MARYVILLE, Mo. – An assistant professor of geography at Northwest Missouri State University has been appointed to a state board.

Dr. Brett Chloupek, assistant professor of geography at Northwest Missouri State University, has been appointed by Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander to the Missouri Board on Geographic Names (MOBGN).

MOBGN is responsible for coordinating place-naming activity involving local, state and federal agencies. In so doing, the board oversees the naming and renaming of geographic features within the state of Missouri. It provides uniformity in geographic nomenclature throughout the state and retains the expressed historic and cultural significance of such names associated with Missouri’s geography.

Chloupek joined the Northwest faculty in 2013 and teaches coursework focused on the geography of Europe, Asia and Latin America as well as map investigation and political geography. He owns a bachelor’s degree in geography and computer information systems from the University of Nebraska-Kearney, a master’s degree in geography and a certificate in geographic information system from Oklahoma State University, and his Ph.D. in geography from the University of Kansas.