Alumni + Student Connections

ALUMNI+STUDENT

CONNECTIONS

Say Hello to Your New Family

A Northland College education will

connect you to the world in ways you’ve never imagined— to the Earth, to yourself, to the people and spaces around you. You’ll forge a sense of identity, meet lifelong friends, and gain the skills necessary to start a meaningful career no matter where your journey takes you.

You’ll do all of this one step at a time with a network of people ready to help. The thing about Northland is that once you set foot on campus, you join a family.

You will find your people—people who will recognized things about you that you don’t even know about yourself. These are incredible people doing amazing things who stay connected as mentors, friends, leaders, and even professors.

We’ve collected a few alumni stories, from recent grads to experts in their fields, to give you an idea of where you might go and who might be helping you along the way.

Wildlife Ecologist Before Jessica Mohlman ’15 graduated, she had completed two internships at The Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois, and was selected as one of the first Women in Science Undergraduate Research interns working on a project identifying historical plants in the Oaxaca Valley in Mexico. “While many of my friends dreamt of being princesses and astronauts, I dreamt of being a scientist, of traveling the world and helping save the planet,” she said.

Jessica went on to earn a master’s degree in wildlife ecology and management and recently accepted a position with the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center.

Veterinarian Margaret Koosmann ’10 grew up on her family’s beef farm, twenty minutes south of campus. She attended Northland, played sports, and went on to graduate from UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. She now owns Ashland Veterinary Clinic, located near campus, and employs four other veterinarians, including her sister Fay ’15, another Northland graduate.

“Attending Northland made me the well-rounded student vet schools were looking for,” she said. “I took biology and chemistry but I also took the humanities—it all helps you think outside the box and as a vet, it’s what we’re doing daily.”

Agency Director Michael “Mic” Isham Jr. ’87 arrived at Northland College as a selfdescribed punk kid who wanted to play basketball. During his time, he connected with the professors turned mentors, played intramurals, studied sociopolitical and environmental studies, and served as president of the Native American Student Association for two years.

“It was a small school. You couldn’t hide anywhere and the professors were there with us,” he said. “I needed that.”

He also worked in two different internships with the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC), an agency representing Wisconsin’s eleven tribes and the protection of their sovereignty rights.

And in full circle fashion, Mic is now the executive director at GLIFWC. Mic regularly returns to campus to participate in discussions related to water quality and policy in the Great Lakes and to act as a mentor to future natural resources leaders.

ALUMNI+STUDENT

NETWORKING

Environmental Architect Ben Shepherd ’00 is taking design to new levels: integrating sustainability, functionality, beauty, and community planning.

He’s been working in the green building and sustainable design field since his Northland graduation, first at the non-profit, research think tank Rocky Mountain Institute, then overseas to gain an international green perspective.

As a director at Atelier Ten, an international sustainable design company in New York City, he manages projects like the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, to the Museum of American Revolution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the recipient of ENR New York’s 2015 Top 20 Under 40 rising star awards, given to those making a positive impact on design and construction.

Ben now serves on the board of trustees for the College.

He names the close friendships he made while attending Northland as a highlight. “We have a great group of friends who still regularly keep in touch . . . often via massive group chain texts. We stay connected even though we all have our own commitments, families, and we’re geographically spread from coast to coast,” he said. “We visit each other and have used College reunions and events to enable most of our large group to be organized and get back on campus.”

Sports Management Luis Victoria ’17 studied business, sports management, and sustainable entrepreneurship, minored in psychology, played baseball, and earned an internship with the Kansas City Royals in the Dominican Republic while he was a student at Northland. He went on to earn his master’s degree in sports management from Concordia University in St. Paul.

In January 2020, he accepted a position as coordinator of educational and cultural programs with the Oakland A’s.

“My dream was to become a professional baseball player but throughout my college baseball career, I developed an understanding that my true calling was as a professional in the field of sports management,” he said.

Jarred Stone September 17 at 12:44PM

•••

So I was at work yesterday in Kotzebue Alaska and we had a small meeting prior to the Ambler Road meeting. Three people sitting around a table, all three from Northland College. #smallworld You, Charly Ray, Gina Kirsten and 47 others Like

11 Comments Comment

Earth Scientist Outdoor Leadership Nancy Franz ’81 was tired of being the only woman at the table so she did something about it. She created the Women in Leadership internship, a partnership between Northland College and the National Park Service to support women pursuing outdoor careers.

Nancy graduated from Northland with a degree in outdoor environmental education, then went on to earn a master of education and professional development from UW-Superior and a PhD in agriculture, extension, and adult education from Cornell University.

