TRAVERSE CITY — Northwestern Michigan College appointed a new trustee Monday.
NMC’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to appoint Jody Lundquist to fill the vacancy after longtime board member Chris Bott resigned for personal reasons June 9.
“I’m grateful and delighted for the opportunity to sit along the distinguished board, all dedicated to serving the future of this community by achieving success for our students,” Lundquist said.
The board accepted applications until June 19 and received six that met the requirements. Five applicants were considered at Monday’s meeting.
Myk Garn, Jody Lundquist, Leah Moskovitz and Kevin Query each spoke for three minutes at the meeting and answered questions from the board. Brad Akers was not able to attend the meeting, but was still considered for the post.
During her three minutes, Lundquist said she believes strongly that the “future prosperity of this region relies on the success of the students at NMC.”
“How do we create the conditions for talent to thrive in northern Michigan? That answer is NMC,” she said.
Lindquist, a licensed CPA, said her experience managing municipal and county budgets would be a valuable contribution to the board. She served as the chief financial officer for the City of Flint for a year in 2015 and 2016 and was the Grand Traverse County finance director for almost a year and a half before resigning in 2017.
“I have navigated complex and very public financial events with transparency and integrity,” she said.
She is currently the executive director of Northern Michigan Angels, a local investment group, and is the chief financial officer for Boomerang Catapult, a venture capital firm. She also serves as secretary on the board of directors for Goodwill Industries Northern Michigan.
“I want to help the board steward the opportunities that it has before it as an engine for our long-term success and that the college remains strong and inclusive,” Lundquist said.
After discussion concluded, the board ranked its top three candidates, with a goal of reaching a majority of votes (at least three) for the top candidate.
Lundquist won the majority, with three votes, during the first round of voting. Trustees Ken Warner, Kennard Weaver and Chair Laura Oblinger picked her as their top choice.
Kevin Query had two top votes from trustees Pam Horne and Mark Keely.
Kennard Weaver made the motion to appoint Lundquist, and the board approved it unanimously.
After the vote, Trustee Horne was voted in as the board secretary, a position that Bott had held prior to his resignation.
Bott served on the board since 2015. Bott’s contributions were acknowledged by the board in a unanimous Resolution of Appreciation, which stated its “recognition of his dedicated service and significant contributions to the Northwestern Michigan College Board of Trustees.”