News from Hope College is published during April, August and December for alumni, friends and parents of Hope College by the Division of Public Affairs and Marketing.
Mary Klein ’64 Kansfield has written stories of three generations of RCA church women which are captured in a new book titled A Culture of Our Own: Three Generations of Midwestern Dutch Women.
Nelson Murphy ’68 came out of retirement for the fourth time last year and accepted a call to serve part-time as the pastor of Tinicum United Church of Christ in Pipersville, Pennsylvania, not far from where he and his wife, Sandie, now live in Yardley.
1970s
Robert VandenBerg ’71 and Sharon Brown ’71 VandenBerg→
Robert VandenBerg ’71 and his wife, Sharon Brown ’71 VandenBerg, have now retired. After practicing medicine for 40 years and living in the state of Washington, they have sold their home and retired to Arizona. He reports that the Lord has richly blessed them and allowed them to build a home in a beautiful retirement … Continue reading "Robert VandenBerg ’71 and Sharon Brown ’71 VandenBerg"
Chuck Brooks ’74 retired in 2020 from the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Washington, D.C. His duties included: U.S. Domestic Operations, Special Events Office, executive protection for Secretary of State, POTUS, FLOTUS and high-ranking U.S. military and foreign dignitaries, Turkish Embassy, Russian Embassy, DACHA Russian Compound, senior security liaison specialist for U.S. … Continue reading "Chuck Brooks ’74"
Michael Toscano ’75 reports that after more than 40 years, he retired from a career in the pharmaceutical industry as of December 2023. In February 2024, the Michigan Pharmacists Association honored him with its Executive Board Medal. This leadership award is the highest honor a non-pharmacist can receive and was presented at the association’s annual … Continue reading "Michael Toscano ’75"
May 16-18 “Milestone Weekend” a Chance to Enjoy Hope without Exams or Papers Talks by alumni and faculty on topics ranging from mountain climbing around the world to brain-regeneration research at Hope, campus tours and updates about the college, and opportunities to connect with other members of the Hope family will all be among the … Continue reading "Dr. Robert Motzer ’77"
Karen Siebenthal ’79 retired from Pfizer, Inc. after more than 30 years working in clinical development, specializing in the support of inspections of clinical trial data by regulatory agencies worldwide.
Diane Barr ’80 Brace relocated to Florida and reports that she stays busy singing in community women’s chorus and church choir and volunteering in many church ministries. She reports that she enjoys traveling, caring for her three dogs, gardening, reading, crafting and spending time with family.
Jennifer Heitman ’85 Gurney is now an internationally published poet. Jennifer has spent a career in public policy, advocacy and education. Fourteen months ago, she embarked on a journey to become a published poet for the first time – at the age of 59. Since November 2023, she has had nearly 700 poems accepted for … Continue reading "Jennifer Heitman ’85 Gurney"
Harry Coffill ’89 is a K-12 library-media specialist at Godfrey-Lee Public Schools and received the Ruby Brown Award for Individual Excellence from the Michigan Association of School Librarians (MASL). This award recognizes excellence in an individual who has helped promote and integrate the use of the school library in the curriculum and has encouraged local-level … Continue reading "Harry Coffill ’89"
Jeff Baxter ’94 has published two books, Jewish Insights: Modern and Ancient Beliefs To Grow Your Understanding of the Bible and Faith, and Exploring Israel: Helpful Insights For Studying The Land of The Bible.
Richard Blair ’94 was inducted into The National Academy of Inventors as a Fellow. This is an honor for academics with a strong record of invention and innovation. The Academy consists of members whose backgrounds include science, engineering and medicine.
Marc Montpetit ’97 and Charlene Tyke ’97 purchased Olives Restaurant in East Grand Rapids, Michigan, in October 2022. They enlisted the design services of well-known designer Jean Stoffer to elevate the restaurant to match the quality of the scratch-made food. The renovation and remodeling process was filmed for an episode of The Established Home on … Continue reading "Marc Montpetit ’97 and Charlene Tyke ’97"
May 16-18 “Milestone Weekend” a Chance to Enjoy Hope without Exams or Papers Talks by alumni and faculty on topics ranging from mountain climbing around the world to brain-regeneration research at Hope, campus tours and updates about the college, and opportunities to connect with other members of the Hope family will all be among the … Continue reading "Nontsikelelo Sisulu-Singpai ’97"
Kara Sporer ’98 Lardinois recently completed 20 years of service as a physical therapist at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. She is an assistant manager for an outpatient pediatric team in the Department of Rehabilitation Services.
Kari Vandrese ’98 Zamora was invited to perform at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in December as the director of the Faubion Middle School honors orchestra. The group was one of the two middle school orchestras chosen nationally. This is the second time that her orchestra has been invited.
