Alumni Notes

This page is updated four times annually. It was last updated Jan. 14, 2024.

• Charles Williams ’51 had a memorable 2024: celebrating 70 years of marriage with his wife, his 95th birthday and the graduation of his granddaughter Claire Williams ’24 (daughter of Michaleen ’85 and Keith Williams ’84) from Alma College. Charles keeps busy taking care of his home in Skaneateles, New York, and his cottage in Owasco Lake, New York, as well as volunteering through the Rotary Club and serving as a go-to handyman for his church’s mission.
• Brian Hampton ’65 published his first book at the age of 81: “It’s a Great Life If You Don’t Weaken: How to Deal with the Ups and Downs in Life and the Jerks In-Between,” through Morgan James Publishing.
• Richard Douglass ’68 briefed the Michigan State Advisory Council on new research on the lack of non-emergency medical transportation for rural elders in Iosco County in August 2024.
• Craig Wesley ’72 is volunteering as an interpretive guide for Rails and Trails, a collaborative effort between the National Park Service and Amtrak. He represented the National Park Service throughout the summer on trains running between Seattle and Portland.
• Jay R. Drick ’73 has been elected chairman of the Livingston County (Mich.) Board of Commissioners for the 2024-25 year.
• W. Robert Schultz III ’77 was one of 22 inductees in the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame this past August. Schultz works as a campaign organizer for the Active Transportation Alliance, whose mission is to advocate for walking, bicycling and public transit to create healthy, sustainable and equitable communities. He has been a leader in activist efforts in Illinois ranging from the successful effort to repeal the death penalty to marriage equality.
• The first book by Michael Altman ’80, “Referrals: Go Big or Go Home,” was published in 2023 and ranked No. 1 on an Amazon bestseller list. Altman’s next work, “Docs on the Run,” will be a book and screenplay based on the real-life stories of the Flying Doctors of America.
• Dave Kakenmaster ’80 has lived in Colorado for 35 years with wife Trish. They have two children, including a daughter who lives in Maryland with her spouse and two lovely daughters, and a son who lives in South Bend, Indiana, and is finishing up a Ph.D. at the University of Notre Dame.
• Rebecca (Banks) Moulton ’82 has been a Spanish teacher at Northwest High School in Jackson, Mich., for 28 years. She presents sessions related to language teaching and also serves as a teacher coach at summer language conferences. She and Dede (Frey) Rush ’01 enjoy being colleagues and recommending Alma to their students.
• The International Housewares Association has named Bill McHenry ’83 to its board of directors. He will serve on the board for two 3-year terms. McHenry is the founder and CEO of Widgeteer, Inc.
• Paul Ganus ’83 was featured in the Netflix film “Atlas,” which premiered in May. In “Atlas,” Ganus stars alongside superstar singer/actress Jennifer Lopez as a counterterrorism analyst, working to capture a rogue robot as it spirals out of control.
• On Nov. 15, 2023, the Michigan Supreme Court appointed Deborah L. (Myers) McNabb ’84 as the 17th Circuit Court’s (Kent County) chief judge. The other 13 judges of the 17th Circuit unanimously recommended her for the position. Her term as chief judge began on Jan. 1, 2024. McNabb was first elected in 2016. Before being elected, she was a referee with the 17th Circuit Court for 25 years. McNabb is also the presiding judge of the court’s Family Division, a position she has held since 2019. She also presides over Kent County’s Juvenile Treatment and Support Court for justice-involved juveniles with significant behavioral health diagnoses, a program she created in 2020.
• Andrea Short ’84 was promoted to president of the 1st Source Bank corporation in May. Prior to this promotion, she served as Executive Vice President of the corporation and will continue to serve as President and CEO of 1st Source Bank. She will also remain a member of the Board of Directors of both 1st Source Corporation and 1st Source Bank.
• The Rev. Nick Berlanga ’85 was named pastor of the Goodrich (Mich.) United Methodist Church in October.
• Theresa Dean-Rumsey ’86 has been honored with an Excellence in Education award, designed to recognize outstanding public-school educators from around the state, from the Michigan Lottery. Dean-Rumsey is an English teacher at Hesperia (Mich.) High School.
• Jill (Charron) Lewis ’87 has been the executive director of the nonprofit Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy (SMLC) for more than 16 years. In February, the SMLC was awarded national accreditation — a distinction that fewer than half of land trusts in the United States have achieved.
