NMU Foundation & Alumni Relations News - Northern Magazine

Mary Jo demonstrated both patience and adaptability on her journey to a highly successful career in biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and in vascular biology at Dartmouth Medical School. She retired with four patents to her name, but remains active in service to her profession, and in creating visually engaging online science presentations for students in grades 6-12.

Mulligan-Kehoe willingly paused her education to raise three children while accompanying her husband, an Air Force officer, on multiple moves to new locations.

Twenty-two years after receiving her NMU diploma, at age 43 Mulligan-Kehoe began her post-doctoral training at the NIH after completing graduate school at George Mason University and a doctorate in biochemistry from Catholic University of Louvain in Brussels, Belgium.

Her NIH molecular biology research focused on genetically engineering an antibody heavy-chain fragment (Fd) to promote intracellular immunity related to HIV, a major concern at that time, but with implications that might translate to other viruses, such as COVID-19.

“Our body makes antibodies that have heavy and light chains,” she explained. “Up to that time, everyone assumed you needed both chains for the antibody protein to fold properly so it could capture antigens. Instead, we just used a fragment of the heavy chain and randomized the sequence. This enabled us to generate a library of heavy-chain fragments, which potentially could bind to any antigen. We were the first to show that was possible. That became the foundation for everything I did moving forward.”

“There were a number of professors at Northern who influenced me, especially in organic chemistry—one of the most difficult courses a biology major takes—and ecology,” she said. “I also loved the size of Northern and got very involved with student activities. I was president of the sorority and then president of the Panhellenic Council.”

Later at Dartmouth, her lab discovered that a specific plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) protein isoform controlled angiogenesis, blood vessel formation from pre-existing vessels that occurs in cancer and atherosclerosis. She published her work in several highly respected journals.

Mulligan-Kehoe continues to contribute to her field as a scientific review officer for the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program. She also chairs the North American Vascular Biology Organization education committee.

In her free time, she enjoys photographing faces and flowers and four-mile barefoot walks through the wet sand that rims the ocean near her home in Huntington Beach, Calif.

“All I really needed to know about teaching kindergarten I learned at Northern,” said Susan (Hlavaty) Meier summarizing her 32-year career in the classroom. She retired last year from South Elementary School in Ithaca, Mich.

Meier displayed two rules on a wall in her classroom: work hard and be nice. Her belief that character education is as important as academics has resulted in a generation of high-achieving, lifelong learners. She is known for implementing best practices in early childhood development and instilling in young children the importance of giving back to their community through monthly grant-funded service projects and random acts of kindness.

The most popular project was Books for Babies, which Meier founded more than 20 years ago to promote early literacy. She and her students raised $59,000 to give books to newborns at the local hospital, where more than 14,000 babies received their first book. Other projects included Everybody Deserves a Birthday Cake; a bagel breakfast for bus drivers and crossing guards; providing first responders with stuffed bears to distribute to children at accident sites; thank-you and lunch gift cards to firefighters and police officers; and much more.

“Just as my former students will tell me they’ll never forget a particular thing I said or did, I have people like that from when I was a Northern student. One of my most difficult courses was taught by [the late] Dave Goldsmith. He was really tough, but he was one of my favorite professors because he challenged us and told us we were capable of more than we realized.”

Meier created a nature-centered classroom with birch trees,
log benches, a pond rug, natural materials such as tree slices
and rocks instead of flash cards and name tags, and student-made posters on the walls. She enjoyed the reminders of her
time at Northern because it had such a positive impact on her
life and career.

Meier has earned several awards, including the Michigan Lottery Excellence in Education Award, Michigan Education Association Education Excellence Award, Presidential Service Award and was a regional finalist for Michigan Teacher of the Year.

She is an active member of the Michigan Association of the Education of Young and continues to promote reading and mentor other teachers and as a part-time literacy coach with Carson City-Crystal Area Schools.

She and her husband, Randy ’82 BS, have three sons.

Lina Blair is dedicated to advocating for students and removing barriers to their academic success. She has implemented services related to mental health, COVID-19 relief and housing and food insecurity as director of Student Life and Conduct at Grand Rapids Community College.

“Most of our students are local, but I’ve noticed a lot call this campus home even though they’re commuting,” she said. “They feel connected and included. Our approach is that we take care of each other. That’s the core of it for me. Thinking about individual students and helping them through difficult times is important to keep them safe and the community safe.

A November 2020 survey found that more than 30% were struggling with food insecurity, which prompted Blair to lead her team to establish a wider-reaching campus food pantry, with a larger location, refrigeration and freezing capabilities for produce and meat, and enough food to supply students in need. The GRCC Food Pantry also has become a hub of community activity, volunteerism and learning opportunities for students and community members.

“I was having too much fun my freshman year trying to make friends,” Blair recalled. “My Resident Adviser in Halverson Deja Vu house, Dusti Young, knocked on my door and said, ’You’re more capable than what you’re doing right now.’ She put applications for summer orientation staff and the Student Leader Fellowship Program on my desk, told me to fill them out and personally delivered them. I got both and that gift really transformed my path. SLFP helped me look outside of myself and think about how I can serve others.

Blair said she consistently applies her two NMU degrees—a bachelor’s in psychology and master’s in training, development and human performance—to her career. She also carries forward lessons gleaned from impactful people and experiences from her time as a Northern student.

“Dusti was carrying out some of the things she learned from Carl Holm and Dave Bonsall. Those two had a huge influence on me as well. They demonstrated the value of building relationships in a genuine way and helping people feel they can be a part of something meaningful.”

Prior to moving to GRCC, Blair was employed at NMU for more than 10 years in various roles, including assistant dean of students.

She enjoys photography and fly fishing and helps Girl Scouts learn how to fish, tie flies, and explore the entomology of streams.

T.J. is known in the fields of marketing and public policy for his research on the role political values and online misinformation have on decision-making related to vaccines, global warming and consumption. He was recently named the Richard & Julie Hood Endowed Professor of Marketing in the Orfalea College of Business at Cal Poly University. He is among the youngest chaired professors in the United States.

For instance, he has found that people trust online commenters as much as doctors when it comes to vaccination belief formation; negative political ads are less effective and also easier to ignore because they’re so pervasive; and consumers are more likely to respond negatively than positively to companies taking political stances.

Pursuing a higher education degree was not an assumed path for Weber. He was the first member of his extended family to attend college and was undecided on a major. However Weber’s curiosity and passion were soon ignited by his NMU professors. Gary Brunswick’s ’84 BS senior seminar and services marketing classes helped Weber look at real-life situations and gain a greater understanding of why people are compelled to do certain things—recycling, for example. Larry Pagel had high expectations related to writing, which Weber credits for helping him more effectively draft and publish his research results in academic journals. Through Gary Stark’s research methods class, Weber “fell in love with running surveys and collecting data to understand consumer behavior.”

Weber received his MBA from Marquette University and doctorate in marketing from Washington State University.

Weber’s timely and relevant work has received significant national media attention. While political orientation is at the core of his research, it branches off in different directions based on real-life events or arguments with others that compel him to collect data and emphasize the practical value of the results.

Weber was an ASNMU student government representative, interned for U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak and served as a member of the College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council and the Academic Senate.

“I really love NMU,” he said. “It’s the only place I felt a connection to. The small class sizes made it hard to hide or be distracted. It taught me how education should work, with an emphasis on addressing real-world problems and accessible, attentive professors. Many of the methods and strategies I use in my teaching now are things I learned from the Northern faculty.”