Northern Michigan University Careers

With nine years of combined experience in the administration of group benefits, human resources management, and overseeing Northern Michigan University's robust benefits offerings, I am well-versed in the benefits world.  I earned my Bachelors of Science degree with a concentration in mathematics from NMU in 2006 and returned to the School of Education, obtaining my teaching certificate in 2010.  I apply logic and problem solving to every scenario I approach.  Insurance is not so different from mathematics, essentially different languages that one needs the tools to decode.  I enjoy making benefits tangible for the population I serve and rely on data-driven decision making.  My passion is in maximizing benefit offerings while minimizing cost. 

I value NMU's commitment to the Okanagan Charter - focusing on wellbeing of person, place, and planet. The benefits package, which I oversee, is robust across physical, mental, and financial wellness as well as allowing for considerable time off for work/life balance as well as personal or professional pursuits. My ideas are valued and I consistently feel heard by my colleagues and supervisor. Many opportunities exist to attend campus events and collaborate with folks in other areas of campus. I am appreciated as a full person; not just for the work that I do.

My advice for anyone new to an organization is to listen, observe, and ask questions. My first year at NMU was spent learning my job. To understand how I could best serve my coworkers and the wider NMU population, I needed to understand how things operated and why they operated that way. Once I had a solid understanding of that, I could bring forward thoughtful questions and suggestions on how to make things better, easier, more efficient, more transparent, etc. Listening, observing, and asking questions builds trust with your team so that when ideas are presented later, they come from a place of understanding rather than a place of criticism.

I'm very proud of the Engagement Program I built at TelNet Worldwide which spanned across Employee Surveys at various points of the employee life cycle to a new annual engagement program called the Jack Pine Jackpot which rewarded employees for behaviors that positively impacted the customer experience (like consistent attendance, high quality assurance scores, etc) to the monthly games that reinforced behaviors important to the continued growth of the business. Prior to the Jack Pine Jackpot, employees were annually put into a drawing for a chance to win prizes and somehow, the employees that did the best work rarely won while the employees that were unreliable consistently seemed to win. Staff morale improved significantly when their contributions to the success of the business were weighted in the opportunity for prizes. While at NMU, I have focused on improving employee knowledge of benefits. I have met with all seven unions to promote our benefits offerings and answer questions. I have spearheaded the implementation of an online retirement contribution platform. Prior to the platform, NMU had been facilitating all retirement contributions on paper forms. In November 2025, we implemented an online benefits platform that displays all of our benefits and their costs in one accessible location. We ran NMU's first active open enrollment in decades and hosted 25 Benefits Information Sessions to engage employees in their benefits. Prior to the platform, all enrollment was done on paper. I'm proud to have played a role in moving NMU away from paper and clunkiness and into an era of efficiency and transparency.