Military Makeover: Operation Career
Featured NSU Military Members
Dr. Rodney Hanley began serving as NSU’s 20th president on Aug. 1, 2023. He was most recently President of Lake Superior State University, a rural public university in Michigan, and brings over 35 years of leadership experience in higher education with him to his position at NSU. As a first-generation college graduate who grew up in central Illinois, Hanley knows firsthand the impact of a college degree. He often recalls the personal struggles he faced as a college student and how his parents tried to help guide him. Today, he relies on many of these experiences to influence his decisions and keep the act of serving others at the forefront of his daily tasks. These experiences also influenced his decision to join the Illinois Army National Guard, where he spent time serving our country as an active-duty Combat Military Policeman during the Persian Gulf War. Hanley received a Doctorate of Philosophy degree from the University of Kansas, Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees from Eastern Illinois University and a certificate in Leadership in Education from Harvard University.
Retired Brig. Gen. Jon Harrison served his country for 39 years, most recently as director of Joint Staff in the Oklahoma National Guard. Prior to commissioning, he served four years as an enlisted member of the Oklahoma National Guard. Harrison has been deployed twice in support of Multi-National Force-Iraq and Operation Provide Comfort in Iraq. Harrison has received many awards including the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War of Terrorism Service Medal and the Humanitarian Service Medal. He graduated from NSU in 1988 with a degree in accounting.
A 20-year United States Marine Corps veteran, Dr. Debbie Landry served NSU for nearly 20 years with integrity and a strong commitment to student success. From her beginning role as an education faculty member to her position upon retirement as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Landry’s passion to support students, especially our veterans, has guided the institution’s efforts to strengthen our Veteran Services program, the creation of a Veterans lounge on our Tahlequah and Broken Arrow campuses and leadership for the Veterans Monument Committee whose work culminated with the dedication of the monument titled: NSU Veterans: Serving and Communicating Through the Decades on Nov. 11, 2021.
Marcey Mitchem is a proud veteran of the U.S. Army serving active duty from 1986-1990 and U.S. Army Reserves from 1990-1994. She is a 2010 and 2016 alumna of NSU where she serves as the Senior Coordinator of Disability Services. Mitcham is a co-founder of NSU’s Warrior Woman Scholarship created for women that have served or are currently serving in the U.S. military.
An Army veteran, (Matthew) Tyler Rector, served as a 14T, Patriot Enhanced Launching Station Maintainer and Operator. His first duty station was Ft. Bragg, North Carolina with 1st Battalion 7th Air Defense Artillery, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade in Bravo Battery. He deployed twice while stationed there, the first time to Southwest Asia from January 2015 to January 2016, and then to the Middle East from August 2017 to April 2018. The following year, he changed duty station to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan where he served as a member of 1st Battalion 1st Air Defense Artillery in Headquarters and Headquarters Battery. Rector ended his term of service on Sept. 11, 2019. He and his wife welcomed a daughter in April 2020. An NSU student since fall 2022, Rector is a Social Studies Education major and an active member of the Northeastern Student Government Association, Northeastern Pre-Law Organization, NSU Student Veterans Organization(president) and the NSU College Democrats of Oklahoma. Outside of his college studies, he is heavily involved in the American Legion out of post 20 in Ft. Gibson where he currently serves as the District 2 Commander of the Sons of the American Legion.