She is, by all accounts, a fierce advocate for women in leadership in the outdoors.

“I got to learn what the field is all about and made contacts with the most prominent scientists in the nation.”

Shannon Franks ’01 NASA Senior Scientist

Nonprofit Manager Cheyenne Otto Defoe ’19 is the lead organizer for Progress North, a nonprofit in northern Wisconsin, connecting people across the deep divisions of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and generation.

Nancy raised funds, including her own, among alumni and others who support the idea behind the Women in Leadership internship. Through this internship, young women gain experience in natural resources management and interpretation, receive professional development, and receive leadership mentoring.

And it’s working. “I’ve made some great connections and gained invaluable knowledge and experience within the federal job realm,” said student Abby Keller. “Being able to observe all of these amazing women serving as strong leaders in such a male-dominated field has inspired me to not let anything or anyone hold me back from my career aspirations.”

Jessica Schultz ’19, pictured above, said the experience set her up for success. “It was fantastic to have the support of such a great team of wonderful, inspirational women.”

“Northland helped me discover who I am as a person and exposed me to the opportunities focused on building a stronger community,” she said. “The compassion and care for the success of their students is so obvious amongst the Northland community, and that is really what makes the difference.”

ALUMNI+STUDENT

INTERNSHIPS

Policy Researcher As a student, Emma Holtan ’20 worked as a researcher at the Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation and has been hired to continue on a policy research project. She is also interning at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services: Climate and Health Department helping pilot and revise a flood resilience scorecard for release to the public.

“The scorecard is a comprehensive assessment a municipality can partake in to assess their community’s flood resilience, which is sweet because I’m definitely very interested in community climate and water resilience work,” she said.

Social Worker Illustrator When Cait Irwin ’05 spoke to students at an on-campus career seminar, she had one main message: If you can’t find a fit for your style, then create your own path. The owner of Irwin Artworks, she specializes in large murals and sculpture.

Since graduating, Ed Morales ’10 has worked with more than one-thousand kids and a dozen schools around Minneapolis, Minnesota, as a school social worker, school-based therapist, community advocate, and trainer.

Ed is the child welfare foundations trainer at the Minnesota Department of Human Services. He earned his degree from Northland in peace, conflict, and global studies, a master of social work from the University of Minnesota, and a master of public policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.

Big Cat Conservationist Tina Ramme ’90 is the founder and director of the Lion Conservation Fund and a professor of biological sciences.

Tina is responsible for initiating the Lion Warrior Project, training and paying Samburu warriors as field assistants and scouts to monitor and protect lions, mitigate humanwildlife conflict in their communities, and implement conservation education in local schools and villages for over fifteen years—all while keeping their cattle safe.

“Northland’s connection to the Native American community seeded my awareness of indigenous issues.”

“Northland’s connection to the Native American community seeded an awareness of indigenous issues and a commitment to support indigenous rights in any context, but especially as a keystone of conservation science and holistic ecological management,” Tina said.

Tina has returned to campus to speak to students interested in wildlife careers. Her best advice for people who want to do what she does: “Connect with a good mentor in the field, particularly a faculty member who can nurture your professional development; seek internships to gain experience and skills, network, and explore your aspirations in the real world to assess whether it truly is a good match; and embrace any possibilities that might arise—or seek them out.”

ALUMNI+STUDENT

MENTORING

Professor Sarah Johnson ’02, on the cover and to the right, is an associate professor of natural resources at Northland and often found in the field with students.

“One of my major goals as faculty at Northland is to provide students with research experiences via participation in my research, student-initiated projects, or projects initiated by local and regional agencies.

I encourage hard-working undergraduate students to inquire about capstone research opportunities in my lab,” she said.

Arborist His first summer after graduation, natural resources graduate Christian Kaiser ’20 worked for the City of Sheboygan on their forestry crew. By the end of summer, he accepted a position with Kohler Company as their integrated pest management arborist.

Educator “I love how accepting Northland is. I’ve made friends with people I never thought I’d even talk to. We’re all so used to sticking to ourselves and people who are like us.

Northland takes that away from you. It almost forces you to get to know people who are different. Once you can get comfortable with that, it can change your life.”

Dannon Briggs ’19 4K Teacher

Marine Conservationist After graduation, Marissa Neitzke ’19 accepted a competitive internship with the Coral Restoration Foundation working on elkhorn and staghorn coral restoration projects while educating kids about the importance of marine conservation in Key Largo, Florida.

