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Seven distinguished members of the Northwest Missouri State University family will be honored during this year’s Northwest Alumni Awards Banquet for dedicating their time, talents and service to the University as well as for accomplishments in their chosen fields.
The Northwest Alumni Association is hosting its 2026 banquet on Friday, April 24, at the Agricultural Learning Center, located north of the Maryville campus at the R.T. Wright Farm on Highway 71. The event begins with a social at 5 p.m., and the dinner and awards presentation begins at 6 p.m.
More information about the honorees is provided below. For more information about the Northwest Alumni Awards Banquet, including registration, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/alumni/events/.
Additionally, the Northwest Alumni Association is now collecting nominations for its 2027 awards. Nominations must be submitted by April 30 on forms provided by the Alumni Association. Information about each award category, including the scoring matrix, an online nomination form and printable forms, can be found at www.nwmissouri.edu/alumni/events/awards/nominations.htm. Nominators should provide as much information about the nominee as possible as the completeness of the nomination form impacts the selection process.
For more information, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 660.562.1248 or alumni@nwmissouri.edu.
Jim Oliver
Jim Oliver is a respected appellate lawyer who has served as counsel in more than 150 appeals in state and federal courts, representing major corporations, small businesses, and the states of Kansas, New Mexico and Colorado.
After earning his Juris Doctor degree in 1975 and completing a federal judicial clerkship, Oliver joined Foulston Siefkin LLP, the largest Kansas-based law firm, and became known for his business and transactional practice in the areas of antitrust, securities, franchising, corporate law and finance, and fiduciary duty.
Oliver has held numerous leadership roles at Foulston Siefkin, including partner-in-charge of the Kansas City office from 2011 to 2017. He chaired the firm’s ethics committee for more than three decades and served as co-general counsel. He has practiced in the firm’s Wichita, Topeka and Kansas City offices.
He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, the U.S. District Courts for Kansas and the Western District of Missouri, and the state bars of Kansas and Missouri. He also has served the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas as a member and chair of the Committee on Conduct of Attorneys, a member of the Magistrate Selection Panel and as chair of the Kansas Supreme Court Admissions Review Committee.
Oliver has been recognized as a fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and the American Bar Foundation. In addition to achieving Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory’s highest “AV” rating, he has been identified in Chambers USA as a leading general commercial litigation attorney as well as by Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers and The Best Lawyers in America. He has received multiple recognitions by Best Lawyers as the Kansas City, Kansas-area Corporate Lawyer of the Year and as the Kansas City, Kansas-area Appellate Practice Lawyer of the Year.
He has served in leadership roles within the legal community, including as board chair of the Historical Society of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. During the Circuit’s Bench-Bar Conference in 2022, he had the honor of introducing Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. Oliver also served as president of the Kansas Bar Foundation and the Wichita Bar Association, and he chaired the Sedgwick County Law Library.
Outside the legal profession, he was active in the Goodwill movement for more than 20 years, serving two terms on the board of directors of Goodwill Industries International, including as its chair. Among other service and volunteer activities, he served on the board of Easter Seals of Kansas and was appointed by the Kansas governor to the Board of the Kansas Humanities Council in 2016. He also is an active member of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas.
Dr. Nancy Zeliff
Dr. Nancy Zeliff is considered a living legend among people involved in business education who have observed and benefited from her contributions during 40 years in the field.
After beginning her career as a high school teacher, Zeliff was a member of Northwest’s faculty for 35 years until her retirement in 2022. She served as the advisor for all business education majors and had a profound influence on students through her teaching and service. Her mentorship helped undergraduate business education students become student representatives at national, regional and state levels and fulfill leadership positions early in their careers.
For the duration of her Northwest tenure, Zeliff coordinated the District FBLA Leadership Conference and co-sponsored the University’s Beta Chapter of the Pi Omega Pi national business education honor society. During that span, the chapter was ranked as one of the nation’s top 10 chapters every year and achieved multiple first-place rankings, including four times in five years between 2014 to 2018.
Zeliff regularly experimented with new technology and embraced new education practices, including as a participant in the pilot program that integrated laptops into Northwest undergraduate programs. She also served on numerous committees at Northwest, including as a member of the Faculty Senate Executive Board from 2005 to 2007 and as a chair of the Educational Technology Committee, the Academic Appeals Committee, the Committee on Designated Curriculum Matters and the General Education Committee.
