During its May meeting, the Hope College Alumni Association Board of Directors elected new officers and appointed four new members.
Newly elected to a two-year term as president is Victoria Brunn, a 1984 graduate from Santa Monica, California. She succeeds Tom Kyros, a 1989 graduate from Grand Rapids whose service on the board is continuing.
Newly appointed as vice president is Nancy Otterstrom, a 1978 graduate from Bethel, Connecticut. Otterstrom had previously served a two-year term as secretary.
Succeeding Otterstrom as secretary is Bradley Norden, a 2004 graduate from Christiansburg, Virginia.
The board’s new members are: Josh Augustine, a Hope junior from Maple Grove, Minnesota; Jonathan Liepe, a 1991 graduate from Colorado Springs, Colorado; Matt Wixson, a 2008 graduate from Ann Arbor; and Hideo Yamazaki, a 1976 graduate from Tokyo, Japan.
Connor Brady of Walker, formerly Senior Class Representative, was appointed representative of the most recent graduating class. Alison Claucherty of Haslett, formerly Junior Class Representative, was appointed Senior Class Representative.
The board members who have concluded their service are: Ralph Bohrer, a 1983 graduate from Scottsdale, Arizona; Brian Gibbs, a 1984 graduate from Bad Homburg, Germany; Samantha Rushton, a 2014 graduate from Warren; and Janice Suhajda, a 1987 graduate from Rochester Hills.
Augustine is an engineering major with a mechanical engineering emphasis. His activities at the college have included serving as a student ambassador and admissions tour guide, the Emersonian Fraternity, the Inter-Fraternity Council and the student-organized Dance Marathon fundraiser held on behalf of Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.
He is a 2013 graduate of Maple Grove Senior High School, and the sone of Steve and Avery Augustine of Maple Grove.
Liepe has been a leader in talent acquisition and human resources for nearly 20 years. He is a senior human resources specialist for Colorado Springs Utilities and previously worked for Memorial Health System, Hewlett Packard and Aon Consulting. He is co-chair of the Colorado Energy Consortium and serves on the board of directors for DirectEmployers Association. His engagement with the community includes past service as vice chair and board chair for SET Family Medical Clinics, a well-being clinic for low-income seniors providing health assessments, blood pressure and weight checks.
He graduated from Hope in 1991 with a composite psychology and sociology major, and his co-curricular activities at the college included the Arcadian fraternity, serving as a resident assistant and cheerleading, during which he was a four-year varsity letter winner. His recent involvement in the life of the college includes being a host in a regional satellite party held in conjunction with the Hope-Calvin men’s basketball game, a member of the college’s Career Resource Network and a Homecoming Social Media Champion.
Liepe also holds a master’s degree in human resources development from Webster University, where he also has served as an adjunct faculty member. He and his wife, Jeanne, have three children, Seth, Macie and Shey.
Wixson completed his MD in 2012 at the University of Michigan, where he is now a chief resident in anesthesiology. He serves as a prospective resident student interviewer and on the education and admissions committees with University of Michigan Department of Anesthesiology Residency, and has conducted research and made academic presentations in Ann Arbor, New Orleans, Chicago, and Puerto Vallarta. He is a past president of the professional medical association Alpha Omega Alpha and is also a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
He graduated from Hope with a major in biology. He was actively involved in the student-initiated effort to provide ongoing student support to Nibakure Children’s Village, a sustainable home for orphaned children in Rwanda, and currently serves on the village’s board. His extensive co-curricular participation as a student also included serving as president of Mortar Board, playing keyboard in the Chapel Band, being involved with Dance Marathon for four years, serving as a resident assistant and admissions tour guide, and volunteering at Holland Hospital.
Wixson’s wife, Sarah, is also a 2008 Hope graduate. They are expecting their first child in October.
Yamazaki has had a long and successful career in the optical lens and camera industry. Starting with Imagica Corporation and Polaroid, he then went on to serve at Eastman Kodak Asia Pacific. There he had managerial responsibilities in Asia, Australia and Japan in the areas of sales, marketing and business development. He was also responsible for marketing motion picture products in Asia Pacific countries. He then worked for Swedish camera manufacturer Hasselblad before finishing his career at German lens manufacturer Carl Zeiss Company, where he currently serves as an advisor.
He had a unique Hope experience that started as an exchange student from Meiji Gakuin University, a partner institution in Tokyo. He attended Hope for a short period of time and valued his experience enough to return. After earning an economics degree from Meiji Gakuin, he came back to Hope to complete a management degree. He went on to earn his MBA from Central Michigan University in 1978 and completed the Kellogg Executive Development Program at Northwestern University in 1991.
Yamazaki has been active in alumni events in Japan. He and his wife, Hiromi, have a daughter, Marie, who is a 2011 Hope graduate working in Japan for the Coca-Cola Company.