Students, faculty, staff and alumni will celebrate a day honoring Kalamazoo College’s philanthropic donors from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Hicks Student Center.
Students participate in Grateful for K Day by writing thank-you notes showing appreciation to Kalamazoo College donors.
Sponsored by the Kalamazoo College Fund, Grateful for K Day – conducted twice a year – calls on students to honor the importance of philanthropy in sustaining and enhancing Kalamazoo College by writing personalized notes to thank donors for their support. Donations help about 98 percent of K students receive scholarships or some other form of financial aid.
All students are welcome to participate. Coffee and cookies will be served.
If you’re a donor, please share your “Why I Give” stories on our website or Facebook page, where you can also learn more about Grateful for K Day.
Registration for Career Summit 2018 is now closed. Students who are interested in attending but have not registered are welcome to stop by the registration table in the Hicks Student Center atrium before the session they would like to attend. Walk-ins will be accepted as space permits, especially on Saturday. See the Career Summit schedule online by clicking on ‘Agenda.’
A distinguished group of alumni will join Silicon Valley executives and venture capitalists for Career Summit 2018. The event is two days of practical preparation April 6 and 7 at the Hicks Student Center for Life after K. Timasha Woods ’07, a global human resources business partner at Amgen, concludes our series of features highlighting our speakers for the event.
Timasha Woods ’07
Global Human Resources Business Partner, Amgen
Timasha Woods ’07 is currently working with Amgen, a biopharmaceutical company based in Thousand Oaks, California.
Timasha Woods ’07 decided early that her choice of work needed to suit her ever-evolving interests in food, global travel, servant leadership and random adventures. Working in the human resources (HR) field continues to suit those interests and afford her the opportunity to help others effect change within large, complex companies.
She has provided her quirky brand of HR support to a myriad of client types, including but not limited to, unionized employees, sales teams, decorated army generals, and currently, vice and senior vice presidents including one former surgeon general of the United States. She attributes her continued interest and success in the field to her willingness to go where the experience is and partnering closely with her clients to understand the business.
Timasha is currently working with Amgen, a biopharmaceutical company based in Thousand Oaks, California. The company is comprised of 20,000 global employees whose mission, simply and elegantly stated, is to serve patients. Timasha earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Kalamazoo College.
Timasha is scheduled to speak during the following sessions of Career Summit 2018:
Thriving as a Woman in the Workplace, 10 a.m. April 7
Tips for Bringing Your Identity to Work, 10:45 a.m. April 7
Mentoring Matters: What You Gain from Trusted Advisers, 11:30 a.m. April 7
Charting Your Course: How to Make the Most of the Career Summit, 1:30 p.m. April 7
Other Scheduled Speakers
Bill Duane ’94, retired superintendent of well-being, Google
Brad O’Neill ’93, CEO and co-founder, Depot Global Inc.
Mike Soenen ’92 joined Valor in 2015 and serves as a co-head of its operations group, focusing on active management of portfolio companies in conjunction with existing management teams.
Mike Soenen ’92 joined Valor in 2015 and serves as a co-head of its operations group, focusing on active management of portfolio companies in conjunction with existing management teams. His additional responsibilities include investment prospect generation, investment structuring and execution and due diligence of potential acquisitions. Mike serves as a member of Valor’s Investment Committee and as a director of Manduka, one of Valor’s portfolio companies.
Before joining Valor, Mike served as a senior advisor and co-investor in numerous private-equity transactions. Previously, Mike served as chairman, chief executive officer and president of FTD Group Inc., a leading provider of floral and specialty gift products. FTD Group Inc. was a private-equity transaction led by Leonard Green & Partners.
Mike previously held positions as president and chief operating officer of FTD Inc., president and CEO of FTD.com, and vice president of marketing of FTD Inc. Before FTD Inc., Mike worked at Perry Capital LLC and Salomon Brothers Inc. Mike also served on the Board of Directors of Rewards Network Inc., Youbet.com and OptionsXpress.
He currently serves on the board of All Weather Inc. and Motorsport Aftermarket Group. In 2011, he was named a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute. Mike holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and business from Kalamazoo College.
