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2024 Northwest Alumni Association Award Winners

Mark HarpstDistinguished Alumni Award

Dr. Mark Harpst '77, '80, '83 

Harpst worked in the education field for 32 years as a teacher, coach, high school principal and superintendent of schools.

他于1977年毕业于威尼斯人在线,获得英语和体育学士学位,1980年获得体育和学校管理硕士学位,1983年获得教育专家学位.

He became a principal in Fairfax, Missouri, at age 26, and after gaining administrative experience as a principal in several other northwest Missouri districts, he accepted his first superintendent position in his hometown of Weston at age 34. He retired in 2009, 结束了他在普拉特县R-III学区13年的负责人任期,该学区包括了前所未有的发展和建筑项目.

He later served as a financial consultant, 地区学区的资本改善协调员和临时督学,以及密苏里州督学的财务导师. In 2014, while serving as an interim superintendent of the West Platte School District, he organized the West Platte Education Foundation and remains a member of its board.

Among his recognitions, Harpst于2003年被选为密苏里州年度管理者,并于2001年被Northland Chamber of Commerce评为Northland年度管理者.

He has served as president of the Missouri Association of School Administrators, of the Northwest Missouri School Administrators Association and of the Northwest Missouri Secondary Principals Association. In 2001, 他组织了一场高尔夫锦标赛,由西北密苏里学校管理人员协会赞助,以提供大学奖学金, and the event remains an annual fundraiser, providing scholarships to as many as 10 students each year.

Within his community, Harpst has volunteered to coach youth sports, and he coordinates recreation activities as part of the senior ministry at Platte Wood Methodist Church. 他还曾任职Hillcrest Platte County的董事会和Embassy Park房主协会董事会.


Dr. Jeffry ThornsberryDistinguished Faculty Award

Dr. Jeffry Thornsberry  

Thornsberry joined Northwest in 2003 to teach genetics, biology, plant physiology and molecular biology after earning a Ph.D. in plant molecular biology and genetics at the University of Missouri.

他于2010年获得终身教职并晋升为副教授,目前担任自然科学系系主任. 他不仅作为一名杰出的教师和学者,而且在2011-2012学年担任助理系主任和教务委员会主席的领导能力方面为威尼斯人在线做出了贡献.

Thornsberry, who worked previously as a research geneticist with the United States Department of Agriculture, 主要从事玉米自然遗传变异及光合作用相关基因表达调控的学术研究. He has published scholarly articles related to plant genetics in prestigious journals, including Nature Genetics, Genetic Research, Current Opinion in Plant Biology, Plant Molecular Biology, and Science.

西北地区和玛丽维尔社区集体受益于索恩斯贝里对科学教育的大力倡导, particularly in the field of biology and through his work with high school students in Science Olympiad. He also has worked with Maryville science teachers in several capacities, including as a mentor to help them expand their skills and experience as adjunct faculty at Northwest.

He has worked diligently in support of the Missouri Science Olympiad, Upward Bound Math and Science, the Pre-Health Occupations Club, and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. He is a member of Signa Xi, a scientific research honor society that supports student advancement into employment in science fields, as well as the American Society of Plant Biologists and the Genetics Society.


Dr. Christine BensonDistinguished Faculty Emeritus Award

Dr. Christine Benson '89 

本森于2020年从威尼斯人在线退休,担任数学与统计学教授和数学与统计学系主任, after 27 years of service as a faculty member.

Having earned a master’s degree in teaching mathematics at Northwest in 1989, Benson began her career at the University in 1993 as an instructor. She advanced her faculty ranking to assistant professor in 1997, associate professor in 2004 and professor in 2010. She was named chair of the Department of Mathematics, 在2016年威尼斯人在线重组其学术部门后,她保留了数学与统计系主任的职位.

