:
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- Angie Adamick
- Sharon Angel
- Lawrence Albosta
- Pat Coy
- Steve Fewins
- Brenda Garvon
- Nicholas Gates
- Sandy Harrand
- Laura Mashburn
- Elijah McCullough
- Robin Maloney
- Phil Mosier
- Cameron Palmer
- Charles Russell
- Ronda Russell-Yanski
- Terri Scarlett
- Craig Shattuck
- Kenny Sonnabend
- Nathan Sonnabend
- Angela Zirotte
Kudos to Robert Watrous. Many thanks to LT. Robert Watrous for not only agreeing to carry in the U.S. flag for Commencement 2023 but for establishing a functioning Color Guard that participated in our 2024 & 2025 ceremonies. This will be a part of our ceremonies for years to come! He led the training and practice sessions and also secured the required equipment. We are so grateful for this honorable legacy that will live on at NMC. Thank you, Lieutenant!
Kudos to Emily Crull. Emily assisted with the creation of the Commencement program and various other printed materials for the event. She jumped into action when we had last minute requests or unexpected changes and helped us get through some tricky situations at a stressful time. Thank you Emily for your help and for producing high quality graphics for our special day!
Experts suggest maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” increases positivity for yourself and for others. Please encourage your colleagues by submitting a KUDOS. Let them know you appreciate their hard work and are thinking of them!
May 27, 2025 | HR Corner, Intercom
These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!
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- Derrick Childress — Aviation Recruiter
- Jaxon Beer, supplemental employee — T/S State of Michigan Culinary Intern
May 27, 2025 | HR Corner, Intercom
UPDATE (5/28/2025): This course is no longer being offered this spring. It will be offered in the fall instead. More information will be shared as it becomes available.
Registration is open for Crucial Conversations for Accountability! This course is strongly recommended for all supervisors, academic chairs and program coordinators, but all regular employees are welcome with supervisor approval. While Crucial Conversations for Accountability may sound like a “gotcha” approach, it is exactly the opposite. The training provides practical tools grounded in mutual respect, active listening and collaborative problem-solving. During this two-day training, learn how to have difficult conversations in a way that solves problems while improving relationships.
Note: Both days are required for course completion.
Dates/times:
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- Friday, May 30 & Friday, June 7, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Follow these instructions to sign up now in NEOED Learn. We hope to see you there.
For questions, contact Lori Hodek at lhodek@nmc.edu.
May 19, 2025 | HR Corner, Intercom
Thank you to everyone who joined us for this year’s You Made It Possible celebration! This heartfelt event honors the incredible dedication of our employees, board members, and retirees whose service makes a lasting impact on the lives of our learners.
This year, we celebrated 810 years of collective service and honored 10 retirees this year, representing an incredible 236 years of combined commitment to NMC.
Congratulations to our 2025 Excellence Award recipients:
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- Adjunct Faculty Excellence Award – John Lutchko
- Imogene Wise Faculty Excellence Award – Becca Richardson
- Staff Excellence Award – Katharine Marvin
- Team Excellence Award – Public Relations
We also took this opportunity to celebrate the excellence each of you, our employees, demonstrate every day. Your passion, care and professionalism are at the heart of who we are as a college and what makes NMC truly special. Thank you for making it all possible every day! Your contributions are the foundation of our community and we are deeply grateful for all you do!
Photos from the event can be viewed on SmugMug.
May 19, 2025 | HR Corner, Intercom
Kudos to Colleen Burry, Seth Turner, Suzanne Rizzo and Alyssa Irani. Job well done on a flawless Commencement! I heard nothing but great things and the lead up was very well organized making everyone’s job easier.
Experts suggest maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” increases positivity for yourself and for others. Please encourage your colleagues by submitting a KUDOS. Let them know you appreciate their hard work and are thinking of them!
May 19, 2025 | HR Corner, Intercom
Leslie Bilbey recently started working at the college as the EES Community Coordinator. Welcome to the NMC community!