Mike is scheduled to speak during the following sessions of Career Summit 2018:
Dinner and Opening Plenary, 6 p.m. April 6
Start-Up 101: From Dream to Successful Venture, 10 a.m. April 7
Building a Company: How Founders Launch and Grow Companies, 10:45 a.m. April 7
Mentoring Matters: What You Gain from Trusted Advisers, 11:30 a.m. April 7
Charting Your Course: How to Make the Most of the Career Summit, 1:30 p.m. April 7
Other Scheduled Speakers
Bill Duane ’94, retired superintendent of well-being, Google
Brad O’Neill ’93, CEO and co-founder, Depot Global Inc.
Registration for Career Summit 2018 is now closed. Students who are interested in attending but have not registered are welcome to stop by the registration table in the Hicks Student Center atrium before the session they would like to attend. Walk-ins will be accepted as space permits, especially on Saturday. See the Career Summit schedule online by clicking on ‘Agenda.’
A distinguished group of alumni will join Silicon Valley executives and venture capitalists for Career Summit 2018. The event is two days of practical preparation April 6 and 7 for Life after K. Esperanza Cantú ’11, a project leader in the Data Planning and Evaluation Division at the Detroit Health Department, continues our series of features highlighting our speakers for the event. To learn more, visit our Career Summit 2018 news story.
Esperanza Cantú ’11
Esperanza Cantú has held various working and volunteer positions in fundraising, mentorship and coalition-building for health equity since moving to Michigan.
Project Leader, Data Planning and Evaluation Division at Detroit Health Department
Originally from Monte Alto, Tex., Esperanza Cantú has held various working and volunteer positions in fundraising, mentorship and coalition-building for health equity since moving to Michigan. In 2016, Esperanza transitioned to the Detroit Health Department, where she currently serves as a project leader in the Data, Planning and Evaluation Division. In her current role, she is coordinating a communitywide strategic planning process for health; efforts will result in a community health assessment and five-year community health improvement plan for the city of Detroit.
In 2016, Esperanza also accepted an appointment from Gov. Rick Snyder to serve on the statewide Hispanic/Latino Commission of Michigan. She serves as chair of the Finance Committee, and will build capacity to reduce inequities in state resources and services to the Hispanic and Latino community.
In her spare time, Esperanza enjoys spending time with her husband Micah Smith ’10, traveling to the Rio Grande Valley to visit family and running. Esperanza earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Kalamazoo College, where she participated in the student groups Latinx Student Organization and el Movimento Estudiantíl Chicano y Chicana de Aztlan (M.E.Ch.A). She received her Master of Public Health Degree from the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health.
Esperanza is scheduled to speak during the following sessions of Career Summit 2018:
Roadblocks and Potholes, 8:30 a.m. April 7
Thriving as a Woman in the Workplace, 10 a.m. April 7
Tips for Bringing Your Identity to Work, 10:45 a.m. April 7
Crafting a Whole Life: How Work Fits with Family, Community, Self-Care and Fun, 11:30 a.m. April 7
Other Scheduled Speakers
Bill Duane ’94, retired superintendent of well-being, Google
Brad O’Neill ’93, CEO and co-founder, Depot Global Inc.
Registration for Career Summit 2018 is now closed. Students who are interested in attending but have not registered are welcome to stop by the registration table in the Hicks Student Center atrium before the session they would like to attend. Walk-ins will be accepted as space permits, especially on Saturday. See the Career Summit schedule online by clicking on ‘Agenda.’
A distinguished group of alumni will join Silicon Valley executives and venture capitalists for Career Summit 2018. The event is two days of practical preparation April 6 and 7 for Life after K. Ed Hortelano ’83, a global vice president of research and development at Loparex, continues our series of features highlighting our speakers for the event. To learn more, visit our Career Summit 2018 news story.
Ed Hortelano ’83
Since September 2015, Ed Hortelano has served as the global vice president for research and development at Loparex LLC.
Global Vice President, Research and Development at Loparex
Ed Hortelano began his career at Covestro (then Mobay) in New Martinsville, W.V., where he held positions of increasing responsibility in the U.S., Germany and China. Although he spent most of his Covestro career in research and technical roles, he also worked in production, sales and business development.
In October 2010, Ed joined the Global Non-Wovens Division of Bostik Inc. in Wauwatosa, Wis. He managed the global technical activities for the division and led the research activities for the hot melt, pressure-sensitive adhesive technology platform.
