Career News
1970s
Richard G. Olthof, B.S., 1971, has retired as an elementary school teacher after 40 years in the Forest Hills Northern School District.
Bruce R. Palma, B.S., 1971, has retired from the Michigan Department of Community Health, Bureau of Laboratories after 37 years.
Roger A. Haskins, B.S., 1973, has been elected to the advisory board of Potash America, Inc.
Michael S. Ammann, B.B.A., 1974, M.B.A., 1978, is president and CEO of San Joaquin Partnership in Stockton, California.
Richard F. Rusch, B.Phil., 1974, is retired from Fitzharris High School and Delta-Schoolcraft ISD after 30 years of teaching.
Robert R. Evancho, B.S., 1975, recently published his fourth book, Busted Bronco: From Addiction to Redemption, which he co-authored with former Boise State football All-American and college coach Joe O'Brien.
Thomas M. Herington, B.A., 1975, is a realty specialist for the U.S. Department of State.
Jeffrey D. Spruit, B.S., 1975, is senior district geologist for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
Taalib A. El Amin, B.B.A., 1976, has been nominated to the Michigan Black Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
Fred L. Priest, Jr., B.S., 1977, is the athletic director at Apopka High School in Apopka, Florida.
John E. Martin, B.A., 1979, is director of Loutit District Library in Grand Haven.
Timothy J. Pieri, B.A., 1979, has opened The Well Being LLC, an outpatient therapy service in Grand Rapids.
Barbara J. (Aleszka) Konwinski, B.A., 1970, retired after 40 years of teaching for Diocese of Grand Rapids Catholic Schools.
James F. Dunn, B.Phil., 1974, published his fifth book, The Apprentice, in May.
James R. Spaanstra, B.S., 1974 was elected chairman of the board of trustees of the Colorado School of Mines.
Joseph R. Szmadzinski, B.S., 1975, is chief strategy officer with Secure-27, Inc.
Margaret M. Willey, B.A., 1975, received the 2011 Gwen Frostic Award from the Michigan Reading Association. Margaret, a Distinguished Alumnae, has been writing books for children for the past 30 years.
Jeffrey W. Kik, B.S., 1976, is a board certified hearing instrument specialist with H.E.A.R.
William L. Stage, Jr., B. Phil., 1976, has published his eighth book, The Painted Ad: A Postcard Book of Vintage Brick Wall Signs
Cathleen A. Luck, B.B.A., 1977, accepted a controller position for Aquinas College.
William M. Kaluske Sr., B.S., 1978, is director of client development at Amicus Management Inc.
Richard J. Truskoski, Jr., B.S., 1978, has retired as a science teacher after 31 years at Grand Rapids Catholic Central High School.
Stuart D. Peet, B.S., 1979, is a 2010 graduate of Nutrition and Pain College V.A. in Battle Creek, Michigan.
1980s
David G. Britten, B.S., 1980, is superintendent of schools for Godfrey-Lee Public Schools.
Thomas P. Lomonaco, B.B.A, 1981, M.B.A., 1988, has been promoted to market executive with Bank of America, where he has worked for 10 years.
W. Dean La Douceur, B.S., 1983, is the executive director of the Southfield Michigan Chamber of Commerce.
Daniel L. Carter, M.S.T, 1984, is a CPA at Hungerford, Aldrin, Nichols & Carter and appeared in the Grand Rapids Business Journal.
Kimberly J. (Chulski) Sapkowski, B.S., 1986, is the administrative assistant to the Dean of Kendall College.
Carol B. (Kissel) Mills, B.B.A., 1988, M.B.A., 1993, has been appointed to the board of education of the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District.
Eric J. Gillman, B.S., 1989, is chief of police for Redford Township.
Donald W. Schrumpf, M.P.A., 1989, has retired as chief of police for Muskegon Township Police Department after twenty seven years of service.
Laurie E. Westphal, B.A., 1989, has had six books published this past year.
Eriko Machi, B.S., 1980, is president of SIETAR in Japan.
Christine M. (Hope) Hamilton, B.S., 1981, is a physician at the Community Health Center of Branch County’s Family Medicine Clinic.
Hubert W. Massey, B.S., 1983, is a recipient of the 2011 Kresge Artist Fellowship.
Paul J. Brake, B.S., 1985, is city manager of Grand Blanc.