May 12, 2025 | HR Corner, Intercom
Kudos to Lexi Wilkins for going above and beyond and volunteering her time to assist in the clean up the Outdoor Classroom space between Les Biederman and Health Science Buildings. We lovingly refer to this area as the PIT and we want you to use it this summer for lunch, breaks, class, and enjoyment! Last fall we planted some daffodils and tulips, stop by and check them out today!
Kudos to Nick Roster & Nicole Speelman for initiating and hosting the First Annual Science & Research Symposium at NMC. The student displays were impressive, and we look forward to this event growing in the future!
Kudos to Caroline Schaefer-Hills and the Visual Communications Studio students for presenting at the 4th Annual NMC ELI Learning Symposium Reflective Table Talk session! Their work was creative, clever, and professional. The students engaged with NMC faculty and staff and shared their portfolios from their semester projects. Way to go!
Kudos to Jim Bensley & Charles Macphee. Thank you to Jim Bensley, Co-Advisor of the Multicultural Club, and Charles Macphee, Adjunct Technical Division, for supporting their students who presented at the 4th Annual NMC ELI Learning Symposium Reflective Table Talks. The Multicultural Club shared the events they participated in and hosted. Charles’s student presented his honors project on construction management. Way to support your students and NMC!
Kudos to Kristy McDonald & Charles Macphee for opening their student presentations to NMC and the community for the 4th Annual NMC ELI Learning Symposium. Kristy’s BUS 231, Big Little Hero Race Reflection, and Charles’s EGY 105, Final Presentations, were outstanding!
Kudos to Tait Ricks. A big shout out to Tait Ricks for jumping into her new role and filling in for many of my duties while I was out on medical leave. Tait went above an beyond expectations!
Kudos to Carol Rocheleau, Tony Sauerbrey & Matt Hirsch. Carl, Tony and Matt supported the Skyline & Shoreline: West Bay Aerial Mobility Showcase on Tuesday, May 6 at Discovery Pier in Traverse City. This live demonstration event, led by Traverse City and the Michigan’s Advanced Aerial Mobility Activation fund featured three real-world drone missions over West Grand Traverse Bay — including: Search & Rescue with the U.S. Coast Guard, Water sampling using overwater drone tech, and LIDAR-enabled bathymetric mapping of the lakebed. It also brought premier drone companies to the region that are developing the next generation of drone and enabling technology.
Kudos to Betsy Boris, Tam Livengood and Meghan Light. The Munson Trauma Service successfully hosted its first Advanced Life Support course at the NMC Health Science building. This collaborative event would not have been possible if it was not for the great work from all three entities of Munson Healthcare, NMC, and GVSU. In prior years, this course was held in Petoskey without the use of live actors and required transportation of equipment from Grand Rapids. Relocating the course to Traverse City significantly reduced logistical strain on instructors and staff and made the experience more accessible for the 16 providers (Physicians, NPs, and PAs) who participated. NMC was critical in this effort by providing the necessary lab equipment and support to make this possible. Betsy and Meghan coordinated with Munson to outfit and update the lab properly. Tam and Meghan helped lead the day of operations. Others from the nursing program were instrumental in this, especially at the end of the semester. Thank you for collaborating with Munson to make this happen.
Experts suggest maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” increases positivity for yourself and for others. Please encourage your colleagues by submitting a KUDOS. Let them know you appreciate their hard work and are thinking of them!
May 12, 2025 | HR Corner, Intercom
These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!
- Eli Stallman – Student – Library Assistant
- Evan Daniels – Supplemental – GLMA Vessels Deck Crew (AB)
- Seamus Callaghan – Supplemental – Tutor
- Elise Schultz – Supplemental – EES Grant Project Manager & Marketing Coordinator
- Sherry Streeter – Supplemental – TSSOM Culinary Intern
- Waled Al Kharbi – Supplemental – TSSOM Culinar Intern
- Brianna Linderholm – Supplemental – GLMA Vessels Deck Crew (AB)
Apr 28, 2025 | HR Corner, Intercom
Kudos to Ali Thornton, Justin Guillard, Chris Little, and Tyrel Stott! Ali, Justin, Chris and Tyrel consistently go above and beyond during orientation, always ready to help with a smile on their face. The first orientation for students entering NMC this summer or fall 2025 brought a unique set of challenges, especially with the added responsibility of ensuring multi-factor authentication (MFA) was properly set up for all incoming students.
