Staff

Steve VanderVeen , Ph.D. Director and Professor of Management Office: 616-395-7246; 616-395-7574 Email: vanderveen@hope.edu

Prof. VanderVeen's teaching career began in 1989 at Calvin College. Prior to being a teacher he was a stockbroker. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago in consumer behavior in 1995. He has been at Hope College since the summer of 2004. He served as interim director of the Center for Faithful Leadership from February, 2007 to August, 2007. Since August, 2007 he has served as director. Professor VanderVeen teaches various leadership courses within the leadership minor and attempts to serve those leading the ASI Consulting, mentoring, and leadership minor programs at the Center for Faithful Leadership. Professor VanderVeen also supports the internship program in the Department of Economics, Management, and Accounting. In 2009 he was given the Johnson Award from the Christian Business Faculty Association for his contributions to scholarship that integrates the Christian faith and business. Prof. VanderVeen defines leadership as "making a positive and significant difference by helping others meet their need to make a positive and significant difference" and believes servant leadership is a way of life. He strives to be proficient in providing students and colleagues with challenging team-oriented project-based learning experiences.

Dr. Virgil Gulker is a social entrepreneur whose work engages church volunteers in the lives of at-risk children and families. In 1995 he founded KIDS HOPE USA, an innovative mentoring program that has trained over 700 churches in the United States and Australia to engage their members in one-to-one, I believe in you relationships with 10,000 at-risk elementary children.

Prior to his involvement with KIDS HOPE USA, Dr. Gulker founded numerous other award-winning programs. LOVE INC (1978) mobilized over 300,000 volunteers from 9,000 churches to respond to over 1,000,000 needs in 2008 and is active in two other countries. Love Our Kids (1990) provided mentors for inner-city children in three cities; Love For Children (1991), funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and World Vision, linked church volunteers with children and families in the federal Women, Infants and Children and Head Start programs. He also administered the first two-year college education program in the United States to award academic degrees to inmate students in a maximum security prison.

Dr. Gulker has received the Mustard Seed Award for Creativity, was the recipient of the 2001 Grand Valley State University Distinguished Alumnus Award, and has written numerous articles and books on volunteerism, including "Help Is Just Around the Corner" and "Helping You is Helping Me".

Ellen Awad Associate Director and Director of Student Life Office: 395-7800 Email: awad@hope.edu

In her twelfth year at Hope College, Ellen Tanis Awad is currently serving as the Director of Student Life and the Associate Director of the Center for Faithful Leadership. Before stepping into her current positions, Ellen previously served in Residential Life at the University of Georgia, Michigan State University, Augustana College, and at Hope College. With a passion for serving college students, Ellen is committed to aiding students in their growth as individuals and as leaders. Ellen works to complement classroom learning and enhance students’ understanding and development of the leadership skills learned through hands-on experiences. Ellen is a graduate of Hope College (B.A. in Psychology/Sociology) and the University of Georgia (M.Ed. in College Student Personnel).

Sarah Kolean Asst. to Director and Program Manger Office: 616-395-7244 Email: koleans@hope.edu

Sarah serves as the assistant to the director and program manager. Sarah is a graduate of the University of Michigan. She worked at Prince Corp. in Holland, Michigan from 1988 to 1990. Sarah owned and operated the local business, Uptown Gallery and Frame Shop, from 1990 to 1996.

Marcia Floding Mentoring Coordinator Office: 616-395-7245 Email: floding@hope.edu

Marcia is graduate of Bethel University (St. Paul MN.) who taught elementary school before becoming involved in Christian education with the Reformed Church in America.  She has been an education consultant for the Reformed Church, still directs children's ministries, and now helps to coordinate the mentoring program for the Center for Faithful Leadership.

Stacy Jackson , Ph.D. Mentor to CFL and Seminar Leader in the Certificate Program for Engineering Majors Email: jackson@hope.edu

Professor Jackson began his career at NASA in Houston, Texas. His subsequent consulting experience includes serving as a Senior Manager for Ernst & Young Management Consulting and as a Practice Leader for Hewitt Associates. His academic experience includes serving as a Professor of Management at Calvin College, as an Assistant Dean and Professor of Organizational Behavior at Washington University in St. Louis. Stacy has received numerous teaching awards as well as recognition in Business Week’s review of outstanding faculty in top twenty-five business programs. His views have been cited in media sources such as Business Week and Wall Street Journal. He has published a variety of articles (e.g., Business and Professional Ethics, China Economic Weekly, Journal of Biblical Integration in Business, Journal of Career Assessment, Journal of Management) and various book chapters.

Stacy is active in consulting and executive education in North America, Europe and Asia regarding topics of strategy, leadership, and organizational effectiveness. He works regularly with firms who manage the difficulties of focusing on strategic growth while maintaining values they consider sacrosanct. He is a frequent speaker in leadership development programs, annual officers’ meetings, and academic conferences. His clients have included organizations such as Bunge, Citigroup, Creative Dining Services, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Southwest Airlines, Texas Instruments, 3M, & TimeWarner.