From May 2013, until his departure, Ed served as the chief technical officer for Bostik. Since September 2015, Ed has served as the global vice president for research and development at Loparex LLC. As the senior research and development executive for the company, he is working to build a global technical community and to improve the processes and delivery of new products and technologies.
Ed earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Kalamazoo College and a Ph.D. in physical organic chemistry from Wayne State University. He worked with Professor Ernest Eliel as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ed and his family live in Raleigh, N.C. When he is not working or traveling for work, Ed enjoys spending time with his family as well as running and biking around Raleigh.
Ed is scheduled to speak during the following sessions of Career Summit 2018:
Roadblocks and Potholes, 8:30 a.m. April 7
Mentoring Matters: What You Gain from Trusted Advisers, 10 a.m. April 7
Tips for Bringing Your Identity to Work, 10:45 a.m. April 7
Crafting a Whole Life: How Work Fits with Family, Community, Self-Care and Fun, 11:30 a.m. April 7
Other Scheduled Speakers
Bill Duane ’94, retired superintendent of well-being, Google
Brad O’Neill ’93, CEO and co-founder, Depot Global Inc.
Registration for Career Summit 2018 is now closed. Students who are interested in attending but have not registered are welcome to stop by the registration table in the Hicks Student Center atrium before the session they would like to attend. Walk-ins will be accepted as space permits, especially on Saturday. See the Career Summit schedule online by clicking on ‘Agenda.’
A distinguished group of alumni will join Silicon Valley executives and venture capitalists for Career Summit 2018. The event is two days of practical preparation April 6 and 7 for Life after K. Drew Dumsch ’90, the founder and president/CEO of The Ecology School, continues our series of features highlighting our speakers for the event. To learn more, visit our Career Summit 2018 news story.
Drew Dumsch ’90
Founder and President/CEO, The Ecology School
Drew Dumsch ’90 is the founder and president/CEO of The Ecology School, a residential environmental learning center on the southern coast of Maine. He will be one of the featured speakers at Kalamazoo College’s Career Summit 2018.
Drew Dumsch is the founder and president/CEO of The Ecology School, a residential environmental learning center on the southern coast of Maine. Since its founding in 1998, The Ecology School has educated more than 175,000 children and adults and trained more than 350 ecology educators through the science of ecology and the practice of sustainability.
Drew is currently leading a capital campaign to purchase the 105-acre River Bend Farm in Saco, Maine, and over the next two years construct the most sustainable residential environmental learning center in the country. The Ecology School at River Bend Farm will include a full-scale agroecology farm operation, community environmental education programs, field ecology research and buildings constructed and certified under the Living Building Challenge and Living Community Challenge through the International Living Future Institute. River Bend Farm will be a 21st Century Education Center for Resilience, Healthy Communities and Conservation.
Drew has had leadership positions with the Maine Environmental Education Association and the New England Environmental Education Alliance and is also active with the North American Association of Environmental Education and the Residential Environmental Learning Centers national network. Drew earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Kalamazoo College and his master’s degree in English from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Drew is scheduled to speak during the following sessions of Career Summit 2018:
Roadblocks and Potholes: Surmounting Inevitable Challenges, 8:30 a.m. April 7
Start-Up 101: From Dream to Successful Venture, 10 a.m. April 7
Social Entrepreneurship: Finding Solutions to Community Problems, 10:45 a.m. April 7
Crafting a Whole Life: How Work Fits with Family, Community, Self-Care and Fun, 11:30 a.m. April 7
Other Scheduled Speakers
Bill Duane ’94, retired superintendent of well-being, Google
Brad O’Neill ’93, CEO and co-founder, Depot Global Inc.
Registration for Career Summit 2018 is now closed. Students who are interested in attending but have not registered are welcome to stop by the registration table in the Hicks Student Center atrium before the session they would like to attend. Walk-ins will be accepted as space permits, especially on Saturday. See the Career Summit schedule online by clicking on ‘Agenda.’
A distinguished group of alumni will join Silicon Valley executives and venture capitalists for Career Summit 2018. The event is two days of practical preparation April 6 and 7 for Life after K. Carolyn DeWitt ’04, the president and executive director of Rock the Vote, is the third in a series of features that will highlight our speakers for the event. To learn more, visit our Career Summit 2018 news story.
