Central Michigan University Alumni Association

08/28/2026

We were FIRED UP to have alumni Jerry and Pam Hoag celebrate their 53rd wedding anniversary by joining fellow CMU Chippewas at our recent Michigan Moonshine alumni & friends event in Grandville! 💍

Jerry, a Central Michigan Baseball player, and Pam, a member of Sigma Kappa CMU sorority, met off campus while both were assigned to the same school during their student-teaching semester. 🏫

"After we got back on campus, we decided to date for a while and see how it goes. And it just kept going,” Jerry said. ❤💛

They've since watched both of their children and their oldest grandchild graduate from CMU. 🔥⬆

Jerry and Pam enjoy attending as many official CMU alumni and friends events as they can. “They're so great," Pam said. "You meet very friendly people and find out you have a lot in common with them."

Here’s to many more years of love and being Fired Up Forever! 🥂

Interested in joining us at an official CMU Alumni Association event? Click the link to see our upcoming schedule: https://go.cmualum.com/events

08/27/2026

Join us online via Zoom on Thursday, September 10th, at noon for the next FREE Campus Conversation virtual event: "CMU Online: Professional Development for Life's Next Chapter."

Explore how Central Michigan University Online can support your personal and professional growth, as well as your organization’s success, through professional development, lifelong learning and customized training opportunities.

This is a presentation followed by Q&A and discussion.

For more information and to register for the event: https://go.cmualum.com/cmuonline

***A Zoom link will be emailed before the event. Unable to attend in real-time? Complete the registration and a recording will be emailed to you.***

08/26/2026

As a map maker extraordinaire, alumnus John Nelson’s work has been featured in National Geographic Magazine, Fast Company and The Guardian. The cartographer and user experience designer makes cool maps and shares his expertise online from a custom-built pine woodshed in his backyard in Michigan. 🗺

Read more about him: https://go.cmualum.com/nelsonspotlight26

08/24/2026

We're so thankful for the alumni, friends, students, families, faculty and staff members who joined us for our 22nd Annual CMU Night at Comerica Park! 🔥⬆

Interested in joining us at an official CMU Alumni Association event? Use the link to see our upcoming schedule: https://go.cmualum.com/events

08/21/2026

From the CMU sidelines to The Savannah Bananas!🍌⚾ We're FIRED UP to see where Kristina Fusco's journey takes her next. 🔥⬆

An impulsive career application made one recent Central Michigan University alumna “go bananas” for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

08/21/2026

We’re proud to honor Lydia Sankey as a recipient of the 2026 10 Within 10 Recognition! 🔥⬆

From the Chippewa Marching Band to global naval service, Lydia, ’17, has never stopped showing up for others. As a supply officer aboard the USS Bulkeley — currently based in Spain — she manages multimillion-dollar budgets and logistics chains across the globe and recently led her crew to earn the Navy’s top food service award. She deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Baltic for real-world ballistic missile defense operations and leads with the same authenticity she developed at CMU.

A two-time study abroad participant, Lydia carries the CMU Chippewa character with her around the world.

Lydia earned a dual bachelor’s in international business and Spanish from CMU.

Congrats, Lydia! FIRE UP FOREVER!

Find out more about the 10 Within 10 recipients here: https://go.cmualum.com/10within10recognition

08/20/2026

🚨 Big news for a Central Michigan University alumnus! 🔥⬆

Congratulations to Steven McAndrews, MBA '13, for being named the new chief information officer of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The Central Michigan University Online and Central Michigan University - College of Business Administration graduate brings extensive experience in cybersecurity, technology and federal leadership to the role.

McAndrews, a military veteran, has served as deputy CIO at the National Nuclear Security Administration since 2022, with previous roles at the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Army. 🇺🇸

We're proud to see a CMU Chippewa taking on a leadership role that will help shape the future of technology and emergency management across the nation.

For more on McAndrews' appointment: https://go.cmualum.com/mcandrewscmu26

08/19/2026

We’re proud to honor Cristina Pizzimenti as a recipient of the 2026 10 Within 10 Recognition! 🔥⬆

After graduating from CMU, Cristina, '20, became the first in her immediate family to leave Michigan since her grandparents immigrated from Italy in the 1960s — relocating to Dallas, where she knew no one, to build a career at Gartner, a global research and advisory firm. In 2024, her first year as a manager, her team closed more than $2 million in business. She also closed a record-setting deal for the region. Now she recruits CMU graduates to join her and mentors current Delta Zeta members back on campus.

Cristina holds a Bachelor of Applied Arts in health administration from CMU.

Congrats, Cristina! FIRE UP FOREVER!

Find out more about the 10 Within 10 recipients here: https://go.cmualum.com/10within10recognition

08/18/2026

We’re proud to honor Dyese Matthews as a recipient of the 2026 10 Within 10 Recognition! 🔥⬆

Dyese, ’18, teaches fashion as a lens for justice. As an assistant professor at Parsons School of Design at The New School in New York, she brings scholarship, creativity and purpose to one of the world’s leading design institutions — and traces it all back to her time at CMU. She is the founder of Noire Narratives (), a digital oral history project preserving fashion stories across the African Diaspora. Her 2025 Richard Martin Exhibition Award from the Costume Society of America reflects the reach of her curatorial and scholarly work.

From resident assistant to CMU Black Fashion Future Exhibition participant to Parsons faculty, her path reflects all that a CMU Chippewa can become.

Congrats, Dyese! FIRE UP FOREVER!

Find out more about the 10 Within 10 recipients here: https://go.cmualum.com/10within10recognition