Dr. Lance Tatum began his tenure as Northwest’s 11th president on June 1, 2023.
Now in his fourth academic year at the University, Tatum has overseen a $105 million capital improvement project that is nearing completion to transform and modernize the campus’s energy infrastructure. Also during Tatum’s tenure, Northwest has revised and implemented its compensation framework for employees and initiated a new four-year strategic plan to guide institutional priorities and decision-making through 2030.
Away from the Northwest campus, Tatum serves as vice chair of the MIAA athletics conference’s CEO Council, and he is a member of the NCAA Division II Membership Committee. Additionally, he represents Northwest in the community as a member of the Maryville Host Lions Club and the Nodaway County Economic Development Board.
Before arriving at Northwest, Tatum previously served as senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and chief academic officer at Troy University in Alabama while holding the rank of professor in its Sorrell College of Business—School of Hospitality, Sport and Tourism Management.
Tatum joined Troy University as a faculty member in 1998 and went on to serve as vice chancellor for its campus in Montgomery, Alabama; vice chancellor for its Global Campus; dean of the College of Education; and chairperson of the Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion as well as a Faculty Athletics Representative. He held faculty positions in sport and fitness management at Troy University, and he began his academic career as an assistant professor of physical education at Gordon College in Barnesville, Georgia.
He has a Ph.D. in sport management at Florida State University. He earned his Master of Science in Education degree in foundations of education and a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education, both from Troy University.
Tatum and his wife, Jill, have two adult children, Thad and Zoe.
President
660.562.1110
president@nwmissouri.edu
Chief of Staff
Notary Public
660.562.1896
jwood@nwmissouri.edu
Administrative Specialist
660.562.1110
ckinman@nwmissouri.edu