Reverend Karl K. Whiteman, B.S., 1986, has been elected to the board of directors for United Church of Christ.
Jeffery A. Dood, B.B.A., 1989, is the finance director and treasurer at the City of East Grand Rapids.
Todd E. Walter, B.S., 1989, M.S.W., 1993, is an administrator at Sanctuary at Woodland Senior Living Community in Brighton.
1990s
Jerry L. Hendrick, M.S.W., 1991, published a book, I Love You (But You Should Have Won!) A Guidebook for Parents of Children Who Play Sports.
Laura L. Leazenby, B.S., 1991, is a farm attendant for the University of Arizona at the Maricopa Agricultural Center.
Tracey P. Tyler, M.Ed., 1991, is a jewelry evaluator for Be Iced.
Christina L. (Harris) Hildreth, B.B.A., 1992, M.B.A., 2007, is a manager of Metro Health PHO (Physician Hospital Organization).
Wendy B. Schweifler, B.S., 1992, is CEO of BOD-E-NOMICS, LLC in Buchanan, New York.
David Werth, B.S., 1992, is an instructor at the Michigan Career and Technical Institute.
Alan A. Kimber, B.A., 1993, is a financial analyst for Ford Motor Credit Company.
Michael J. McClain, B.S., 1993, M.S., 1997, M.P.A., 2000, is a senior associate at Eveia Consulting.
Susan M. Ameel, B.B.A., 1994, is a counsel in the investment management group for Seward & Kissel LLP.
Jenny A. (McFadyen) Mutchler, B.A., 1994, M.S.A., 2003, is business manager for Holton Public Schools.
Elain M. Richardson, B.N., 1994, is the administrative director of nursing at St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Gregory J. Barnes, B.S., 1995, is principal of Jordan Middle School in Palo Alto, California.
Bryan J. DeAugustine, B.A., 1995, is principal for kindergarten through eighth grade at Aspen Ridge School in Ishpeming.
Joseph M. Chiaramonte, B.S., 1997, is the director of sports medicine at The Center for Physical Rehabilitation in Grand Rapids.
Sarah A. (Haddouche) Oomen, B.S., 1997, is a loyalty marketing specialist for Spartan Stores.
Matthew D. Rochinski, B.A., 1997, is the interactive media director for the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats.
Kristine H. Brailey, B.A., 1990, is the judge for the 18th annual Juried Art Exhibition in Chigago.
Darrel E. King, B.S., 1990, is senior associate director of the Multicultural Business Programs at Michigan State University. He has served the program for almost thirteen years.
Michael R. DeVries, M.B.A., 1991, is general partner for EDF Ventures.
Jaime L. Jewell, B.S., 1991, is vice president of sales and marketing with The Homestead.
William J. Smith, B.S., 1991, is assistant superintendent of Kent Intermediate School District.
Steven F. Stapleton, B.A., 1991, is a shareholder and director of law with Law Weathers. He serves as chair of the public sector practice group with the Law Weather’s Executive Committee.
Steven P. Rand, B.S., 1992, is Jackson County Sheriff.
Frank M. Buscemi, B.S., 1993, is the director of marketing and communications at TI Automotive.
Tina M. Zawacki, B.S., 1993, has been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She was recently awarded two NIH grants to support her research program.
Leroy Hernandez, B.S., 1994, is the director of the Hispanic American Council of Kalamazoo.
Carol (Ballard) Jones, B.N., 1994, has been awarded 2011 Nurse Exemplar from Metro Health.
John H. Bultema III, B.B.A., 1995, is president of Fifth Third Bank of West Michigan and will now lead the entire business banking division for all of Fifth Third.
James P. Monterusso, M.B.A., 1995, is general manager of Veolia Energy.
Heath T. Kaplan, B.A., 1996, M.P.A., 2004, is director of finance and management services for Muskegon County.
Mark A. Howe, B.S., 1997, is the city manager of Ionia County.
Stacey J. Bierling, B.F.A., 1999, is owner and designer for Stacey Bierling Design.
Ryan M. Henige, B.S., 1999, is vice president in the Analytics Attribution Team of BlackRock.
Christine A. (Grohowski) Nicometo, B.A., 1999, is associate faculty associate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
2000s
Domingo C. Quintanilla, B.A., 2000, is a Movie Phone voice over Artist with NCG Cinemas.