Considered an expert in assessment and technology, she is highly sought for presenting at conferences and collaborating with fellow business educators. She has presented and co-presented at more than 125 local, regional and national conferences. She also has authored, contributed and edited more than 50 articles for National Business Education Association (NBEA) publications. Her work has been published in The Business Education Forum, Effective Methods for Teaching Business Education and numerous NBEA yearbooks.
She served as a member of the NBEA executive board and its Convention Planning and Publications committees in addition to president of the Pi Omega Pi National Council. At the regional and state levels, she served as president of the North Central Business Education Association and in all offices of the Missouri Business Education Association.
Among her honors, Zeliff was inducted into the NBEA Hall of Fame in 2024, and she received the Missouri Association for Career & Technical Education Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023. She also is a recipient of several teaching awards presented by NBEA, the Northwest Missouri Business Education Association and Northwest Missouri State University, including multiple Dean’s Faculty Awards for service and research.
Gina McNeese
Gina McNeese plays a unique and valuable role as an instructor of physical education at Northwest and its Horace Mann Laboratory School.
Since joining the Northwest faculty in 1994, she has mentored and supervised scores of physical education students learning within the elementary environment at Horace Mann. From 1995 through 2018, she also directed the Kip Kittens community gymnastics program at Northwest, in addition to other fitness activities and workshops. Such immersive experiences, as well as opportunities during the after-school program, are a product of McNeese’s exceptional ability to implement hands-on learning that is mutually beneficial for elementary and college students.
Generations of students graduating from the Northwest physical education program are now scattered across the region’s schools. They often mention McNeese as a highly influential role model during their college experience, and principals often ask her for help with finding physical education teachers.
On the Northwest campus and throughout the region, she facilitates training for CPR, first aid training, water safety and lifeguard instruction, for which she received the American Red Cross’s Certificate of Merit. Additionally, her research contributions include presentations to the Missouri Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (MOAHPERD); the Central District Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; and the American Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
McNeese was recognized in 2019 by the American Heart Association with its Mission Impact Award for her commitment to physical fitness instruction and 30 years of leading students through the organization’s Kids Heart Challenge. In 2016, MOAHPERD recognized her as the Northwest District Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year, and she is a recipient of MOAHPERD’s Helen Manley State Service Award. She also is a recipient of multiple teaching awards presented at Northwest, including a Dean’s Faculty Award for Innovation in 2013.
Dr. Clarence Green Jr.
During a span of more than 30 years, Dr. Clarence Green Jr. has been a model leader and mentor through his care for others, giving of his time and gifts, and his enthusiasm for Northwest.
Green began his Northwest career in 1996 as a member of the University Police Department and was named its director one year later. Under his leadership, the department evolved from a small campus security operation to a full-service, nationally respected police agency focused on prevention and partnerships. He led a staff of more than a dozen employees and students who staffed the University Police Department 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, while working closely with University offices and student organizations to ensure safety and well-being.
Green was the architect of the University’s crisis and emergency response plan. In 2004, he guided the launch of Safe Ride Home, which provides shuttle service to retail locations and late-night taxi transportation to students. He also secured grant funding to support activities and programs that have lowered campus crime rates and boosted the safety and security of students, faculty and staff. His collaborative approach with the city of Maryville helped it earn recognition as one of the “Safest College Towns in America” for three consecutive years.
Equally impactful was Green’s visible presence on campus, whether he was conversing with students as he passed through the Student Union, appearing in Homecoming Variety Show skits or making a cameo in Northwest theatre productions. He helped instill a culture of listening and being responsive to the Northwest community’s needs.
Beyond his role in public safety, Green served the University in several other capacities, including adjunct faculty member; interim vice president of human resources; interim vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion; and vice president of culture. In 2022–23, the Board of Regents selected him to serve as Northwest’s interim president, citing his distinguished service, strong relationships and deep community roots.
Since retiring from Northwest in 2024, Green has continued his commitment to education as dean and director of North Central Missouri College’s Savannah Campus.
Tiffany Fixter
As the founder of Brewability in Englewood, Colorado, Tiffany Fixter has created a unique and welcoming space for all people while ensuring the adults she employs are learning skills, engaging in meaningful work and feeling a sense of fulfillment.
After beginning her career as a teacher in Kansas City Public Schools, Fixter relocated to Denver and began shaping her vision to assist adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In 2016, she founded Brewability, a family-friendly bar and restaurant, where she employs people with a range of disabilities and helps them build skills in the hospitality field.
