Northwest welcomes new employees as spring semester begins

Grant Adkins began work at Northwest in January as an officer with the University Police Department. He graduated last spring from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and plans to graduate in April from the Law Enforcement Training Institute.

Michael Aldrich arrived at Northwest in September as head of reference and instruction in the B.D. Owens Library. He spent the previous 14 years at Brigham Young University–Hawaii as a reference librarian and director of its library and center for academic success. Before that, he was employed for 13 years at the University of West Georgia, in roles with its library and provost office. He has master’s degrees in public administration from West Georgia and in library and information science from Louisiana State University; he earned bachelor’s degrees in elementary education and psychology from Brigham Young University.

Ruma De returned to Northwest in September as a post-doctoral research associate in the School of Natural Sciences, a role she also held at the University from 2021 to 2024. She also has served as an adjunct faculty member at North Central Missouri College and at Northwest. Previously, she was a physics instructor at Louisiana State University and Kansas State University. She earned her doctorate in theoretical high-energy physics as well as master’s and bachelor’s degrees in physics, all from Visva Bharati University in India.

Jill Galbraith began work at Northwest in November as a project manager in the Office of Finance and Administration. She joined the University staff after three years with Meyocks, a marketing agency in Des Moines, Iowa, where she was employed as an SEO and content specialist and as an account service manager.  She has a Master of Business Administration degree and a bachelor’s degree in marketing, both from Northwest.

Catherine Gast began her employment at Northwest in November as an office manager in the School Health Science and Wellness. She worked the previous six years with Missouri Farm Bureau as a licensed sales associate. She has a bachelor’s degree in history from Northwest.

Dr. Kiersten Gundersen joined the Northwest faculty this month as an assistant professor in the School of Agricultural Sciences. Previously, she was employed as an assistant meat manager at Kroger and as a food safety and quality regulations intern at JBS USA. She has doctoral and master’s degrees in animal sciences from North Dakota State University as well as a bachelor’s degree in animal sciences from Texas A&M University and an associate degree in general studies from Grayson College in Texas.

Marcus Holmes joined Northwest in October as a lieutenant with the University Police Department.

Laney Iman arrived at Northwest in November as a staff nurse with Wellness Services. She graduated last August from Arkansas State University with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree after beginning her career as a registered nurse with Freeman Health System. She also has an associate degree in nursing from Crowder College.

Megan McAdams arrived at Northwest in September as an administrative specialist in the Office of Human Resources. She worked previously in customer service and sales management at Northwest Missouri Cellular for 24 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Northwest.

Jeffrey Price II began work at Northwest in November as a custodian with Facility Services.

Carrie Quinn began work at Northwest in September as an office manager in the Office of Enrollment Management and Student Success. She has bachelor’s degrees in business management and marketing, and she completed a master’s degree last spring in applied health and sport sciences, all from Northwest.

Gerry Runde began work at Northwest in January as a business analyst for the offices of Human Resources, Finance and Information Technology. She graduated from Northwest last spring with a Master of Business Administration degree and has a bachelor’s degree from the University in business management. 

Aaron Starr came to Northwest in October as a dispatcher for the University Police Department and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in criminology at the University.

Abby Vajgrt began full-time employment at Northwest in September as an accommodations and proctor coordinator in the Office of Title IX and Equity, where she also worked as a student employee. She completed bachelor’s degrees at Northwest in December in history and writing.