Carolyn DeWitt ’04
President, Executive Director at Rock the Vote
Carolyn DeWitt ’04, a passionate and lifelong champion of the democratic process in the U.S. and abroad, has a diverse background in government, politics, international development, education and in the financial sector.
A passionate and lifelong champion of the democratic process in the U.S. and abroad, Carolyn DeWitt ’04 has a diverse background in government, politics, international development, education and in the financial sector.
It was during her time in South Africa, meeting with parties critical to the collapse of the apartheid system and the subsequent building of a democratic state, that Carolyn witnessed the power of youth movements. Convinced of the absolute necessity of a health democracy for marginalized groups, she continued on to work in Kenya, participating on the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission during an election year. Carolyn also served as senior international advisor to a youth political movement and potential presidential candidate in Madagascar.
Back home in the U.S., on the national political stage, Carolyn coordinated satellite media booking operations at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, training teams of volunteers and staffs and coordinating surrogate media appearances alongside DNC and Obama for America staff. On the local government level, Carolyn has worked as chief of staff at the Office of Chicago Alderman Daniel Solis, and as deputy campaign manager and finance director for the 25th Ward Regular Democratic Organization.
Shortly after relocating to Washington, D.C., Carolyn took up the position of director of special projects for a thriving start-up that sought to leverage technology to provide clinical services to persons with special education and development needs in less-developed countries. She has also provided services for therapists working in DC public schools. For the 2014 election cycle, Carolyn served as chief of staff at Pivot, a political communications firm.
Carolyn studied international and African studies, political science, psychology and women’s studies and earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and international and area studies from Kalamazoo College. She sits on the board of Coworker.org.
Carolyn is scheduled to speak during the following sessions of Career Summit 2018:
Dinner and Opening Plenary, 6 p.m. April 6
Thriving as a Woman in the Workplace, 10 a.m. April 7
Social Entrepreneurship: Finding Solutions to Community Problems, 10:45 a.m. April 7
Crafting a Whole Life: How Work Fits with Family, Community, Self-Care and Fun, 11:30 a.m. April 7
Other Scheduled Speakers
Bill Duane ’94, retired superintendent of well-being, Google
Brad O’Neill ’93, CEO and co-founder, Depot Global Inc.
Drew Dumsch ’90, founder and president/CEO of The Ecology School
Ed Hortelano ’83, global vice president of research and development at Loparex
Esperanza Cantú ’11, project leader in the Data Planning and Evaluation Division at the Detroit Health Department
Registration for Career Summit 2018 is now closed. Students who are interested in attending but have not registered are welcome to stop by the registration table in the Hicks Student Center atrium before the session they would like to attend. Walk-ins will be accepted as space permits, especially on Saturday. See the Career Summit schedule online by clicking on ‘Agenda.’
A distinguished group of alumni will join Silicon Valley executives and venture capitalists for Career Summit 2018. The event is two days of practical preparation April 6 and 7 for Life after K. Bill Duane ’94 is the first in a series of features that will highlight our speakers for the event. To learn more, visit our Career Summit 2018 news story.
Bill Duane ’94
Retired Superintendent of Well-Being at Google
At Google, Bill Duane and his team created worldwide programs to move the needle on well-being at the individual, team and organizational level.
Bill Duane works at the intersection of individual resilience and organizational effectiveness, particularly in innovative and/or chaotic environments. As an engineering executive for Google earlier in his career, Bill was responsible for worldwide production engineering for Gmail, G Suite and WebSearch Infrastructure, leading a team of 130 people across five countries.
Though an amazing, interesting and rewarding ride, it also contained more burnout than was OK, which sparked a curiosity about how burnout worked. As he investigated burnout, Bill discovered a deep interest in the biological, psychological and interpersonal mechanisms of happiness, effectiveness and well-being which led him to create the role of Google’s Superintendent of Well-Being. At Google, he and his team created worldwide programs to move the needle on well-being at the individual, team and organizational level, partnering with various teams in the Google ecosystem to make it part of the culture.
After 12 years at Google and 25 years in corporate environments, he is taking his expertise to a more diverse set of individuals and organizations. Bill earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and anthropology from Kalamazoo College.