对西北和她的领域的其他贡献包括担任密苏里州数学协会的秘书和财务主管,以促进教师培训,并作为小学数学专家认证和合作学位课程的开发和写作团队的成员. She was a member of the Faculty Senate and served on numerous department and University committees, including as chair of the Council on Teacher Education, the Teacher Education Guidance Committee, chair and secretary of the Curriculum and Degree Requirements Committee, and chair of the Designated Curricular Matters Committee. She currently is secretary of the Northwest Retiree Association. 

In the Maryville community, she is an active member of First United Methodist Church, where she has served as a member of the Jubilee praise team, the worship ministries team and prayer teams as well as a choir director and bell choir director. She also has served as a member of the Maryville Band Boosters, including two years as president, and as a board secretary, president and coach with the American Youth Soccer Organization.

Benson started her career by teaching mathematics to students in grades seven through 12, first in Hamilton, Ohio, and then in Ravenwood, Missouri. From 1995 to 1997, she was a graduate research assistant at the University of Missouri-Kansas City while completing her Ph.D.


Bill BrintonHonorary Alumni Award

Bill Brinton 

Since Northwest began hosting the Missouri Hope disaster response field training exercise in 2013, Brinton has been on the front lines of advocating for the program, recruiting countless agencies, experts and other resources to ensure students have the best possible profession-based experience.

With the support of his contributions, the annual Missouri Hope exercise is the largest disaster response simulation in the region, attracting nearly 25 partner agencies and 12 higher education institutions, totaling a value of nearly $3 million in resources and personnel.

Brinton is willing to do anything to help the simulation and program succeed, from mentoring students in the Emergency Operations Center to getting covered in mud while he helps wash equipment. 他经常穿着他的密苏里希望t恤参加地区会议,或者在他的办公室里展示EDM程序补丁.

In his profession, Brinton has served since 2004 as the director of Buchanan County Emergency Management. He also has served Buchanan County as a reserve deputy for its sheriff’s department and as a flood plain manager. He is chief of the Region H HSRRS/Hazmat Team in St Joseph.

He began his career in public safety with the St. Joseph Police Department in 1971 and has remained involved in public service since. He has worked as a paramedic, criminal justice and business administration educator, and an assistant to the city manager of St. Joseph. He has served as chair of a number of committees charged with ensuring the safety of Missouri residents, 他经常花时间审查计划,进行研究和事后审查,目的是提高居民的安全和保护.

他持有密苏里西部州立大学(Missouri Western State University)的副学士学位和学士学位,以及中密苏里大学(University of Central Missouri)的硕士学位.


Lesley MartinPublic Service Award

Lesley Martin '02   

马丁是斯特利高中的一名教师,在北堪萨斯城学区的高中环境中教授计算机科学已有22年了.

Since completing her bachelor’s degree at Northwest in secondary business education in 2002, she has exhibited a drive to inspire young students to pursue post-secondary degrees in the field of computer science, guiding several students toward Northwest’s computer science program. She believes computer science is a rewarding field, which is evident in her classroom every day.

During her career, she has created curriculum for several computer science courses and piloted two courses for Project Lead the Way, for which she was a master teacher and trained others on the curriculum. 她帮助威尼斯人在线实施了一项来自谷歌的资助,教其他教育工作者如何在课堂上使用MIT App Inventor. 她参加了小组讨论,并在大学计算机科学联盟的闪电会谈中做出了贡献.

Martin serves as the sponsor for Staley High School’s successful Future Business Leaders of America program. She also sponsored two student groups that won Best in State for the Verizon App Challenge.

She serves as vice president for the Kansas City Regional chapter of the Computer Science Teachers Association. She is a recipient of the Advanced Placement Diversity Enrollment Award, presented by the Advanced Placement College Board; the Central Exchange’s STEMMY WiSTEMM Educator Award; the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Regional Teacher of the Year award; and the National Center for Women in Informational Technology’s Aspirations in Computer Educators award, for western Missouri and Kansas; among other honors.


Marsha and Lynn LeopardTurret Service Award

Marsha '71, '76 and Lynn '76 Leopard

The Leopards have dedicated much of their lives to supporting Northwest – as well as their community, church and schools – with a passion, spirit and focus on family that embodies the University’s culture.