Jessica H. (Vandermeer) Scudder, B.B.A., 2001, is the district manager – independent agencies operations for Foremost Insurance. Jessica was a senior sales representative with Principal Financial Group for the past seven years.
Wendy E. Withrow, B.F.A., 2001, opened Windy Weather Bindery in Grand Rapids in 2008.
Amanda M. (Weis) Beaver, B.A., 2002, works at Barnes & Noble at Indiana University- Purdue University Indianapolis and Ivy Tech Community College.
Patrick M. Bailey, M.S., 2003, has been an assistant professor of computer science and information systems at Calvin College since 2006.
Benjamin J. Jewell, B.S., 2003, has been awarded a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. He currently teaches at Hudsonville’s Bauer Elementary School.
Joy A. Milano, M.Ed., 2003, is the registrar and director of assessment at Kuyper College where she previously was an assistant professor of writing and communications.
Phillip B. Slot, B.B.A., 2003, is associate at Kreis, Enderle, Hudgins & Borsos P.C. in the firm’s Battle Creek office.
Nicole J. Gorton, B.S., 2004, is a finalist of the 2011 Kohl McCormick Early Childhood Teaching Awards. She is a teacher at Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez in Chicago, Illinois.
Chad N. Mockerman, B.S., 2005, is the director of operational excellence and climate solutions with Ingersoll Rand.
Ben L. O’Connor, B.S., 2005, has started O’Connor’s Home Brew Supply.
Christine L. Brown, B.B.A., 2006, is social media manager with Infor.
Jason M. DeBoer, B.B.A., 2006, is marketing manager with Daymon Worldwide.
Douglas W. La Fave, M.P.A., 2006, is the recipient of the City/Village Manager of the Year award given by the Michigan Rural Water Association.
Amanda M. Lechenet, B.B.A., 2006, is value based procurement diverter with delHaize America.
Christianne C. Sainz, B.S., 2006, is a member of the Stand Up 8 circus troupe.
Huynh Tran, B.S., 2006, is a resident physician at Bassett-Columbia Medical Center.
Tina L. Chartier, B.A., 2007, is varying exceptionalities teacher with Cleveland Elementary.
Bennie S. Covington, B.S., 2007, is certified stress strategist with Rope Training Inc.
Nicole L. (Morris) Dahl, B.N., 2007, is RN circulator at MidMichigan Medical Center.
Jennifer L. Geerlings, B.A., 2008, has been accepted into the Peace Corps and will be a secondary English education Peace Corps volunteer following the completion of her pre-service training in July.
Bradley J. Gibbons, B.S., 2008, is coordinator of franchise communications with Victory Lane Quick Oil Change.
Joshua D. Lewis, B.S., 2008, is a co-host on Spike TV’s Game Show “Repo Games.”
Jeffrey A. Novosad, M.S.A., 2008, is a senior financial and operational auditor for Meijer, a company he has been with since 2008.
Brittany J. Rademaker, B.B.A., 2008, is a sales agent for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
Douglas A. Fischer, M.B.A., 2009, is a new project manager with Egemin Automation, Inc.
Maxine Y. Gray, M.S., 2009, is a talent recruiter association with Herman Miller.
Brent A. Wallenburg, B.S., 2009, opened 1 Plus 1 Pediatric Physical Therapy, a pediatric physical therapy clinic in Zeeland with his wife.
Kimberly A. Hughes, B.S., 2010, is patient access representative for Saint Mary’s Health Care.
Chelsey L. (Strumberger) Koster, B.A., 2010, is employee benefits specialist with Advantage Benefits Group.
Ivy R. Kowalski, B.S., 2010, is volunteer and reverse job shadow coordinator for Junior Achievement of the Michigan Great Lakes.
Amanda C. Mendez, B.A., 2010, is a special education teacher with Muskegon Public Schools.
Olivia Wofford, B.A., 2010 joined Tata Technologies in Novi, MI as a marketing specialist.
Jamie P. (Schoff) Bash, B.A., 2001, is the Latin America and Caribbean team coordinator for Medical Teams International.
Samantha L. (Cohen) Thelen, B.S., 2001, is the administrator for Grand Haven Living Center.
Thomas R. Thelen, B.S., 2001, is a teacher at Charlotte Middle School.