ALUMNI+STUDENT

GUIDANCE

Ornithologist Ornithologist Susan Haig ’79 has spent more than thirty years working on avian species facing the brink of extinction, including leading an international team to develop environmental recommendations for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Her research addresses the genetic and demographic factors needed to plan appropriate recovery actions for small populations. In graduate school, she was able to get the endangered shorebird, the piping plover, listed as endangered in Canada and led recovery teams for the piping plover for over fifteen years.

Librarian Librarian Madeline Jarvis ’13 was named as Library Journal’s 2020 Movers and Shakers. Jarvis and her peers conducted a national survey about identifying barriers to millennials serving on a library board. The responses revealed some intriguing findings. The number one barrier to millennials serving on library boards: they simply weren’t asked.

“Many of the challenges we’ve identified are unique to this stage of life, not the generation’s characteristics,” she said.

Madeline, who serves on the alumni board of directors, majored in sustainable community development because she wanted to help communities thrive. She now does that as the manager of adult and outreach services at Marion Public Library. Her mission: to create the friendliest library in the world.

She is one of three women who hold the rank of senior scientist at the US Geological Survey and is a professor of wildlife ecology at Oregon State University. She was recently recognized by the Secretary of Interior for her distinguished service.

And it all started at Northland. “I worked in the greenhouse for four years which lead to my first teaching assistant position in graduate school and a lifelong love of plants and gardening,” she said. “By working for Professor Dick Verch in the greenhouse, I got to tag along on his birding adventures which resulted in my becoming an ornithologist.”

High School College Coordinator As a student, Adrian Flores ’13 worked in the admissions office at Northland and discovered that he really enjoyed the higher education field. Being a first generation student of color, he had discovered a passion for making higher education equitable for students.

“Establish your networks and connections early.”

After Northland, he worked at Cardinal Stritch University in the admissions department and earned a master’s degree. He then began working with Graduation Plus, a

college access and success program at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee. And that opportunity led him to where he is now, a college transition coordinator at Carmen High School of Science and Technology.

“The liberal arts education helped me learn to approach different disciplines with different mind sets and different ways of understanding,” he said. “It helped me see things differently.”

His best advice for students: “Establish your network and connections early. You don’t know how much the power of conversation and interactions can have on your career.”

Organic Gardener Kari Kouba Molter ’03 was awarded the Fruit + Vegetable 40 Under 40 honor as an outstanding individual making a mark in the industry. Kari owns and operates Molter Produce, a 700-acre certified organic farm in Michigan.

“Northland played a large role in preparing me for what would end up being my path in life, and additionally equipped me with lifelong friends to share in the fun,” she said. “I love learning about the many other alumni who work in various ag industries; Northland helped shape us all.”

Sustainability Specialist

Matthew Toavs ’98 has played many roles at Whole Foods Market since he started in 2001 as a bulk buyer for the Lake Calhoun store in Minneapolis.

At Northland College, he studied outdoor education with an emphasis on natural history, with minors in earth science and environmental education and worked for two summers on an organic dairy and vegetable farm, south of Ashland.

“It has been very satisfying to see my ideas and love for Earth translated into significant, positive, real-world impacts”

“That experience and hours discussing ideas with professor and farmer Lee Stadnyk got me hooked on farming,” he said.

He went on to earn a master of sustainable agriculture degree at the University of London, then applied to Whole Foods to learn the business side. Matthew was quickly promoted from bulk buyer to grocery buyer then store accountant.

When the regional president put out a call to form a regional

ALUMNI+STUDENT

environmental committee, Toavs jumped at the chance. Elected co-leader, the committee began promoting sustainable practices like encouraging reusable bags by paying customers ten-cents for each bag they brought in, creating standardized recycling signs, and training programs for team members.

He’s since been promoted several times, implementing company-wide initiatives like finding opportunities to donate and compost food waste, offsetting one-hundred-percent of electricity consumption through the purchase of renewable energy credits, standardizing the bag refunds, and banning single-use plastic bags from all of its stores.

“While this work is a far cry from the outdoor adventuring and natural history interpretation I focused on at Northland, it has been very satisfying to see my ideas and love for Earth translated into some significant, positive, real-world impacts,” he said.

EMPOWERMENT

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Resource Management Gus Smith ’84, chief of science and resource management at Grand Teton National Park in Jackson, Wyoming, talked to Northland students during their Pens and Paddles wilderness canoe trip about the joys of doing what you love.

This is just the beginning.

When you’re ready to start your own Northland story, simply submit your $200 enrollment deposit.

northland.edu/enroll admissions@northland.edu • 800-753-1840

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