Northwest Alumni to honor 7 for success, service

Seven distinguished members of the Northwest Missouri State University family will be honored during the Alumni Awards Banquet this fall for dedicating time, talent and service to the university.The annual event, sponsored by the Northwest Alumni Association, begins at 6 pm, Friday, September 27 with a social in the JW Jones Student Union Ballroom. A dinner is served at 6:45 pm and the awards presentation begins at 8 pm.

The banquet annually coincides with Northwest’s Family Weekend activities.

“The annual Northwest Alumni Awards Banquet is an honored tradition for the Bearcat Family to come together to recognize Bearcats who are doing great things in their careers and honoring and supporting Northwest to the highest standards,” Bob Machovsky, Northwest’s director of alumni relations and annual giving, said. “The Alumni Association board of directors is responsible for reviewing and selecting these recipients who showcase what it means to be a Bearcat. It’s the association’s honor and privilege to host this event as we celebrate these extraordinary and outstanding individuals.”

Tickets cost $50 per person or $350 for a table of eight. Reservations will be accepted until Thursday, September 12, on a first-come, first-served basis.

To purchase tickets, visit nwmissouri.edu/alumni/events/awards/registration.htm or contact the association at 660.562.1248 or alumni@nwmissouri.edu.

Distinguished Alumni Award, Randell Moore

Moore, ’75, served as executive editor of Blue Chip Economic Indicators and Blue Chip Financial Forecasts from 1986 to 2019. He was frequently quoted in the press on the expected performance of the US economy and often spoke to groups on the economic outlook. He began his professional career in 1975 with the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics in Kansas City. In 1979 and 1980, he worked as an economics reporter for Knight-Ridder’s business wire in Washington, DC, covering the Federal Reserve and the departments of labor, commerce, treasury, as well as Congress and the White House. In late 1980, he joined the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in Washington, initially as director of public affairs and then as the executive assistant to one of the agency’s five commissioners. From 1983 to 1986, he was employed by Evans Economics as its government debt market analyst and fed watcher. Randy is a 30-plus year member of the National Association of Business Economics. He co-founded the Roanoke Park Conservancy in Kansas City and is an avid supporter of LiteracyKC. In addition to a bachelor’s degree in economics at Northwest, he earned a bachelor’s in journalism in 1979 from the University of Missouri. He and his wife reside in Kansas City.

Distinguished Faculty Award, Dr. Michael Rogers

Rogers, an associate professor in the school of computer science and information systems, came to Northwest in 2009. Prior to that, he taught computer science in the department of mathematics and computer science at Millikin University in Decatur, IL. He is respected by faculty and students for his innovation, teaching methodologies, work ethic and investment of time with students outside of class. Based on his research of new technology, knowledge gained from attending national conferences and from relationships with industry professionals, he has implemented bleeding-edge technology in his courses. He received the 2019 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education, the Melvin D. and Valorie G. Booth School of Business presented him with its Dean’s Faculty Award for Exemplary Service in 2012 and its Dean’s Faculty Award for Exemplary Research in 2011. Rogers also is involved with the Angel Flight Program, a volunteer non-profit group of pilots which serves patients needing transportation to and from the Midwest region. In 2017, he was named Angel Flight Pilot of the Year.

Distinguished Faculty Emeritus Award, Dr. Richard Fulton

Fulton came to Northwest in 1973 as the chair of the political science department and held the position for several years. He was the originator of two programs to give students study or internship experiences outside Missouri. While teaching was his chief focus, Fulton found time to co-author two books, edit a third and contribute several articles to academic periodicals. Faculty governance was one of his particular interests during his 40 years at Northwest, and he chaired several committees and became the first faculty member to serve as president of the faculty senate twice. He also produced academic papers and about 85 book reviews. As a side interest, for 35 years, he has written a regular opinion column for the Maryville Forum. Throughout the years, Fulton has remained an ardent Bearcat fan and community volunteer.

Public Service Award, Rodney Edge

Edge, ’84, is president and chief executive officer of Materiel Solutions, LLC, a global logistics firm in Upper Marlboro, MD, which specializes in business development in federal government, commercial and international sectors. From 2014 through 2018, he served as executive vice president for Automation Precision Technology (APT), LLC, a US government logistics firm located in the Virginia tidewater area. Prior to joining APT, Edge enjoyed a US Army career which spanned more than 20 years and culminated as chief executive officer at Fort Lee, VA. His previous roles include serving as diplomatic advisor to senior Saudi Arabian officials and as deputy division chief at the Pentagon. He holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology from Northwest as well as master’s degrees in business administration and management from Central Michigan University and in military national resource strategy and policy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces-National Defense University. At Northwest, Edge was a member of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps as well as a two-year captain of the track and field team, for which he still holds the school record in 55-meter hurdles. He resides in Washington, DC.

Turret Service Award, Allison Strong Hoffmann

Hoffmann, ’01 and ’03, serves as the director of academic success and retention at Northwest. Now in her 13th year at Northwest, Hoffmann oversees academic advising and success coaching; academic support, including tutoring and supplemental instruction; orientation; first-year experience; and retention-related activities. She previously served as a senior instructor in the Melvin D. and Valorie G. Booth School of Business, director of the university seminar program and as a provost fellow. Hoffmann was an adviser or co-adviser to multiple student organizations, including Sigma Kappa sorority, Sigma Society, Delta Mu Delta business honor society and the American Marketing Association, resulting in her twice receiving the Booth School’s Dean’s Faculty Award for Student Support. Hoffmann served as an academic advisor to 100-plus students annually in the Booth School and received the 2012 Outstanding Advising Award for Faculty Academic Advising from the National Academic Advising Association and the 2012 Teaching Excellence Award from the Midwestern Council of Business Schools and Programs.

Young Alumni Award, Dr. Ashley Leger

Leger, ’09, is the paleontological field director and assistant safety director for Cogstone Resource Management, Inc., which specializes in paleontological, archaeological, historical and cultural resource mitigation in California. She is overseeing excavations related to the construction of a new subway in Los Angeles and supervises a team of nine paleontological monitors who are actively looking for fossils. Among the team’s notable finds is a nearly complete juvenile Columbian mammoth skull. Due to the popularity and media attention of the fossil discoveries, Leger has made multiple television appearances on programs such as “CBS This Morning,” “ABC News” and the Weather Channel News, making her the public face of Los Angeles paleontology. While pursuing her PhD in geology and geological engineering with an emphasis in vertebrate paleontology, she continued to work at the Mammoth Site and Museum in Hot Springs, SD, where she served as front end supervisor, tour guide, fossil preparator in the lab and excavator in the bonebed.

Honorary Alumni Award, Brad Jackson

Jackson has led the Northwest kitchen as the executive chef for Northwest Campus Dining for the last decade and has elevated the dining program to new heights, using his 20-plus years of culinary experience. “Chef Brad” is an ambassador for Northwest, executing in-house catering menus with great excitement from guests and creating experiences which are carried through the Maryville community. Student satisfaction and engagement are passions which drive Jackson daily in his ritual to deliver experiences to enrich and nourish students’ lives at Northwest. He is an advocate for healthy, flavorful cuisine in partnership with Northwest’s dietetics and wellness science programs. He also takes an active role in mentorship programs with Horace Mann Laboratory School and allows students interested in the culinary arts to shadow him. He is the recipient of the Aramark Culinary Excellence Award, recognizing talents and creativity of culinary teams across all regions in the United States.