WMU Alumni Association selects leadership for 2017-18

Contact: Jeanne Baron

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Three members of the Western Michigan University Alumni Association Board of Directors were elected to serve one-year terms as officers on the association's 2017-18 Board of Directors, effective July 1.

In addition, four association members were elected at-large Executive Committee members and three were newly elected to serve one-year terms on the Executive Committee.

New or returning officers

  • President—Mark Alan Jackson, of West Bloomfield, global director for process systems, General Motors LLC. First elected to the board in 2011, Jackson served the past two years as vice president and chaired the Distinguished Alumni Award Committee in 2016-17. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance in 1981.
  • Vice president—Robert Kennedy, of Lansing, president of Capitol Affairs. First elected to the board in 2014, Kennedy previously served on the Bylaws, Legacy Scholarship and Executive committees. He earned a Bachelor of Science in political science from WMU in 1989.
  • Treasurer—DeRondal Bevly, of Chicago, founder and managing director of RubyRose Strategies LLC. First elected to the board in 2015, Bevly previously served on the Finance and Legacy Scholarship committees. He earned a B.B.A. in economics in 2003.
  • Past president—Jennifer Lentner, of Kalamazoo, senior director of marketing communications for Stryker Instruments. First elected to the board in 2011, Lentner served as president the past two years and also has been a member of the Executive, Distinguished Alumni and various other committees. She earned a Bachelor of Science in engineering in 1996.

At-large Executive Committee members

  • Sarah Husain, of San Jose, California; senior manager at Stryker; B.B.A. in management in 2006.
  • Yasir Khogali, of Plymouth; engineering manager for the Nissan Technical Center North America; B.S. in mechanical and aerospace engineering in 2000.
  • Michelle Saigh, of Granville, Ohio; deputy director in the U.S. Department of Education's Program Management Services group; Bachelor of Arts in English and Master of Arts in educational leadership in 1994 and 1999, respectively.
  • Greg Sumner, of Phoenix; flight officer with United Airlines; B.S. in aviation and B.A. in Spanish in 1997.

Newly elected to board

  • Joy McClendon, of Portage; part-time WMU instructor and retired senior director at Pfizer; B.B.A. in administrative systems and Master of Business Administration in 1978 and 1994, respectively.
  • Jason Shorb, of Atlanta; global manager of CRM, InterContinental Hotels Group; B.B.A. in marketing in 1997.
  • Lisa Williams, of Southfield; principal in the Ferndale Public School District; B.A. in secondary education and M.A. in educational leadership in 1998 and 2004, respectively.

WMU Alumni Association

The WMU Alumni Association works through the Office of Development and Alumni Relations to serve the University's graduates and foster an alumni community that is inclusive, connected and engaged. The association's signature programs include the Distinguished Alumni Award and the Legacy Scholarship.

For more information about the association, including its board of directors, visit mywmu.com. Direct questions to Hardy Figueroa at hardy.figueroa@wmich.edu or (269) 387-8774.

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.