• Kerry W. Meyer ’87 was elected to serve a two-year term as chief judge of Minnesota’s 4th Judicial District. Meyer has served the 4th District since her appointment in August 2006. She has presided over all levels of criminal cases and served as the criminal presiding judge from 2017‐ 20. She has also spent multiple years in the juvenile and civil divisions, and more than three years in treatment courts.
• BA Short ’90 completed directing and editing the film “We are the Most Beautiful People: Adults with Disabilities” in 2023. The film is currently being shown in film festivals around the globe. BA also co-founded Crow & Moon Productions, a small, social-justice minded production company providing marginalized folks the opportunity to amplify their stories and experiences.
• Melissa Weber Kelley ’91 received the Career Innovator Award — a juried global award given every seven years from Career Directors International — for her work onboarding clients and writing the first draft of their resumes. The irony in this, she points out, is that her new process compensates for long-COVID-related cognitive decline.
• Brad Guigar ’91 won the Ringo Award for Best Humor Webcomic. For the second year in a row, the National Cartoonists Society nominated Guigar for a Silver Reuben Award in the Best Longform Online Comic category.
• In March, Jennifer Smith Deegan ’94 was appointed by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to the 31st Circuit Probate Court for St. Clair County. Smith Deegan is the senior assistant prosecuting attorney in the St. Clair County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
• Andrea (Campbell) Tuttle ’95 in December was named superintendent of the Grosse Pointe (Mich.) Public School System. She had served as superintendent and human resources director for Owosso (Mich.) Public Schools since 2010.
• Erin Emery-Tiburcio ‘95 was awarded a Fulbright Scholar award to culturally tailor and provide a training program for mental health providers about working with older adults in Australia in 2025.
• Loren Baidas ’97 has been named chief executive officer at General RV, a recreation vehicle dealership in Birch Run, Mich. Baidas had previously served as company president for nearly 20 years.
• Enos M. Bacon III ’97 was named superintendent of East Jordan (Mich.) Public Schools. He is excited to serve the community in which he was raised.
• Scott Hill ’00 was re-elected to serve as the executive partner of Varnum LLP, where he has practiced law for 20 years. Renee (DeGraaf) ’98 and he will be sending their oldest child off to college this fall while their other three boys remain active in school, swimming, baseball and soccer.
• Carrie Rau ’00 recently accepted a new position as an Environmental Quality Analyst with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). She is assigned to the Drinking Water and Environmental Health Division, working on investigating and pursuing enforcement actions for violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
• The Rev. Melissa (Van Wert) Allison ’01 was elected to serve as the stated clerk for the Presbytery of Detroit for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in September 2023. Previously, she has served as pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Ann Arbor, Mich.
• Becky Durling ’02, who teaches Young Fives at Discovery Elementary in Williamston, Mich., has been selected as a Michigan Finalist for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).
• Nikole L. Canute ’02 was recently selected for inclusion in Crain’s 2024 edition of “Notable Women in the Law.” She was selected as a notable attorney for her impact in the types of cases and clients assisted, serving as a role model and mentor to other attorneys and assuming leadership roles in professional organizations and community service initiatives.
• Betsy Pilon ’03 was asked to serve on the inaugural National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s Neonatal Research Network community engagement panel for her work with Hope for HIE (Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy) and has been a co-author on several published academic journals advancing advocacy and research.
• Jennifer Towns ’04 earned her Ph.D. in 2018. She is currently the current program director for Adrian College’s Bachelor of Social Work program, and a lecturer at the University of Michigan’s Master of Social Work program. She recently published a book, “Our Deepest Roots: Navigating Past Trauma to Build Healthier Queer Relationships.”
• Michael Zywicki ’05 has been promoted to the position of vice president of programs and engagement at Oregon-based Anthem Memory Care. He will oversee Anthem Memory Care’s culture.
• Raymond Ribitch ’06 in January was honored with accreditation by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, in recognition of his dedication to continuing education and responsible patient care. Ribitch owns and operates a private practice in Mount Pleasant, Mich.
• Laura (Matelski) ’06 and Matt Wierenga ’07 welcomed their daughter, Gwendolyn Alice Wierenga, on Feb. 7, 2024. The family lives in Lowell, Mich.
• Margo Strebig ’06 married Shane Celeste on Sept. 23, 2023, in a beautiful celebration surrounded by many friends from Alma College, including college roommates Scottie Barton ’06, Loren Eisenlohr ’06 and Tessia Pash ’06. The couple reside in both Chicago — Margo is employed at the University of Chicago — and southwest Michigan, where they own a food cart and catering business.
• Kellie (Nugent) Kuipers ’06 and husband Josh welcomed their first child, Gabriel, in April 2024.
