NORTHERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

TRUSTEE EMERITUS RANK

A former member of the Board of Trustees may be awarded the rank of Trustee Emeritus.  Trustee Emeritus rank shall be conferred by a majority vote of members of the Board of Trustees. 

The Board may grant Emeriti status when it deems it is warranted and in recognition of exceptional service and the Board reserves the exclusive right to award Trustee Emeritus status at its sole discretion..  The Board may grant Trustee Emeritus to Board members who do not complete a full term of service because of personal or extenuating circumstances, or those who are appointed to fulfill an unexpired term.

The Board will generally consider the following factors which are listed by way of example, but not limitation:

  • Participation in and contributions to Board of Trustee meetings, committees and working on Board of Trustee efforts away from meetings;
  • Time and effort on behalf of the University in areas like student recruitment; student retention; lobbying elected officials; hosting off-campus NMU events; and, when called upon, acting as an ambassador for the University;
  • Time and effort in attending University functions both on and off campus;
  • Time and effort on behalf of the NMU Alumni Association and its committees;
  • Assistance to the NMU Foundation, e.g., making referrals of likely donors, personal financial support, securing estate/trust gifts, etc.;
  • Time, effort and financial support of Friends of NMU;

Typically, the former member must have concluded his or her service on the Board for at least one year.

Trustee Emeritus status may be revoked by a majority vote of the members of the Board under exceptional circumstances where conduct occurring or discovered after being awarded Emeritus status is deemed to be substantially inconsistent with the University’s mission or values.

Nominations for Trustee Emeritus will be considered by the full Board of Trustees for approval.

Stephen F. Adamini of Marquette, MI.  Retired Attorney.  Served on NMU's Board from February 2007 to December 2014.  Received October 2016.

Samuel S. Benedict of Rapid River. Retired CEO of Mead Paper.  Served on NMU’s Board from 1997 to 2008.  Received April 2010.

Robert O. “Buzz” Berube of Marquette.  Dentist.  Served on NMU’s Board from 1991 to 2001.  Received October 2002.

Mary Lincoln Campbell of Ann Arbor.  EDF Ventures, L.P., Served on NMU’s Board from 1997 to 2004.  Received February 2006.

Richard J. Celello (deceased 11-13-21) of Iron Mountain.  Circuit Judge, 41st Circuit, Dickinson County (September, 2000).  Former Partner—Mouw & Celello, P.C., law firm.  Served on NMU’s Board from 1989 to 1997.  Received October 1998.

Brian D. Cloyd of Grand Rapids, Vice President of Global Community Relations for Steelcase, Inc.  Served on NMU’s Board from 2005 to 2012.  Received June 2014.

James M. Collins (deceased 12-20-19) of Marquette (formerly of Negaunee).  Judge, 96th District Court, Marquette County.  Served on NMU’s Board from 1983 to 1991.  Received May 1992.

Daniel G. DeVos of Grand Rapids.  DP Fox Ventures, LLC, Grand Rapids.  Served on NMU's Board from 1995 to 2002.  Received October 2004. 

Edwin O. George (deceased 5-28-90) of Bloomfield Hills.  Former President of Detroit Edison Company.  Served on NMU’s Board from 1964 to 1987.  Received October 1987.

James K. Haveman of Grand Rapids.  Former Director of the Michigan Department of Community Health; appointed by the White House as the Coalition Provisional Authority Senior Adviser to the Iraqi Minister of Health in 2003.  Served on NMU's Board from 2017 - 2020.  Received November 2022.

Edward F. Havlik (deceased 11-02-18) of Holland.  Owner of United Homes of Grand Rapids.  Served on NMU’s Board from 1987 to 1995.  Received December 1996.

Scott L. Holman of Bay City.  Baycast, Inc.  Served on NMU’s Board from 1997 to 2004 and 2014 to 2018.  Received February 2006.

Larry C. Inman of Traverse City, retired banker.  Served on NMU’s Board from 2002 to 2006 and 2009 to 2010.  Received May 2012.

Hugh E. Jarvis (deceased 2-24-23) of Harrison Township (Mt. Pleasant).  Retired President of Michigan Federation of Teachers.  Served on NMU’s Board from 1985 to 1992.  Received October 1994.

Jon G. “Jack” LaSalle of Marquette, retired Field Representative for the Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council.  Served on NMU’s Board from 2005 to 2012.  Received June 2014.

L. Garnet Lewis, '86, of Saugatuck.  Served on NMU's Board from 2009 to 2016.  Received February 2020.

Mary C. Lukens of Ann Arbor.  Served on NMU’s Board from 2001 to 2008.  Received April 2010.

Robert E. Mahaney of Marquette.  President and Founder - Veridea Group.  Served on NMU's Board from 2015 - 2022.  Received September 2024.

James T. Malsack (deceased 3-5-06) of Iron Mountain.  Retired President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board of Lake Shore, Inc.  Served on NMU’s Board from 1977 to 1989.  Received May 1992.

Ellwood A. Mattson (deceased 11-30-02) of Marquette.  NMU alumnus.  Retired Chairman Emeritus of the Michigan Financial Corporation and the MFC First National Bank in Marquette.  Served on NMU’s Board from 1991 to 2002.  Received December 2002.

Steven M. Mitchell, '67 of West Bloomfield.  CEO of Mitchell Research & Communications, Inc.  Served on NMU's Board from 2013 - 2020.  Received November 2022.

Richard M. "Rick" Popp, '88 and '90 of Iron Mountain.  Retired Ford Executive.  Leadership Consultant.  Served on NMU's Board from 2011 to 2018.  Received February 2020.

Douglas B. Roberts (deceased 7-11-24) of East Lansing, Director of the Institute for Public Policy & Social Research (IPPSR) at Michigan State University.  Served on NMU’s Board from 2002 to 2010.  Received May 2012.

Fred C. Sabin (deceased 12-1-97) of Marquette.  Retired ophthalmologist.  Served on NMU’s Board from 1967 to 1985.  Received December 1988.

Ellen G. Schreuder of Detroit.  Partner – Mancini, Schreuder, Kline & Conrad law firm.  Served on NMU’s Board from 1989 to 1997.  Received October 1998.

Tami M. Seavoy of Marquette.  Attorney - Kendricks Bordeau, PC.  Served on NMU's Board from 2015 to 2022.  Received September 2024.

H. Sook Wilkinson of Bloomfield Hills.  Member of the Board of Trustees of the Michigan School of Professional Psychologists.  Served on NMU's Board from 2009 to 2016.  Received September 2018.

G. Katherine Wright (deceased 1-23-24) of Marquette.  Retired nurse and nursing instructor.  Served on NMU’s Board from 1973 to 1989.  Received May 1992.

Gilbert L. Ziegler (deceased 7-29-17) of Charlevoix.  President, Alken-Ziegler, Inc.  Served on NMU’s Board from 1993 to 2001 and February 5, 2007 to December 31, 2014.  Received December 2002.

Thomas H. Zurbuchen, NASA Associate Administrator of Science, Washington, DC, living in McLean, Virginia (former Professor at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor).  Served on NMU's Board from 2013 to 2016.  Received February 2020.