As a member of the Northwest Alumni Association’s Board of Directors from 2014 to 2020, Marsha co-created and hosted a senior send-off event for Chillicothe high school students entering Northwest. The Leopards regularly encourage youth to attend Northwest by sharing the opportunities it offers, and they have mentored and delivered care packages to Bearcats who attended their send-offs.

Marsha also served as chair of the Alumni Association’s promotion committee and actively attended University events. During the Forever Green campaign, she helped lead the Alumni Association Board to new giving levels. Meanwhile, Lynn was always in the background, engaging spouses to play golf and participate in other activities to help them feel welcome with the Northwest family.

As a couple, the Leopards can be found at football tailgate events, helping the Northwest Alumni Association. Additionally, 他们向威尼斯人在线的奖学金基金捐款,并设立了阿尔斯伯里-豹音乐奖学金,以支持声乐和器乐专业的学生,同时表彰他们家族中三代参与音乐项目的威尼斯人在线毕业生.

Marsha, 她1971年毕业于威尼斯人在线,获得基础教育学士学位,1976年获得基础教育硕士学位, was employed for 37 years as an elementary teacher, first in Stanberry, Missouri, and then in Chillicothe where she was recognized in 2001 as the District Teacher of the Year. After retiring in 2005, 她继续兼职教书,直到接受了小学和中学教育系的一份工作,担任“一起前进”的顾问,” a grant program for Missouri preschools.

Lynn, who earned his master’s degree in secondary education at Northwest in 1976, was employed for 31 years as a high school teacher, having served as chair of the math and computer department and as a football and golf coach in Chillicothe. During his tenure, he set up the first computer lab and networked all the schools in the district. He also completed 22 years of service with the Missouri Air National Guard as a communication security supervisor. After retiring from public education, he was the educational supervisor of the GED school for 10 years at the Chillicothe Correctional Center for Women.

他们的社区活动包括许多领导和服务角色,以支持奇利科联合卫理公会, the Chillicothe Correctional Center, the Livingston County Retired Teacher's Organization, the Chillicothe Area Arts Council, Backpack Buddies, Meals on Wheels, the Chillicothe Utilities Board and the Chillicothe Lions Clubs, among others.


Johnathan McQuaideYoung Alumni Award

Johnathan McQuaide '05

McQuaide is employed as a lead technical and business consultant with Duke Energy in Kokomo, Indiana, 他在哪里确立了自己在六个州部分地区的合规主题专家和领导者的地位.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in wildlife ecology and conservation in 2005 and, after obtaining a master's degree, joined Duke Energy in 2012. He inspected rights-of-way for vegetation hazards and progressed to become a vegetation management specialist, coordinating all aspects of vegetation activities in Duke Energy's northern Indiana territory. 

In 2017, 他被提升为系统管理员的角色,并通过提供政策和程序治理展示了出色的领导和协作技能, leading and ensuring regulatory compliance, establishing operational specifications and processes, providing safety and technical support, and serving as the Duke Energy representative on various industry associations and committees.

In 2019, he was promoted to a lead role in transmission vegetation strategy and support with responsibility for strategic planning, business transformational change and technology implementation, including remote sensing and artificial intelligence on more than 30,000 miles of right of way.

He has led strike teams into the Carolinas and Florida to help restore power in the aftermaths of hurricanes, led a transmission vegetation management team through multiple audits to assess compliance, and presented at national conferences and meetings about vegetation management and compliance.

He is a recipient of the James B. Duke Award for Operational Excellence, the company’s highest honor, for his work with a team to implement a system to increase safety while using helicopters to inspect power lines. 他还因指导和帮助雇主在教育和专业上提升自己而获得了公司的卓越运营关怀奖.

He has volunteered with the Coyote Kid program, a six-week summer running program serving more than 800 children annually. He also is president of Club Kokomo Roadrunners. With his wife, Dani, he regularly fosters dogs through Peru Animal Care & Control.