Who We Are
Providing The Arc of Allegan County’s level of adovacy and support is a group effort!
Our dedicated and passionate staff, Board of Directors, and SPARC Committee members make us who we are and help work towards a more inclusive community every day.
Roger Bird, Executive Director
Upon joining The Arc in the fall of 2022, Roger brought more than 20 years of leadership experience to the organization. The Allegan resident has served as an Allegan City Council member since 2019 and previously served as the Senior Leader of The Bridge in Allegan from 2008 to September 2022.
In their spare time, he and his wife, Michele, love the outdoors, hiking, the beach, and kayaking. He also loves food, animals, music, and watching movies, particularly “found footage” and anything set in space.
Kati Wright, Individual & Family Advocate
After earning an education degree from Central Michigan University in 2009, Kati began working with students and families to reach equitable and meaningful outcomes. She joined The Arc in August 2022 with more than a decade of advocacy and educational experience. At The Arc, she strives to work collaboratively with school teams and families to reach outcomes that meet students where they are.
Kati lives with her husband, two daughters, and the family dog in Lawton, Michigan.
Keri Nienhuis, Beyond Bones Business Manager
After focusing solely on raising her children, Keri followed her interest in numbers to a career in the administrative and accounting fields where she has managed and helped businesses grow.
Working for The Arc and Beyond Bones brings her career full circle, allowing her to utilize her skills and abilities, and, most importantly, the opportunity to work with, support, and empower often stereotyped individuals to be seen, valued, and included meaningfully.
A mama bear in the office and at home, Keri’s favorite thing to do is spend time with her family. Together, she and her husband Dean have raised four sons and three daughters. They also have two grandchildren, Bailey and Maverick, who bring a new meaning of love to their lives. Keri also enjoys reading, camping, riding motorcycles, and taking cruises any chance she gets.
Our Board
The Arc of Allegan County board members share their various talents and areas of expertise at monthly board meetings and serve 3-year terms.
We are always looking for individuals with diversified skill sets to join our Board of Directors. If you are interested in applying and supporting the work that The Arc of Allegan County does in our community, please submit an application.
Our current Board of Directors includes:
- William Brown, President
- Robin Lavender, Vice President
- Connie Ellis, Treasurer
- Sara Ramaker, Secretary
- John Dial
- Linda Ivers
- Mary Beth Ramm
- Lori Reed
- Robyn Schomburg
- Laree Waanders
SPARC Committee
The SPARC Committee consists of rotating members of The Arc who have an intellectual or developmental disability and would like to use their experiences to impact the lives of others in our community.
Modeled after our emphasis on inclusion and dignity, SPARC stands for experiences we strive to provide for committee members:
- SELF-ADVOCACY to learn skills needed to be better self-advocates.
- PLAN at least one Arc event/activity for the community each year.
- ADVISE The Arc leadership and board on topics/areas of interest they would like The Arc to consider. Share personal feelings/beliefs to help The Arc understand challenges faced by individuals with disabilities to enable our organization to grow and meet our community’s needs.
- RAISE AWARENESS about The Arc and our services throughout Allegan County.
- CELEBRATE each other and enjoy growing and learning together as a committee.
Committee members serve two-year, staggering terms. Meetings are every other month (January, March, May, July, September, and November) on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 10 a.m. at The Arc office.
Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis for these volunteer positions. To apply, please submit an online form.
Assistance will be provided to any individual interested in applying to serve on the SPARC Committee who would like help completing the application.
If you have questions regarding the committee or the commitments of committee members, please contact us.
Our current SPARC Committee members include:
- Brian Berry
- Nick Biesbrock
- Kevon Cook
- Jimmy Engelsman
- Jenna Graczyk
- Alison Harris
- Ray Harris
- Stacey Jensen
- Eric Johnson
- Ted Miklusicak
- Tiffany Minegar
Not ready for a board or committee position?
Many types of volunteers are needed at The Arc!