Kudos to Beth Norconk! Beth single-handedly configured the 30+ PCs for the upcoming IT olympics event. This was a massive help and a big load off our plates.
Kudos to Chelsie Niemi, Liz Celeste and the rest of the Dennos team! The Dennos Museum partnered with Student Success, Up North Pride, Pride Student Group and two stores in town to host and plan a clothing swap for Earth Day. Thank you for not only hosting, but also taking the primary planning role, facilitating the clothing donations and helping sort everything for an amazing event! We were able to have over 300 students and community members attend this free event and make a massive donation of clothing to area non-profit thrift stores.
Experts suggest maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” increases positivity for yourself and for others. Please encourage your colleagues by submitting a KUDOS. Let them know you appreciate their hard work and are thinking of them!
Apr 28, 2025 | HR Corner, Intercom
These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!
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- Daniel Hoseit — Groundskeeper
- Jocelyn Joseph, supplemental employee — GLMA Culinary Intern
Apr 28, 2025 | HR Corner, Intercom
NMC is implementing ClearCompany for goal management and performance reviews. Join Human Resources at one of the upcoming training sessions to receive an overview of the new system and get your questions answered. Training sessions will be held:
- Monday, April 28, 2–2:45 p.m.
- Thursday, May 1, 10–10:45 a.m.
- Monday, May 5, 9:30–10:15 a.m.
- Friday, May 9, 9:30–10:15 a.m.
All are encouraged to attend. Supervisors and reviewers are strongly recommended to attend. Those interested in attending can use these instructions to register for Learn to Navigate ClearCo Performance and Goals – What You Need to Know in NEOED Learn.
Apr 21, 2025 | HR Corner, Intercom
Kudos to Nancy Gray, Diane Bolton and Ann Hosler! On Monday, April 14, 2025, a student had a seizure on the second floor of Scholars Hall. Employees Nancy Gray, Diane Bolton, and Ann Hosler notified Emergency Services, Security, and comforted the victim until the ambulance arrived — remaining calm during the entire matter. These kind employees showed empathy during an emergency and excelled at notification and care. Kindly join me in commending these employees for a job well done.
Kudos to Michael Anderson! Professor Anderson took the time to meet with myself and a student who had questions and concerns about her English course. He kindly and patiently answered all of our questions and helped us to create a plan to help the student move forward. Professor Anderson made time to explain the NMC policies and the departmental policies in a way that was easily understood. He went over and above to help the student to connect to needed resources. Thank you. Your help and professionalism are very much appreciated.
Kudos to Jeff Cobb! Congratulations to Jeff Cobb and the Chamber Singers for their outstanding concert on April 12 at Kirkbride. Jeff is an exceptional leader, inspiring all who work with him. His unwavering dedication and talent significantly enhance the music program at NMC. Creating such an excellent singing group is no small achievement, and Jeff’s ability to attract additional high-caliber musicians further elevates the musical experience for both singers and audience members. Thanks to his stellar reputation, these musicians eagerly participate in the initiatives he leads. NMC has every reason to be proud!
Kudos to Ali Thornton! Thank you, Ali, for bringing new training to NMC! The AI training on Workflow was very helpful. I look forward to more training on AI and other technology areas in the future!
Experts suggest maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” increases positivity for yourself and for others. Please encourage your colleagues by submitting a KUDOS. Let them know you appreciate their hard work and are thinking of them!
Apr 21, 2025 | HR Corner, Intercom
These employees recently started working at the college. Let’s welcome them to the NMC community!
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- Kyle Wingeier — Adjunct Certified Flight Instructor
- Benjamin Ertle — Adjunct Certified Flight Instructor
- Cameron DeBortoli — Adjunct Certified Flight Instructor
- Christian Smith — Adjunct Certified Flight Instructor
