Three alumni of Northwestern Michigan College are the 2015 recipients of its Outstanding Alumni award, recognized for professional achievement and community and professional leadership. They are:

Sally Rogers, class of 1981 – Took her first NMC class at 15 and found her passion in the visual arts; earned her associate's degree and then went on to earn both bachelor's and master's degrees in art. Her career took her to North Carolina, where she built a studio and still lives and works today, focusing on large-scale sculptures of steel, glass, stone and wood. Her sculpture "Nexus" can be found on NMC's main campus near the Health and Science building. She is also the daughter of the late Joe Rogers, a former instructor and namesake of the Joseph H. Rogers Observatory.

Gary Seabrook, class of 1972 – After NMC, Seabrook attended the University of Michigan and Wayne State University Medical School; he is chief of the department of vascular surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. In his mother's memory, he has created a scholarship for business students at NMC.

Al Zelinski, class of 1983 – A part of the commercial lending team at Honor Bank, Zelinski has served on NMC Foundation Board's Scholarship Open committee since 2005. He chaired the event, the college's largest single-day fundraiser, for two years and more than doubled its net profit. He joined the Foundation Board in 2014.