Leadership

GRACE principle investigator

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  Dr. Gerald GriffinView Dr. Gerald Griffin's Profile Provost OfficeProvost

  Work616.395.7785

  griffing@hope.edu

  DeWitt Student Cultural Center Floor 2 141 East 12th Street Holland, MI 49423

Grace project director

Dr. Sarah Kornfield

Professor of Communication

Dr. Sarah Kornfield, professor and chair of the Department of Communication, leads the GRACE Project as its founding project director. Dr. Kornfield has taught at Hope since 2015, with expertise in rhetorical theory, rhetorical criticism, women’s and gender studies, and television culture. She serves on the board of directors of the Rhetoric Society of America and is the author of four books.

Over the four-year grant period, Dr. Kornfield will oversee student cohort development, faculty support across disciplines, a civil discourse lecture series and the development of public scholarship on democratic deliberation.

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GRACE Summer Think Tank

Each summer, a team of Hope College undergraduate students form a think tank, working with Dr. Kornfield to develop public scholarship and learning opportunities focused on public discourse, civil dialogue and democratic deliberation.

2026 GRACE Summer Think Tank 

Reagan Carpenter

Student

Reagan Carpenter is a junior studying communication and English literature at Hope College. On campus, Reagan is a member of the worship tech team and Phelps Scholars Program. During her free time, Reagan enjoys watching comedy movies with friends and family, and supporting the Michigan Wolverines and Detroit Lions.

Emily Simpson

Student

Emily Simpson is a senior from Dundee, Michigan. She is studying communication with a minor in leadership. Outside of working on GRACE, Emily is a member of our Students Activities Committee, Lambda Pi Eta (the National Communication Association’s honor society), and works at Hope’s Physical Plant. In her free time, she loves traveling, hiking, going to the beach, junk journaling and spending time with friends and family.

Emma Eurich

Student

Emma Eurich is a junior studying communication and business at Hope college. On campus, Emma works for Hope’s Video Services and is a media lab assistant, RA, and an intramural enthusiast. In her spare time, you can catch her out on runs, reading a book outside, bringing her camera to the beach, or on an adventure with friends.