New members join NSU Alumni Association board

A corporate commissioner, financial advisor and educator were recently named to Northeastern State Universitys Alumni Association board of directors.

Bill White, Andrea Tucker and Rachel Farinelli will bring their unique backgrounds to the alumni association as new board members.

Im confident I speak on behalf of the entire board when I express how excited we are about the infusion of new energy and ideas that will come as a result of these three joining the board, said Daniel Johnson, director of alumni services. Each brings unique perspectives and insights that are sure to advance the associations agenda.

Bill White, originally from Edmond, arrived at Northeastern from Eastern State College in 1966. While at NSU he was a member of the Student Senate, the Wesley Foundation and served as state vice president of the Oklahoma Methodist Student Movement, the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity and the Young Democrats. Prior to graduation, he enlisted in the Army in 1968. He returned to Northeastern in 1975 and graduated with a bachelors degree in sociology in 1976.

Now retired, White served with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission for 31 years. He also served in the Oklahoma Army National Guard. He is a life member of the NSU Alumni Association and a founding member and past president of its Oklahoma City area chapter. He lives in Oklahoma City with his wife Mary. He has also begun the William E. White Scholarship for Oklahoma City-area students through the NSU Foundation.

I want to help the Alumni Association grow and blossom, White said. Joining the board gives me the chance to bring people back to their NSU roots, not just in northeast Oklahoma but throughout Oklahoma. Ive started the scholarship to generate interest in Northeastern on this side of the state.

Johnson said White will continue to expand the associations cultivation efforts in the greater Oklahoma City area.

Bill remains connected with a number of alumni who once made up a very active OKC chapter, he said. We look forward to reinvigorating our level of activity.

Broken Arrow native Andrea Tucker graduated from NSU with a bachelors degree in business administration in 2005 and an MBA in 2009. While attending NSU she was active in DELTA Leadership Academy and worked for the university in recruitment and admissions. She is a member of Delta Mu Delta International Honor Society in Business.

Tucker began her career as a financial adviser with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in 2006. She lives with her husband James and their four children in Broken Arrow.

Ive joined the board because I wanted to link back to NSU, she said. I was connected through the Broken Arrow campus and I want to be able to connect BA alumni with their alma mater. I believe I can add something through a different perspective. I attended my first board meeting and it was everything I hoped for in terms of direction and momentum.

Johnson said the Alumni Association board recognized it lacked representation from the NSUBA alumni community.

Andrea will fill that gap and then some, he said. She speaks very passionately of her experience with the Broken Arrow campus, and I think that will translate into a remarkably improved ability to engage this meaningful group of alumni.

Rachel Farinelli is director of NSU Continuing Education. Born in Houston, she moved to Tahlequah in 1988 when her father, Dr. Carl Farinelli, joined the university faculty. She attended NSU to earn a bachelors degree in accounting in 1997 and a masters degree in higher education administration in 2006. She has previously worked around the nation in non-profit and corporate accounting.

At NSU she has organized the recent regional summits, including Giving Voice to Our Region in 2009 and Regionalism: A United Voice for a Shared Vision in 2010. While a student at NSU she performed with the River City Players and Downtown Country. She plays country fiddle for the Farinelli Family Band.

For me it is just so important to be able to give back to my alma mater, Farinelli said. NSU has always been such an important part of my life. Though I already work here, I wanted to volunteer in a capacity which can benefit the university. The Alumni Association helps the university in so many different ways and I wanted to be a part of it. We have some exciting things planned and I am really looking forward to this year.

Johnson said Farinelli is engrained in the Northeastern community.

She has grown up green and white, and Im confident her passion along with her keen insights and institutional knowledge will benefit the Alumni Association for many years to come, he said.

Recently retiring from the Alumni Association board are Danna Fowble, Bill Moorer, Gregg Simmons and Diane Walker.

Walker, director of Educational Talent Search at NSU, leaves the board after 12 years of service.

Diane has given as much as anyone in her decade of service to the Alumni Association, Johnson said. Her passion and energy was always a motivating force and she will certainly be missed. She and our other departing members leave very large shoes to fill.

For more information about the NSU Alumni Association call 918-458-2143 or 1-800-722-9614