Dr. Justin Mallett (left) presented Mark Henrix (center) and Ashlee Hendrix (right) with Northwest's Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion Awards Monday during the University's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Peace Lunch.

Northwest Missouri State University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion on Monday honored two employees for their efforts to foster an inclusive environment on the campus.

The diversity and inclusion office recognized Mark Hendrix, University scheduling coordinator in Auxiliary Services, and Ashlee Hendrix, digital content manager in the Office of University Marketing and Communication, by presenting them with its Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion Awards. Both were honored Monday at the conclusion of Northwest’s annual Peace Lunch as part of the University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities.

Presenting the awards, Dr. Justin Mallett, vice president of diversity and inclusion at Northwest, said Mark Hendrix, who joined the University staff in 2016, is always willing to lend a helping hand to ensure students and their programs are successful.  

“It doesn’t matter if it’s three days in advance, it doesn’t matter if it’s an hour before it’s supposed to happen,” Mallett said of Hendrix’s assistance with University events. “(Mark) always takes the necessary steps to make sure that students have what they need to pull off the program.”

Mallett said Ashlee Hendrix, who joined the Northwest staff in 2015, contributes to the University’s efforts to build a more inclusive community through her work in the marketing and communication office as well as through the relationships she fosters with people of diverse backgrounds.

“She’s an active member of the Ally Affinity Group who looks to create safe spaces, to share and process experiences,” Mallett said. “By openly sharing about growing up in a Hispanic household, attending a predominantly white institution and finding her identity as a woman of color, she has helped many become aware of and understand the lived experiences of people of color.”

Northwest’s MLK Celebration Week continues with a presentation by Rev. Sharon Washington Risher at 7 p.m. Tuesday at The Station. Rev. Risher, who was scheduled to give the keynote address at Monday’s Peace Lunch but sustained a travel delay, will share the experience of losing her mother in the June 17, 2015, shooting at the Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion also is sponsoring movie screenings of “Get on the Bus” at 6 p.m. Wednesday and “MLK/FBI” at 6 p.m. Thursday, both in the J.W. Jones Student Union Boardroom. The week’s activities conclude with a Trivia Night from 6 to 7 p.m. Friday in the Student Union Boardroom.

Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Week events at Northwest are sponsored by Northwest’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion. For more information, contact Mallett at jmallett@nwmissouri.edu or 660.562.1317 or visit www.nwmissouri.edu/diversity/.