Fixter developed every aspect of the brewery with data-informed decisions – from how the beers are named, to braille labels, to the lighting – all demonstrating how her knowledge of neurodivergent and multiple disabilities impacts the people she seeks to employ and serve. She is constantly gathering information to improve the employee and patron experience at Brewability.
Not a week goes by when Brewability does not host a community group or fundraising event. That includes Fixter lending support to Northwest and showing her Bearcat pride by hosting the Colorado Chapter of the Northwest Alumni Association for social activities and watch parties. People recognize the Brewability community Fixter has created as a safe space for all, and she recognizes what it means to be a good steward as a small business owner.
Fixter also has helped generate qualitative data detailing the benefits of employing adults with multiple disabilities. Staff satisfaction rates at Brewability are outstanding, and the opportunities she provides demonstrate not only the need for further research centered on how employment can be more inclusive but how it benefits communities.
Michelle Westhues
Michelle Westhues has leveraged her marketing expertise and molded herself into a leader in the tourism and healthcare industries.
Currently, she is the program promotions coordinator for the Missouri Telehealth Network at the University of Missouri-Columbia, which provides education, training and resources for people working in the medical field. She represents the organization at statewide conferences, advancing awareness and access to innovative telehealth services that strengthen healthcare outcomes in Missouri.
From 2018 to 2024, she was employed with the Moberly Area Chamber of Commerce as its inaugural tourism specialist and succeeded at creating unique experiences for residents and visitors. In 2022, she co-founded Junk Junktion Vintage Market, which attracted 22,000 people to Moberly – a city of 13,000 residents – and the Chamber was honored for that initiative with the Innovator Award at the Missouri Governor’s Conference on Tourism. In 2023, she continued to drive tourism growth in Moberly through the acquisition of an ice-skating rink, adding another attraction to the city’s offerings. Her pioneering spirit and tireless efforts elevated the city’s profile and set a standard for tourism innovation in the region.
Since 2019, she has served on the national board of Delta Theta Tau Philanthropic Sorority as its director of public relations. In Moberly, she also served on the Board of Directors for 4th Street Theatre and is an active member of St. Pius X Catholic Church. Since 2013, she also has operated a photography business.
As a Northwest student, she was active with Sigma Society, for which she served as the historian. She also was a staff member with the Tower yearbook and served as its co-photo editor. In 2022, she married her college sweetheart, Alex Westhues, whom she met at Bearcat Lanes in Maryville during a Sigma Society and Alpha Kappa Lambda mixer.
Aleta Hubbard
Aleta Hubbard served alongside her late husband as Northwest’s first lady for 25 years. Dr. Dean L. Hubbard was the University’s longest-serving president from 1984 to 2009, and Aleta’s passion for Northwest was unmistakable and deeply influential.
Under the Hubbards’ leadership, Northwest earned recognition for its “Culture of Quality,” a framework that emphasized continuous improvement throughout the University. President Hubbard frequently credited Aleta for key contributions to the effort, including the development of Northwest’s comment card system and her early advocacy for quality management principles. As his closest advisor and sounding board, Aleta played a central role in shaping ideas that translated into meaningful institutional change.
Hospitality, relationship building and friend-raising were Aleta’s defining gifts. Together, the Hubbards welcomed countless visitors to their residence at the historic Thomas Gaunt House, hosting students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members alongside distinguished guests, including Jesse Jackson, Maya Angelou, John F. Kennedy Jr., Julie Nixon Eisenhower, Wynton Marsalis, Lech Wałęsa and Missouri governors John Ashcroft, Jay Nixon and Mel Carnahan. Aleta had a unique ability to put students at ease, encouraging their conversation and engagement during the gatherings. In addition to hosting local events, Aleta traveled extensively with her husband to raise funds and support for the University.
Aleta’s curiosity and love of learning also was unceasing. As first lady, she actively followed trends in higher education and regularly discussed new ideas with President Hubbard. Many initiatives at Northwest can be traced to these conversations, with Aleta serving as a catalyst for the president’s reflection, writing and actions.
Beyond the Northwest campus, Aleta chaired campaigns for United Way as well as improvements to the Nodaway County courthouse and downtown Maryville. Known for her warmth and personal approach, she worked tirelessly to strengthen connections between the University and the community. It was said that no one could say “no” to Aleta Hubbard.