Bill is scheduled to speak in these Career Summit sessions:
Dinner and Opening Plenary, 6 p.m. April 6
Mentoring Matters: What You Gain from Trusted Advisers, 10 a.m. April 7
Tips for Bringing Your Identity to Work, 10:45 a.m. April 7
Serendipity: Making the Most of Unexpected Opportunities, 11:30 a.m. April 7.
Other Scheduled Speakers
Brad O’Neill ’93, CEO and co-founder, Depot Global Inc.
Testifying to the enduring value of the K-Plan, renowned former U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen ’73 told Kalamazoo College students in a campus visit that “it made me who I am.”
Students were invited to meet retired Chief U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen ’73 on Monday, Feb. 19, and hear him talk about how his K experience helped him forge an exemplary career in public service and law. That career included engineering the “Grand Bargain,” which brought Detroit out of bankruptcy and paved the way for Motown’s rebirth.
“I’m a real product of the K-Plan,” said the recently retired judge, who presided over the Detroit-based U.S. Eastern District of Michigan and handled cases that included the city’s 2013 bankruptcy, the largest of its kind in U.S. history.
He came to the College to play tennis, he said, and had a vague idea about becoming a doctor. However, a familiar nemesis of many a would-be medical student — “two words,” Rosen said. “Organic chemistry” — dissuaded him from pursuing that field. He said his academic adviser pushed him toward political science, often a path to law school, and the K-Plan did the rest.
In a question-and-answer session with a student audience in the Olmsted Room at Mandelle Hall, Rosen recalled as particularly influential a history course that introduced him to the “roller coaster” career of Winston Churchill, the late wartime British prime minister who remains one of his heroes. He also cited philosophy courses that taught him the finer points of reasoning and writing; the challenge of participating in experiential learning opportunities that included working in the office of then-Michigan Gov. William Milliken; and study abroad in Sweden.
“I spent as many (terms) off campus as I did on campus,” he said, adding that experiences such as being a student teacher in an inner-city Philadelphia school challenged him to develop his self-reliance and fostered in him a sense of independence.
“You become confident in your ability to reason through things on your own,” he said. “I think if I had gone to a school that had a traditional program and a cookie-cutter curriculum I probably would have come out of it a different person than I am today.”
During his day at K, Rosen also spoke to a philosophy of law class led by Max Cherem ’04, the Marlene Crandell Francis assistant professor of philosophy; met with faculty; visited with the men’s tennis team as he praised K’s program as fostering “true student athletes;” and dined with President Jorge G. Gonzalez and Suzie (Martin) Gonzalez ’83.
Now beginning a new career as a high-level mediator with Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, Rosen served as a judge on the U.S. District Court in Detroit from 1990 to 2017 and was chief judge from 2009 to 2015. He long provided internships in his chambers to K students and graduates and received the Kalamazoo College Alumni Association’sDistinguished Achievement Award in 2014.
Kalamazoo College is proud to be included on the list of U.S. colleges and universities producing the most Fulbright students for the 2017-18 academic year. The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announced the honor Sunday.
Four K representatives out of 12 applicants earned Fulbright awards this year, placing the College among the top Fulbright-producing bachelor’s institutions.
Four K representatives out of 12 applicants were named Fulbright winners, placing the College among the top Fulbright-producing bachelor’s institutions. Many candidates apply as graduating seniors, but alumni can apply as well. Graduating seniors apply through their institution. Alumni can apply through their institution or as at-large candidates.
K’s representatives are:
Andrea Beitel ’17, who earned a research/study award and is now in the U.K.;
Riley Cook ’15, who earned a research/study award and is in Germany;
Dejah Crystal ’17, who earned an English Teaching Assistantship in Taiwan; and
Sapana Gupta ’17, who earned an English Teaching Assistantship in Germany.
The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. Top-producing institutions are highlighted annually in The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 380,000 participants, chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential, with opportunities to exchange ideas and contribute to solutions to shared international concerns. More than 1,900 U.S. students, artists and young professionals in more than 100 fields of study are offered Fulbright Program grants to study, teach English and conduct research abroad each year. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program operates in more than 140 countries throughout the world.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State, funded by an annual appropriation from Congress to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education.
The Fulbright Program also awards grants to U.S. scholars, teachers and faculty to conduct research and teach overseas. In addition, about 4,000 foreign Fulbright students and scholars come to the United States annually to study, lecture, conduct research and teach foreign languages.
