About the Regents
The Board of Regents serves as the governing body for Northwest Missouri State University. The nine members, including a non-voting student regent, are appointed by the governor and approved by the Missouri Senate. The Board holds the Northwest vision in highest regard.
Chair of the Board (R)
Residence: Maryville, Missouri
nwcoacht1@gmail.com
Mel Tjeerdsma earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Southern (S.D.) State College in 1967 and a master’s degree from Northwest in 1977. Tjeerdsma served as Northwest’s director of athletics from the spring of 2013 until retiring from that role in April 2018. He was the head football coach at Northwest from 1994 to 2010 and led the Bearcats to a 183-43 record, capturing three NCAA Division II national championships and 12 MIAA titles. A member of several halls of fame, Tjeerdsma was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
Vice Chair of the Board (I)
Residence: Kansas City, Missouri
stevec@impactllc.biz
Stephen Coppinger earned a bachelor’s degree in business management at Northwest in 1998 and is president of Impact Interiors, which he founded in 2013. At Northwest, Coppinger was a four-year starter and team captain of the Bearcats' 1998 NCAA Division II National Championship football team.
Regent (R)
Residence: Holt, Missouri
leishabarry@yahoo.com
Leisha Barr earned a bachelor’s degree in medical technology from Northwest and a Master of Business Administration from Rockhurst University. She is a retired client services vice president for Cerner Corporation. She previously served as president of the Northwest Foundation Board, and as trustee, secretary, and president of the Liberty Hospital Foundation.
Regent (R)
Residence: Maysville, Missouri
sblack02@gmail.com
Steve Black holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Northwest. He is a cattle and grain farmer and business consultant specializing in manufacturing, operations management, performance improvement and strategic guidance on acquisition due diligence in northwest Missouri. He has served as a member of several civic organizations including the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce and United Way of Greater St. Joseph.
Regent (I)
Residence: St. Joseph, Missouri
sdurbin@herzog.com
Shanda Durbin earned a bachelor’s degree in corporate recreation and wellness at Northwest in 2010 and is vice president of human resources at Herzog Contracting Corporation, where she has been employed since 2010.
Regent (R)
Residence: Kearney, Missouri
jason.klindt@gmail.com
Jason Klindt earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations at Northwest in 1999 and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University in 2002. He is senior manager of customer intelligence at Evergy, where he has been employed since 2014. His professional experience also includes 10 years as a communications director in the U.S. Congress.
Regent (D)
Residence: Grant City, Missouri
danroach@grantcity.net
Deborah Roach has more than 20 years of postal experience in northwest Missouri communities and currently serves as postmaster at Sheridan. She is vice president of the Missouri Chapter of the United Postmasters and Managers of America and was Missouri Postmaster of the Year in 2013. Roach has served as Grant City mayor since 1998, after seven years of service as an alderman. She also serves on the boards of the Missouri Community Betterment Program, the Northwest Missouri Enterprise Facilitation Group and the Missouri State Solid Waste Board.
Regent
Residence: n/a
Term Expires: n/a
Non-voting Student Representative
Residence: n/a
Term Expires: n/a
Secretary to the Board of Regents
Custodian of Records (Open Records Requests/Missouri Sunshine Law)
dianeh@greatindianarts.com
