During December Commencement Ceremonies, Blaine A. Koops will be honored as a distinguished alumnus and Jerry Johnson as an outstanding educator.
Blaine A. Koops has more than 33 years of law enforcement and public service experience. He was elected Allegan County Sheriff in 2001 and is currently serving his second term in office. As sheriff, Koops has designed and implemented a number of broad-based community policing and corrections programs which have garnered national acclaim for the Allegan County Sheriff's Office.
Koops, who earned a bachelor of science in criminal justice from Grand Valley State University in 1976, retired as captain of the Holland Police Department in 2000 after 26 years of distinguished service. During his tenure, he was named Holland Police Department Police Officer of the Year.
Koops earned a master of public administration degree from Western Michigan University in 1986, and is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy and Executive Leadership Development Program.
Jerry L. Johnson, associate professor of social work in the College of Community and Public Service, has been a member of the Grand Valley State University faculty since 1993. He spent more than 15 years in professional practice prior to his career in academia, and has extensive international experience providing social work and establishing community-based programs in countries including Belarus, Armenia, Albania, and China.
His students commend him for encouraging them to be critical thinkers who strive to make a difference, and for reinforcing the importance of treating clients as equals despite their challenges, race, or cultural backgrounds. Students say his enthusiasm, realistic approach, and use of personal examples brought their subject material to life.
Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in counseling psychology from Columbia Pacific University, a master’s degree in social work from Grand Valley, and a doctorate in sociology from Western Michigan University. Johnson was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to teach at the University of Tirana in Albania for the 1998-99 and 2000-01 academic years, and a Civic Education Project-Teaching Award in 1998-99. He is a certified social worker with the State of Michigan and won Grand Valley’s Pew Excellence in Teaching Award in 2003.