• Marcus Hong ’07 has been appointed the director of lifelong learning and associate professor of practical theology at Louisville (Ky.) Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
• Tyler Wellman ’08 is now the coach of the Midland (Mich.) High School football team. Wellman last served as head coach of the Flint Powers Catholic High School football team.
• Lisa (Hanson) Molina ’09 welcomed a second child, Inara, into the world on Nov. 22, 2023, with husband Stoney.
• Carrie Commissaris ’11 and her husband recently relocated to Boston, where Carrie is assistant director of the Harvard-Affiliated Emergency Medicine residency program. The couple also recently welcomed their first child in fall 2023.
• Audrey (Gebbie) Hobe ’12 and her husband Matt welcomed their first son, Finnian Alexander, on July 8, 2023. He made his Alma Homecoming debut at only three months old.
• Emily Havelka ’12 recently accepted a new role with GE Vernova as the marketing and communications leader of advanced research.
• Mabel “Bel” Martin ’12 joins Dykema, a leading national law firm, as a government policy advisor in the firm’s Lansing office. Martin joins Dykema after nearly three years with Ascension Health as state policy and advocacy manager. Prior to that, she spent five years on the staffs of various Michigan State senators and representatives.
• Ashley Yuill ’13 and Matthew (Yettaw) Yuill ’15 joyfully welcomed the birth of their first child, Bruce Paul, this summer 2024. The newly minted family of three is doing well and Bruce has graciously tolerated the Alma onesie his parents have already squeezed him into.
• Hailey Nova Quinn ’14 earned a master’s degree from Central Michigan University in 2017. They currently run a queer publishing company, Nova and Mali, with their wife, creating LGBTQ- and POC-inclusive books with artists from around the world. In their spare time, the couple fosters cats and kittens — 92 and counting!
• Ross Richard ’14 was named principal at HT Smith Elementary School in Fowlerville, Mich.
• Alora Adams ‘15 and her partner Zac Frappier welcomed their first child, Lachlan Willow Frappier, on Dec. 19, 2023. He already loves listening to the sounds of “Loch Lomond.”
• Neil Youngdahl ’15 has been named chair of the Young Lawyers Division of the Federal Bar Association for the Western District of Michigan. Youngdahl works as a litigation attorney for Varnum, in Grand Rapids, Mich.
• Addie Loftus-Olgac ’16 obtained her Doctor of Medicine degree and is currently in a residency program at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City, Mich., specializing in geriatric medicine.
• Greg Goffee ’17 was hired as the new recreation director of Fowlerville (Mich.) Community Schools in April. As part of his new responsibilities, he’ll focus on supporting the district’s middle and elementary school sports programs.
• Emily Jodway ‘19 married her longtime partner, Noah Patyna, May 18 in Bath, Mich. Haley Valente ‘18, Maddie Pail ‘19 and Rachel Blome ‘21 all served as bridesmaids. Jodway works in the communications department of the College of Social Science at Michigan State University, and is a youth softball coach. Patyna is a product owner for Roosevelt Innovations at Delta Dental. They reside in East Lansing.
• Katie (Bush) Reid ’19 and Andrew Reid ’19 got married June 15, 2024, in Traverse City, Mich. Several classmates and teammates were present, including Lucas Foust ’19, Brianna Zimmer ’19, Dorothy Buening ’18, Justin Johnson ’19, Elizabeth Putti ’18, Jake Geary ’19, and David Viguilla ’20, as well as many other Alma alumni. Andrew and Katie began dating during their junior year, when Andrew studied finance and Katie studied nursing.
• In June 2024, Emily Carter ’19 became the first and only American Highland Dancer to perform in the Basel Tattoo in Basel, Switzerland. “After dancing for most of my life, becoming a Kiltie Dancer helped me realize how much I enjoy the performance part of dance and it has helped me in my success of dancing around the world,” Carter said.
• Corbin Thompson ‘20 and Chelsea (Faber) ’20 were married at the Andison Chapel May 18.
• Connor Hart ’21 accepted the position of database specialist with the Missouri Department of Conservation Science Technical Support Unit. Hart will be based out of the MDC Central Regional Office in Columbia, Mo.
• Ryan De Guia-Claypool ’23 was hired by the Michigan Republican Party as a political coordinator.
• Forest Oliver (MFA) ’24 has produced regular articles through Zoetic Press’s journal, NonBinary Review. As part of a 12-part series, “Zoetic Zodiac” works as a literary horoscope, collecting authors born under the same star sign and sussing out similarities between their most timeless works.