During its May meeting, the Hope College Alumni Association Board of Directors appointed six new members and made two reappointments.
The new members are: Alison Claucherty, a junior from Haslett; Maxine Gray, a 2004 graduate from Seattle, Washington; Dr. Todd Helmus, a 1993 graduate from Washington, D.C.; Dr. Barb Mackey, a 1969 graduate from Urbana, Ohio; Katie Schubert, a 2003 graduate from Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Sam Tzou, a 2013 graduate from Ann Arbor.
Samantha Rushton of Warren, formerly Senior Class Representative, was appointed representative of the most recent graduating class. Connor Brady of Walker, formerly Junior Class Representative, was appointed Senior Class Representative.
Continuing to serve as the board’s officers are Tom Kyros, a 1989 graduate from Grand Rapids, president; Todd Houtman, a 1990 graduate from Indianapolis, Indiana, vice president; and Nancy Otterstrom, a 1978 graduate from Bethel, Connecticut, secretary.
In addition, six board members have concluded their service: Lisa Bos, a 1997 graduate from Washington, D.C.; Dr. Tom Henderson, a 1970 graduate from Dayton, Ohio; Sa’eed Husaini, a 2013 graduate from Jos, Nigeria; Michael McCarthy, a 1985 graduate from Weston, Massachusetts; James McFarlin, a 1974 graduate from Decatur, Illinois; and Arlene Waldorf, a 1964 graduate from Buena Vista, Colorado.
Claucherty is a communication major. Her activities as a student have included the Delta Phi sorority, the Dance Marathon fundraiser held on behalf of Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital and the Omicron Delta Kappa national leadership society, and serving as a Hope Student Ambassador and volunteering at the Holland Area Arts Council.
She is a 2012 graduate of Haslett High School, and the daughter of Michael and Mary Claucherty of Haslett.
Gray majored in communication and minored in sociology. Her activities as a student included the “Anchor” student newspaper, WTHS radio station, Black Student Union, Dance Marathon, Orientation and the Phelps Scholars Program. She also studied at The Philadelphia Center and was a student employee in the college’s Career Development Center.
She is the project manager within the global employer brand and channels team at Starbucks Coffee Company in Seattle. Her previous work experiences include the college’s Office of Multicultural Education, a strategic communications firm, an international foundation and Herman Miller. She holds a master’s degree in communication from Grand Valley State University.
Gray is an active volunteer, and among other community engagement has been involved in the volunteer board of directors of BL²END, a networking and development group in Grand Rapids for young professionals of color, since November 2006. She has also stayed involved in the life of the college, speaking to students as recently as March, when Hope also presented her with a Young Alumni Award.
Helmus majored in psychology at Hope, where his activities included the Cosmopolitan fraternity, Lacrosse Club and Pull tug-of-war. Three siblings attended the college before him.
Following Hope, he earned a doctorate in clinical psychology from Wayne State University. He works as a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision making through research and analysis. He served as an advisor in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2008, and since 2010 has worked closely with U.S. special operations forces in Afghanistan.
His continued involvement with Hope has included connecting with students through the Washington Honors Semester and attending Hope events in the Washington area.
Mackey majored in music and participated in activities including the Orchestra, Symphonette, Kappa Delta Chi sorority and Residential Life. She also holds a master’s degree in college student personnel from Michigan State University and a doctorate in higher and adult education from Columbia University.
She is retired after 32 years on the staff at Wittenberg University, 26 as director of community programs and four as assistant director of alumni relations. Passionate about lifelong learning, in retirement she continues to serve part-time as director of community programs and also teaches cello lessons to children and adults from the community.
Mackey has stayed involved with Hope in a variety of ways, including as a member of the Career Resource Network and serving on reunion committees, among them the Class of 1969’s 45th reunion this past spring. In October of 2013, she represented Wittenberg during the inauguration of Dr. John C. Knapp as president of Hope.
Schubert majored in communication and psychology. Her activities as a student included the Dorian sorority, the Union of Catholic Students, Residential Life, Orientation, the Nykerk Cup competition, Greek Judicial Board, College Chorus and intramurals. She also worked in the Alumni Office and Career Development Center as a student.
After Hope, she completed her M.Ed. in adult and higher education at Grand Valley State University, where she also worked as a staff member in parent and family programming. Her career experience has also included serving as coordinator of student support services at Kendall College of Art and Design and as annual gift coordinator for the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region. She is currently a stay-at-home mother who is also active in the community, including as an events committee member for the Pikes Peak Children’s Museum and vice president of the Colorado Springs Parents of Multiples.
She and her husband, Will, who is a 2002 Hope graduate, have twin sons, Joseph and Zeke.
Tzou majored in management and Spanish and minored in chemistry. His activities as a student included spring break immersion trips, Residential Life, Mortar Board, the Center for Faithful Leadership and Hope Entrepreneurship Initiative, Sigma Xi, Student Ambassadors and International Relations.
While at Hope, he also co-authored several publications in peer-reviewed science journals, and was involved in start-ups including a medical device company and Ring Cam, an engagement-ring box project that records responses to proposals. He also served as a community developer in Lusaka, Zambia, focusing on micro-finance.
Tzou is currently attending the master’s program in health service administration at the University of Michigan, planning to graduate in 2015.