Events

Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss became the City’s first female Mayor when she took office on January 1, 2016. She previously served as a Second Ward City Commissioner for 10 years. Mayor Bliss also is Director of Residential Services at D.A. Blodgett-St. John's.  St. John's Home provides emergency shelter and residential services for abused and…

Richard J. Pappas, Ed.D., is president of Davenport University, a private, nonprofit university founded in 1866 in Grand Rapids, Mich. With an enrollment of nearly 10,000 at campuses across Michigan and online, Davenport specializes in innovative undergraduate and graduate programs that prepare students for in-demand careers in business, technology, health professions, and urban education. Under the leadership of Dr. Pappas,…

Kevin Stotts joined TALENT 2025 as President in July 2011. The organization is a CEO-led effort to create an integrated talent system to meet the needs of West Michigan’s employers.  CEOs take a leadership role and act as an accountability partner in each segment of the talent supply chain. They convene working groups to facilitate…

Dr. Richard Rediske is a Professor of Water Resources at Grand Valley State University’s Annis Water Resources Institute (AWRI). He has a Ph.D. from University of Michigan in Environmental Chemistry and has conducted environmental research at AWRI for over 20 years.  His research areas include environmental chemical fate and transport, aquatic toxicology, water quality management,…

Roberto Torres is the Executive Director of the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan. Since his arrival on January 20, 2015, he has hit the ground running while positioning the Hispanic Center to be a lead agent in the future development of Grand Rapids’ historic Latino communities. Together with the Hispanic Center Board of Directors, he…

As an executive professional in the Health & Wellness Industry for more than twenty-three years, Andrew Page has drawn on two things that have been guiding forces throughout his career: helping people and working with kids.  A passion for fitness combined with a concern about weight epidemics afflicting many young people in our country have…

Homer A. Mandoka has spent his life dedicated to public service.  After earning his Associate Degree in Law Enforcement from Kellogg Community College, Mr. Mandoka spent the next 15 years as a police officer for the City of Bronson, Michigan. In 2002, he was elected to the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi (NHBP) Tribal…