Celebrating Women in Sport and Physical Activity - Profiles
Catherine Jones-Rikkers, '85 and '97 - 2017 Honoree
Catherine Jones-Rikkers, '85 and '97
Associate Professor
of Management
Learn about and register for the annual event: Celebrating Women in Sport and Physical Activity.
Catherine Jones-Rikkers grew up in Allendale and on campus as her parents were Grand Valley faculty members.
When it was time for her to enroll in college, Jones-Rikkers headed west to Hope College, then north to transfer to Northern Michigan University. Then, she said, "I came home to Grand Valley."
Jones-Rikkers was a softball pitcher for the Lakers under coach Pat Baker. It was a homecoming, she said. Her mother, Constance, taught English education and her father, Curt, sociology.
Jones-Rikkers graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science and philosophy. When she turned her attention to applying to law schools, Jones-Rikkers said continuing to play varsity softball was too much to manage, so she left the team.
"I knew my grades mattered to get into a good law school," she said. "But the time management skills and leadership skills I learned while on the softball team have helped me throughout my career."
After graduating from Grand Valley, Jones-Rikkers went to the University of Notre Dame Law School. She drew her career inspiration from a classic movie.
"It sounds trite, but the old Gregory Peck movie, 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' really made an impression on me," she said. "I saw myself advocating for justice."
After earning a law degree, Jones-Rikkers went into private practice then worked in legal services for General Motors. The experience of teaching a few classes for a local high school while at Notre Dame led her to make a call to one of her Grand Valley professors to inquire about faculty positions.
"I enjoyed teaching and wanted to make an impact on students if there was an opening at Grand Valley," she said.
Jones-Rikkers joined Grand Valley's Management Department, in the Seidman College of Business, in 1994, first as an adjunct instructor. She also earned a master's of business administration degree from Grand Valley in 1997.
She is also a member of the Intercollegiate Athletics Advisory Board and active in Grand Valley's Alumni Association. Her two sons are involved year-round in sports, which keeps their family busy, she said.
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