Alumni classnotes, fall 2023
Western Michigan University recognizes alumni achievements and announcements submitted during fall 2023.
Betty Lee Ongley, BS '47, MA '58, HHC '84, first female mayor of the city or Portage, Michigan, and an activist and community leader; Mattie Jordan-Woods, BS ‘79, executive director of the Northside Association for Community Development; and Kristen DeVries, vice president for University Advancement at 51 and executive director of the 51 Foundation, were recipients of the Michigan Women Forward’s 2023 Women of Courage and Achievement Award.
Thomas Tytar, BS ‘71, MA ‘76, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, has published his book “L.A. Dangerous” (Book Baby Publishing Co., 2023), a fictional noir crime story that takes place in 1969 in Los Angeles. It is the third book in his series, which includes “Johnny Angel” (2020) and “Up North” (2021).
Kirk Anderson, BS ‘73, MA ‘85, of West Linn, Oregon, received the United States Professional Tennis Association, Inc. Tim Heckler Hall of Fame Award for the Pacific Northwest Division.
Richard H. Wooster, BBA ‘78, of law firm Kram & Wooster, P.S. in Tacoma, Washington, received his Master of Laws degree in dispute resolution from Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution in December 2022. He was also elected to the Tacoma Pierce County Bar Association Board of Trustees in January 2023.
Anne Stych, BA ‘83, was named editor of Bizwomen, a website operated by American City Business Journals.
Scott Freeman, BBA ‘84, MBA ‘90, was hired as Horizon Bancorp’s vice president, wealth advisor, working in the Michigan City, Indiana, corporate office.
Barry Z. Roberts, BS ‘84, retired after working for 34 years at the Warren (Michigan) Technical Center, including 32 years with General Motors. He held several positions during his career with GM, most recently being the pilot for an agile robot called SERG that is used to enter areas that are unsafe for people.
Michelle L. Drewyer, BBA ‘86, was sworn in as a circuit court judge in the Second Circuit of Maui County, Hawaii.
Leslie Wilk Braksick, MA ‘87, PhD ‘90, received the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Organizational Behavior Management Network of the Association of Behavior Analysis International.
Kelly Gaideski, BS ‘88, MA ‘97, was appointed as a board member for Niles (Michigan) Community Schools.
Kelly Burris, BSE ‘88, a member of Western’s Board of Trustees and owner and founder of Burris Law, PLLC, in Detroit, was reappointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to the Michigan Aeronautics Commission.
John Waldron, BBA ‘91, was named president and CEO of Coldwater, Michigan-based Southern Michigan Bank & Trust.
Michael J. Van Diepenbos, MBA ‘94, senior vice president and the group manager of Comerica Bank’s business banking practice for the west and southwest Michigan regions, was approved as an appointee to the Ferris State University Foundation Board of Directors.
Andrea Forte, BA ‘96, was approved in September by the University of Michigan’s Board of Regents to be the next dean of the School of Information for a term that starts Jan. 1, 2024.
Joanne Ardovini, PhD ‘97, was appointed provost, vice president of academic and student affairs at Gordon State College in Barnesville, Georgia.
David Cleveland, BA ‘98, was elected president of the Association of Legal Writing Directors, a leading academic legal writing organization in the United States.
Henry Sias, BA ‘98, a civil rights lawyer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was appointed by Gov. Josh Shapiro as executive director of the Commission on LGBTQ Affairs.
Don J. Green, EdD ‘00, was appointed president of Gordon State College in Barnesville, Georgia.
Lucia Rios, BA ‘02, co-editor of the Disability Inclusion Series, received the 2023 Ability Award from Disability Network Lakeshore for promoting a spirit of inclusion and a community without barriers.
Katy Coy, BA ‘04, is the new CEO of the Jazz Arts Group of Columbus, Ohio.
Ashley Barrett, BA ‘06, joined the Lansing, Michigan, office of Butzel as counsel.
Judd Herzer, BA ‘07, was hired by Michigan State University to head up the institution’s mobility department.
Brett Coppenger, MA ‘07, was appointed inaugural coordinator for the College of Arts and Sciences Online Liberal Studies bachelor of science and bachelor of arts programs for Tuskegee (Alabama) University.
Monteze Morales, BA ‘08, was appointed to the Hispanic Latino Commission of Michigan by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Teresa Bertossi, MA ‘08, was named Federation of American Scientists regional outreach coordinator impact fellow for the North Central region, including North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota.
Katy Tigchelaar, MA ‘11, was promoted to vice president of operations at the West Michigan Sports Commission.
Matthew Patercsak, BA ‘12, is the new resource officer for Holly (Michigan) Area Schools.
Shauna V. Costello, BS ‘13, MA ‘15, launched the Self- & Time-Management Planner with KeyPress Publishing, a division of ABA Technologies Inc.
Brent Proseus, BM ‘20, a trumpet and cornet player and staff sergeant from Rockford, Michigan, played in the “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band that performed 51’s Miller Auditorium in October.
Sadarra Fields, BM ‘16, is the new principal chorus conductor of the Detroit Opera Youth Chorus.
Peter Poggione, MS ‘21, was hired to lead the St. Joseph County (Michigan) School District’s technology operations.