Each year, the Hope College alumni office announces new alumni who’ve offered to voluntarily serve on one of two leadership groups. The following appointments take effect July 1, 2026.
Each year, the Hope College alumni office announces new alumni who’ve offered to voluntarily serve on one of two leadership groups. The following appointments take effect July 1, 2026.
Alumni Association Board
The Hope College Alumni Association Board of Directors appointed four new members: Kylie Galloway ’22 (New York, NY); Matt Baxter ’17 (Grand Rapids, Mich.); Emily Schmidt ’97 Christensen (Holland, Mich.), and Serafina Feltman ’28 as the junior-class representative from Hope. The Alumni Association board of directors is composed entirely of graduates and serves as the voice of the alumni body to the college. Through semi-annual meetings, they make recommendations concerning alumni benefits, awards and programs.
Kylie Galloway ’22 (New York, NY) graduated from Hope with a communication degree and works as a senior PR professional at Guinness World Records (GWR) in New York City. At Hope, she was very involved in student life and the Holland community as part of the Student Activities Committee, Big Read Lakeshore, TEDxHopeCollege, Campus Ministries and Nykerk Cup. Prior to graduation, she interned at GWR before joining the team part-time while completing her degree. She's passionate about spreading inspiration through sharing stories of record holders, working with everyone from celebrities to local heroes. In NYC, Galloway volunteers with her church and has traveled to Peru on mission trips almost annually since elementary school, where friends have become family.
Matt Baxter ’17 (Grand Rapids, Mich.) is the CEO and Co-Founder of WedgeHR, a video interviewing platform that helps employers nationwide screen candidates faster and more authentically. Baxter has stayed closely connected to Hope — returning regularly to speak to students about entrepreneurship, hiring and what it really takes to build a company from the ground up. He’s also the co-author of “The Hiring Knot: Untangling Modern Recruiting Challenges” and hosts “The Matt Baxter Show,” a podcast exploring purpose-driven leadership.
Emily Schmidt ’97 Christensen (Holland, Mich.), is an interdisciplinary artist and educator who’s passionate about creating art for communities and communities for artists. Since 2017 she’s served as executive director of CultureWorks, a nonprofit arts organization committed to cultivating creativity, building community and empowering students through free and accessible arts education for teens. She received her bachelor of arts degree in international studies and sociology from Hope College and master of arts degree in Middle Eastern studies and Arabic from the University of Chicago. Her volunteer work spans 25 years working with youth in Holland, Zeeland, Chicago and Lansing. In addition to teaching and directing after-school and summer-arts programs, she served as a founding board member of Capital City Vineyard Church, 3-Sixty and Eighth Day Farm.
Serafina Feltman ’28 is a double-major in psychology and business, and will serve as the student representative. She’s also a part of Sigma Sigma sorority where she’s held positions such as panhellenic representative, treasurer and rush chair for 2026-2027. Also at Hope she’s participated in the Nykerk Cup and as a moraler for The Pull competition. She’s serving her community as a Wyldlife leader in the Zeeland area and she works in downtown Holland.
The 2026-27 executive committee will be led by: Jonathan Hatfield ’09 as past president; Gaye van den Hombergh ’81 as president; Kristina Kyles-Smith ’04 as vice president; and Mark Rebhan ’85 as secretary. Hope expresses its appreciation for the board members who’ve completed their service: Kiersten Krause ’96; Toni Gordon ’09; Liam Naumann ’25 and Marissa Solorzano ’19.
Alumni of Color Advisory Council
The Hope College Alumni of Color Advisory Council announced a new member, a returning member and the executive committee serving for the 2026-27 academic year.
Established in 2020, the Alumni of Color Advisory Council works closely with the college’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) to identify and organize opportunities for students and alumni of color. Through bi-monthly meetings, the council works on programming, promotes mentorship and advocates for institutional change towards a more equitable and inclusive environment.
New to the council is Marvellous Ogudoro, a 2024 Hope College graduate who majored in political science and philosophy. Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, he came to Michigan as an international student and found a community that shaped his sense of generosity, service and possibility. During his time at Hope, he served as a tour guide in the Admissions Office, helped restart the Philosophy Club and participated in off-campus programs in Washington, D.C. and New York City. After Hope, he earned a Master of Science in Business Management from Georgetown University and began his career in business development and strategy with POLITICO. He recently moved to San Francisco to join Omni Analytics, a startup in the AI and data space.
Toni Gordon ’09 (Perrysburg, Ohio) is a former Hope College alumni board member and inaugural member of the Alumni of Color Advisory Council. She’s worked in higher education for several years and at the Toledo Museum of Art. Today, she is the kids ministry leader at Declare Church, where she enjoys working with the children and seeing how God moves in each developmental stage. Upon her return to the council, Gordon is serving as council president.
Serving as vice president is Quinette Yarbrough ’10 (Muskegon, Mich.). She’s been an elementary school teacher for 16 years and is currently a fourth-grade teacher at Bunker Elementary in the Muskegon Public School District.
Outgoing council members include: Chris Jackson ’11 (Pontiac, Mich.); Van Lian ’24 (Chicago); past president Angela Matusiak ’04 (Holland) and past vice president Jake Taber ’04 (Holland).