Amanda O’Reilly ’00 Stricklen, RN, MSN who is the program manager for the Michigan Bariatric Surgical Collaborative and the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative, was selected as a 2024 Presidential Leadership Scholar. She is one of 60 leaders from across the country representing the military non-profit organizations, and public and private sectors invited to participate in … Continue reading "Amanda O’Reilly ’00 Stricklen"
Dana Lamers ’01 VanderLugt of Hudsonville, Michigan, participated in an on-stage conversation at Hope with emeritus English professor Jack Ridl on Thursday, Feb. 8, focused on her book Enemies in the Orchard: A World War 2 Novel in Verse. Geared toward middle-grade readers, the book recalls the use of German prisoners of war on farms … Continue reading "Dana Lamers ’01 VanderLugt"
Sarah Sanderson ’03 and Sean Doyle announce the birth of their daughter, Moira Lynn Doyle, on Sept. 7, 2023 in Holland, Michigan. They will return to Stockholm in January of 2024 to finish their second tour in the Foreign Service. In the fall of 2024, they head to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, for their … Continue reading "Sarah Sanderson ’03"
Christopher Avery ’05 was an author on the National Climate Assessment 2023 for the U.S. government along with 500 other authors. He included a podcast to aid the advancement of the work they are doing.
Rob Knecht ’05 and Adam Dickerson ’11 along with their wives, Kelly Vance ’05 Knecht and Megan Mejeur ’10 Dickerson, acquired all the assets and real estate of a logistics company in Jenison, Michigan, and are now operating Prins Trucking & Services. Prins Trucking & Services focuses primarily on refrigerated freight in the Midwest and … Continue reading "Rob Knecht ’05 and Kelly Vance ’05 Knecht"
Sarah Quesada ’06 received a Honorable Mention by the Modern Language Association for The African Heritage of Latinx and Caribbean Literature. She received her Ph.D. degree from Stanford and is on the faculty of Duke University.
Andrew Hickok ’08 and Ross Zoet were married on Oct. 20, 2023, in Detroit, Michigan. They are living in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and both work at Michigan Medicine.
Lauren Stacks ’08 Yamaoka has been appointed to the role of senior vice president of advancement at The Fuller Foundation, the fundraising arm for Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. She and her husband, Tom Yamaoka ’08, live in Rancho Mirage, California, with their 2-year-old son Ralph.
Tim Carter ’09 was promoted to associate partner at the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company in July 2023. He provides strategic advice for governments and corporations looking to improve their efficiency and effectiveness.
Andi Springett ’10 welcomed baby boy Josiah Kit Orion via adoption on Oct. 3, 2023. Andi is currently working as a professional development educator and RN on the Boven Birth Center at Holland Hospital, and more recently became an adjunct professor in GVSU’s healthcare simulation center.
Teresa Borst ’10 VanDerSchaaf of Byron Center, Michigan, is the head varsity volleyball coach at South Christian High School.
Adam Dickerson ’11 and Megan Mejeur ’10 Dickerson→
Rob Knecht ’05 and Adam Dickerson ’11 along with their wives, Kelly Vance ’05 Knecht and Megan Mejeur ’10 Dickerson, acquired all the assets and real estate of a logistics company in Jenison, Michigan, and are now operating Prins Trucking & Services. Prins Trucking & Services focuses primarily on refrigerated freight in the Midwest and … Continue reading "Adam Dickerson ’11 and Megan Mejeur ’10 Dickerson"
Seth Velderman ’11 of Midland, Michigan, is the director of programming for Guiding Light, a local nonprofit committed to helping individuals recover from addiction.
Peter Aune ’13 received a master’s in physician assistant studies degree from Louisiana State University Health Science Center – New Orleans. He is employed with Ochsner Baptist Hospital in the orthopedic upper extremity clinic in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Eric Cox ’13 finished his surgical residency at Beaumont Health in Detroit, Michigan. He passed the ABOTO written boards in the specialty of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery, and is now practicing at University of Michigan Health-West.
Connor Brady ’15 runs Wildline Media Productions and released his first short documentary, Take Me to Ski Venture, which documents the history and charm of an 85-year old community-owned ski hill in Upstate New York.
Katharyn Jones ’15 Haas joined Pande Lecture Management as a lecture agent after six years as a public librarian. She coordinates events and speaking engagements for groundbreaking authors. In this new role, she also assists Ayesha Pande Literary with record keeping for the James Baldwin Estate.
Jennifer Pollack ’15 received a Master of Arts degree in counseling with a concentration in marriage and family therapy from St. Edward’s University. She is a clinical therapist at Autonomy Therapy in Austin, Texas.
Osiris Brink ’16 Morel was appointed to the Hispanic Lobbyists Association Board of Directors. She is a policy analyst in Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck’s Government Relations Department.
Robert Henry ’17 is a visiting assistant professor of psychology in the Hope College psychology department. He joined in June 2023, and in December he accepted a tenure track position at Hope as well.
Gabrielle Barber ’19 received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School in May 2023. She is an assistant defender for the state appellate defender office in Detroit.
Alana Saarinen ’22 is a reptile and amphibian zookeeper at the Detroit Zoo, specializing in amphibian conservation and reintroduction efforts for endangered species.
