As Michigan’s Regional Coordinator, Kari provides guidance and insight to the regional officer team and serves chapters as a liaison to Phi Theta Kappa Headquarters. She was recognized by Headquarters in April 2015 with the Distinguished Regional Coordinator award. Kari was named Coordinator in September 2009 and is the third Regional Coordinator to serve Michigan following in the footsteps of Tom Obee (1997 – 2009) and Gail Knapp (1990 – 1997).
Kari is the Associate Dean for the Department of Learning Services at Northwestern Michigan College where she provides leadership for the following departments—Academic and Career Advising, Disability Support Services, the Student Success Center, the Tutoring and Math Centers and the Honors Program. She serves on a number of college wide committees that impact student learning, persistence, retention and college completion. She has been an Advisor for the Alpha Rho Pi Chapter since 1997 and has watched them grow from 1 star to 5 star!
Kari completed her PhD from Michigan State University in HALE (Higher Adult and Lifelong Education); her dissertation was on students who have beaten the odds and succeeded in college after arriving underprepared based on the COMPASS Placement test and finding them several semesters later in the Honors Program. She looked at issues of grit, motivation and expectancy to understand what drove students to be successful!
Kari is married to a wonderful man named Chad, and the proud mom of two daughters, Cori and Casey who are both NMC alums and former chapter officers.
She loves to camp and finds solace in what she considers her little piece of heaven on earth in Leelanau County—the tip of the pinkie, for you “hand as map” folks and home to the Leelanau Outdoor Center, our home for the MI Region Leadership Conference. What excites Kari the most is seeing students grow and develop as leaders through taking advantage of all that Phi Theta Kappa has to offer!