Age
61
Occupation / Current Position
E
As a lifelong member of this community, I have dedicated 35 years to driving excellence in public education, currently serving as Executive Director of HR for Kentwood Public Schools. The hallmark of my executive leadership is bridging K–12 systems with higher education by building Grow Your Own teacher pipelines in partnership with Grand Valley State, Davenport, Western Michigan, and Michigan State Universities.
This work earned recognition through the 2024 Phyllis Scott Activist Giants Award and as MASPA HR Professional of the Year. I hold a Master’s in Educational Leadership GVSU and a Bachelor’s in Management (Cornerstone University), giving me a wealth of experiences I am eager to share in this Trustee role.
Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) excels as a premier institution, yet faces key challenges: maintaining enrollment momentum, adapting workforce credentials to regional shifts, and closing student retention gaps.
As a strategic leader with 35 years in education—including senior executive roles, board service, and HR leadership—this experience helps address GRCC's strategic priorities.
K–12 & Higher Ed Strategy: Leveraging public school leadership to optimize dual-enrollment pathways, Promise Zone initiatives, and university pipeline partnerships.
Systems & Talent Alignment: Applying proven experience in organizational development, research-based protocols, and equity to strengthen culture and student success.
Effective leadership starts with listening first to understand GRCC’s trajectory and building collaboratively on its strong foundation.
Age
52
Occupation / Current Position
Lifelong Public Educator
Education
Doctorate Degree - First Generation College Graduate
I have lived on both sides of the community college mission. I currently take classes at GRCC, and I'm a first generation graduate with a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Eastern Michigan University. My career has spanned nearly every space GRCC serves, from counseling and teaching to administration and college instruction, all the way to the boardroom.
In 2020, Kent County elected me to the GRCC Board with more votes than any other candidate. Since then, I have chaired the Board through a nearly two year search that listened to students, faculty, staff, and community, bringing Dr. Rogalski in as GRCC's twelfth president.
That mix of experience, investment in community, and proven leadership is what I bring.
GRCC is underfunded compared to other Michigan community colleges. The state gives GRCC about $2,673 per student, well below the state median of $4,136. That gap means fewer programs and fewer scholarships for our students.
Some of our best access tools are only funded temporarily. Michigan Reconnect's expansion to adults 21 to 24 is real progress, but families deserve programs they can count on, not ones that might disappear.
Michigan's dual enrollment funding rules can also work against local districts that let students earn college credit early, discouraging exactly the head start our students should have.
These are real problems, but they are solvable, and I intend to keep working on them.
My goal is to keep GRCC a relevant, high quality, and accessible place to learn and work for everyone in our community.
To get there, I will keep advocating for fair, permanent funding for GRCC, working alongside fellow trustees, advocates, and state legislators. I will also keep listening to GRCC stakeholders and integrating their feedback into my work.
This is some of the work I have done for six years, and I am asking Kent County for the chance to keep doing it, alongside you.
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