Marchant to retire from Northwest after 25 years of service

Mitzi Marchant, who leads the fundraising branch of Northwest Missouri State University and has held several other leadership roles since joining the institution in 1999, will retire from the University this summer.

Marchant, who has served as vice president of university advancement and executive director of the Northwest Foundation since 2021, will retire June 30.

“Mitzi has built relationships with countless Bearcat alumni, friends and donors and has prepared the Northwest Foundation for its next chapter,” Leisha Barry, the president of the Northwest Foundation Board of Directors, said. “We will miss her leadership and organization as well as her fun-loving approach to working hard to make sure we are stewarding philanthropic resources to best serve Northwest Missouri State and its students.”

Marchant, who served from 2014 to 2018 as director of corporate and foundation relations and then as director of donor engagement until stepping into her current role, was instrumental in Northwest’s highly successful “Forever Green” campaign. It launched publicly in 2019 and concluded in 2021 with more than $55 million raised for initiatives related to scholarships, student life and academic excellence, including the completion of two major capital fundraising projects – the Carl and Cheryl Hughes Fieldhouse and the Agricultural Learning Center.

Marchant also was actively involved in communication aspects of the University’s first formal capital fundraising effort, “The Campaign for Northwest,” which went public in 2002 and ended in 2006, raising more than $43 million.

Additionally, Marchant has filled the roles of vice president of university relations, chief public relations officer, director of advancement communication, director of information and marketing, and communication assistant. She was the inaugural editor of the Northwest Alumni Magazine from 2000 until 2014, and she served as an adjunct faculty member in the School of Communication and Mass Media, teaching introductory courses in public relations.

“Northwest has been part of my life since I was a freshman here in 1987. At that time, I never dreamed I would return someday and have such a rewarding career serving my alma mater,” Marchant said. “I’ve been fortunate to work with some amazing colleagues, leaders, alumni and students, many of whom I am proud to call friends, and to also play a part in uplifting this University for future generations of Bearcats to call home, just like I do. While I will miss the day-to-day interactions, I am certainly excited for this next chapter of life.”

Before joining Northwest, Marchant was the community development and special projects coordinator for the Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments in Maryville, where she led the creation of the first-ever Mozingo Lake Recreation Development Plan. She also was employed as a newspaper reporter and editor and worked for an advertising agency in Nebraska.

Away from her work at Northwest, Marchant has served with numerous community organizations, including as president of the local chapter of the American Association of University Women and as a founding member of the Children’s Center of Northwest Missouri, which is now North Star Advocacy Center. She served as a board member with Big Brothers Big Sisters in both Nodaway County and Kansas City, the Maryville Chamber of Commerce and ArtsTech. She also has volunteered in support of the Gladstone Area Chamber of Commerce, Special Olympics and Uplift, an organization serving homeless people in the Kansas City area.

Marchant, who lives in Kansas City, is a Northwest alumna, having earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations in 1991 and a master’s degree in higher education leadership at the University in 2009. She was a member of Phi Mu sorority and the Bearcat women’s tennis team.