Rebecca R. (Bocklund) Duke, B.S., 2002, is the marketing director for Century Bank in Sturgis.
Jennifer L. Spindler, B.S., 2002, is an athletic trainer and physician extender at Porretta Center for Orthopedic Surgery in Southfield.
Dreyton C. Hardy, B.B.A., 2001, M.B.A., 2004, is the materials and operations manager at Primera Plastics in Zeeland.
Milinda (Ysasi) Castanon, B.B.A., 2003, is a people services consultant at Herman Miller.
Jennifer K. (MacLean) Cunningham, B.A. 2003, is the public relations and marketing coordinator at Applied Technical Systems.
Nicholas J. Kraska, B.B.A., 2003, is senior HRIS analyst at Spectrum Health Care.
Julie L. (Antclipp) Bennink, B.A., 2004, is group manager at Weber Shandwick.
Tamara A. (McPherson) Hairston, B.S., 2005, is owner of Tammy’s Tasty Coffee.
Katherine R. (Bradford) Herrick, B.B.A., 2005, is a production manager at Full Circle.
Jessica L. Kuipers, B.S., 2005, is a partner at Rodenhouse Kuipers P.C.
Barbara Nan Schichtel, M.P.A., 2005, is a CJCLS chair at Grand Rapids Community College.
Adam R. Stevenson, B.B.A., 2005, is a CPA in the audit department for Plante & Moran.
Cassidy (VanWoert) Denhof, B.S., 2006, is a community representative for the American Cancer Society.
Tilaine A. (Bell) Good, M.E., 2006, is the assistant director of outreach and events at Iowa State University.
Leo T. Hendges, B.A., 2006, opened the Law Office of Leo Hendges, PLLC.
Anne L. Minshall, B.B.A., 2006, is a project manager at Bronson Healthcare Group.
Bryan R. Newell, B.B.A., 2006, is a business banker at Fifth Third Bank.
Emily E. (Blamer) Pittman, B.S., 2006, is a chemistry teacher at Dixon High School in Illinois.
Julius Suchy, B.S., 2006, M.P.A., 2008, is village manager of Dundee, Michigan.
Sarah C. (Begeny) Bigorowski, B.S., 2007, is the manager of continuing education and events at The Georgia Pharmacy Association.
Davis W. Kroondyk, B.B.A., 2007, is a tax associate at BDO USA, LLP.
Jeffrey P. Mutch, B.S., 2007, is the coordinator of the Community Service Learning Center at Grand Valley State University.
Rachel E. Partain, B.S., 2007, is a senior social media marketing analyst at Aqaba Technologies in Troy.
Thomas C. Wood, B.N., 2007, is the trauma program manager at MidMichigan Health in Midland.
Raquel A. DeLeon, B.S., 2008, M.P.A., 2011, is eMarketing and events manager at Heart of West Michigan United Way.
Timothy J. Rice, B.S., 2008, is the development coordinator and assistant director of the Spartan Foundation at San Jose State Athletics.
Debra T. Weber, B.A, 2008, is a seventh and eighth grade social studies teacher at Forest Area Community Schools in Fife Lake.
Travis M. Cree, B.S., 2009, M.S., 2011, is a biometrician for Pfizer.
Kaleigh A. Jaeger, B.S., 2009, is a fund development specialist at Ingham Regional Healthcare Foundation.
Robert T. Slider, B.S., 2009, has been selected for the 2011 W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Woodrow Wilson Michigan Teaching Fellowship.
Lisa Kent, B.S., 2010, is a medical claims representative for Farmers Insurance.
Nicholas M. Lawrence, B.S., 2010, is owner of Hyzers, a disc golf store in Standale.
Adam G. Merrill, B.S., 2010, is a recruiter at Deloitte Consulting.
Jordan L. Notenbaum, B.B.A., 2010, is a partner of Genius Phone Repair.
Mary S. Pritchard, B.A., 2010, is the associate director of annual giving at Northern Illinois University.
Garry J. VonMyhr, B.B.A., 2010, is a partner of Genius Phone Repair.
Kimberly K. Baughman, B.S., 2011, is working in the corporate communications department of Plastomer Corporation.
Justin T. Vice, B.S., 2011, has graduated from Navy Officer Development School and received the Navy Dental Health Professions Scholarship.
Caitlin N. Zinnecker, M.H.A., 2011, is in the operations department of Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial.
