Anthem Executive Assists Northwest Missouri State University with Provost Search
February 3, 2026 – Anthem Executive has assisted in the recruitment of Rose Marie Ward as the new provost and vice president for academic affairs of Northwest Missouri State University. Michael Ballew, Scott Watson, Mike “JR” Wheless, and Florene Stawowy led the search. “We are delighted to welcome Rose Marie to the Northwest team,” said Lance Tatum, president. “Her depth of experience and professional background will be a tremendous asset to our institution.”
Dr. Ward comes to Northwest after serving most recently as special assistant to the provost and a professor of psychology at the University of Cincinnati, which she joined in 2022. She also served there as vice provost of graduate education and dean of the graduate college.
Prior to that, Dr. Ward served Miami University in Ohio in several administrative roles that included associate dean of graduate studies; director of the center for teaching excellence; grant writing for the college of education, health and society; and graduate director of the department of kinesiology, nutrition and health. Starting in 2002, she served in faculty roles at Miami University in its departments of psychology; kinesiology, nutrition and health; statistics; and educational leadership. Additionally, she has worked in statistical consulting and research positions for universities and other organizations throughout the northeast.
The provost is the university’s chief academic officer and has oversight of areas focusing on enrollment management, academic quality and student success. The position leads Northwest’s continuous improvement of undergraduate and graduate instruction, academic support services, technology integration that drives learning and the evaluation of academic programs. The provost also serves as the dean of faculty and administrative liaison to the faculty senate, among other responsibilities.
“I am thrilled to join Northwest and to come alongside the amazing Bearcat family,” Dr. Ward said. “As an academic leader, I have championed a student-centered focus while harnessing academic excellence for the public good. Together, we can amplify and celebrate the transformational power of the educational experience at Northwest.”
With an enrollment of about 8,500 students, Northwest is a coeducational, primarily residential four-year university that offers a broad range of undergraduate and selected graduate programs on its Maryville campus and through Northwest Online. Founded in 1905 and ranked by U.S. News and World Report among the top public regional universities in the Midwest, Northwest boasts a high retention rate and a graduation rate in the 95th percentile among its peers.
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Anthem Executive, headquartered in Houston, TX, serves clients across a range of business sectors, including higher education, health sciences, corporate and non-profit institutions, global software and technology, private equity, insurance, service and manufacturing, oil and gas, and others. Its consultants bring a combined 80 years’ experience in the search industry. The firm’s higher education practice spans the entire leadership spectrum. In other sectors, Anthem Executive covers all roles from CEO and other C-suite leaders, board directors, vice president, and directors, among others.
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Mr. Ballew, a registered Native American and member of the Echota Cherokee Tribe, serves as the firm’s chief diversity, inclusion, equity, and compliance officer, as well as search committee facilitator. He joined the executive search industry 14 years ago following a 20-plus year career in senior-level management with expertise in recruiting, counseling, training, operations, strategic planning, facilitation, project management, and workplace diversity.
Mr. Watson has been in the executive search industry for over 30 years. In addition to higher education institutions, he has served hospital/health systems, global software and technology companies, private equity enterprises, MCOs, insurance companies, service and manufacturing organizations with global footprints, and others.
Mr. Wheless, a veteran of more than two decades in the search industry, has served a broad portfolio of clients across many industry lines on behalf of organizations ranging from small operations to Fortune $100 billion plus enterprises – including working with and recruiting some of the nation’s most influential leadership. Mr. Wheless has served institutions and organizations across a broad range of geographies and sectors in higher education, technology, healthcare, energy, financial services, law, insurance, hospitality and food services, retail, CPG, EPC, manufacturing, aerospace, mining, construction, and real estate.
Ms. Stawowy, who has been in executive search for over 20 years, is a core member of the higher education and academic health practice. Over the last two decades, she has developed deep expertise in senior‐level search, having been charged with numerous executive leadership transitions with a particular emphasis on higher education and academic health search.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
