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Leap of Faith Documentary: Read more about The Colossian Forum’s involvement and position on the film »

Our Team

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If you’re trying to figure out what box we belong in, read on.

Are we progressive? Traditional? Affirming? Conservative? It’s all too easy today to flatten and reduce organizations to “positions” on key issues and who is on their team.

We’d like to offer an alternative paradigm.

The Colossian Forum team is here not because of passion for a position, but because of our desire to hold each other accountable to loving authentically and deeply. We believe that God is doing something very real in each of our lives as we engage in this work of conflict transformation. We get a front row seat to some amazing stories of transformation — maybe you’re next.

A little hope in your inbox.

Our newsletter is created with you in mind. Every newsletter delivers a simple prayer, a hopeful practice, and an encouragement. We’ll also keep you in the loop on new programs, events, and resources.

Have a question or a suggestion for the newsletter or about The Colossian Forum? Email us at info@colossianforum.org.
Staff

Pursuing a deeper love of God and neighbor.

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Rev. Michael Gulker

President

Since 2011, Michael has been leading The Colossian Forum in building strategic partnerships and providing organizational direction.

A native of West Michigan, Michael studied philosophy and theology at Calvin College, has a divinity degree from Duke Divinity School, and is an ordained Mennonite pastor. Before joining The Colossian Forum, he served as pastor of Christ Community Church in Des Moines, Iowa. Michael and his wife, Jodie, have two children.

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Rev. Dr. Tanner Smith

Chief of Staff

Tanner manages our strategic initiatives and internal processes to help move our transformative mission from theory to reality.

Tanner loves to co-create healthy cultures where team members experience fulfillment, belonging, and accomplishment. Tanner completed his doctorate in Mission and Leadership in 2016 from Luther Seminary and is an ordained minister in The Reformed Church in America. Tanner spends as much time as possible outdoors with his wife and 3 children.

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Rev. Jess Shults

Chief Partnerships Officer

Jess leads and executes our program deployment ensuring we understand and exceed our partners’ expectations and needs.

Jess is ordained in the Reformed Church in America and earned her M.Div. from Western Theological Seminary and Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern College. She previously served for 18 years as a pastor at Standale Reformed Church. When not working, you can find Jess and her husband cheering on their two boys at their sporting events.

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Dr. Stacey Wieland

Vice President of Programming, Research, and Evaluation

Stacey develops and evaluates the practices underpinning our conflict transformation programs and crafts components of our resource ecosystem.

Stacey earned her PhD from the University of Colorado, Boulder. A specialist in organizational communication, her qualitative research focuses on identity, culture, and discourse. Stacey has published in journals such as Communication Monographs, Management Communication Quarterly, Communication Theory, and The Journal of Applied Communication Research.

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Rev. Jazmine Brooks

Vice President of Partnerships

Jazmine identifies, cultivates, and supports church, school, and nonprofit partners to engage in The Colossian Forum’s conflict transformation work.

Rev. Jaz previously lived in Accomac, Virginia where she served as a pastor for 4 years prior to joining The Colossian Forum. She earned her BA in Philosophy and Religion at Mary Baldwin University before completing her MDiv at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. She is passionate about formal and informal educational opportunities and multicultural programming in service of the Church.

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Sarah Johnson

Vice President of Marketing and Communications

Sarah shares the story of good work happening at The Colossian Forum by leading an intentional vision and championing compelling messages.

Before joining The Colossian Forum, Sarah worked in a human-centered design lab and led marketing teams in Christian higher education and educational publishing. Outside of work, you can find Sarah hosting book clubs and camping across the country with her husband and four children.

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Andy Saur

Vice President of Operations

Andy makes everyone’s life easier by providing administrative support to the President and overseeing many of the organization’s systems.

Andy has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Wheaton College (IL) and completed a diploma in Entertainment Business Management from Vancouver Film School. In his spare time, he seeks sunshine and a city bench to create art of his own in the form of poetry.

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Jenny Steele

Advancement Manager

Jenny has a passion for creating community. She helps connect the people, interests, and resources of the broader Christian community with The Colossian Forum's transformational work.

Jenny has worked professionally as a high school teacher in Houston and with Hand2Hand in West Michigan. Most recently she served as project manager for The Colossian Forum's "Sowing Seeds of Hope" project, which was captured, in part, in the "Leap of Faith" movie. When not providing top-notch hospitality, Jenny enjoys spending time with her husband, their 3 children, and (now!) 2 puppies.

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Maddie Vonk

Marketing and Communications Manager

Maddie, through writing and storytelling on social platforms and other creative mediums, welcomes people to learn from and engage The Colossian Forum’s teachings.

Maddie holds a B.A. in English Literature from Wheaton College (IL) and an MDiv. from Western Theological Seminary (MI). In her free time, she can be found reading by the lake, sipping an iced mocha at a local coffee shop, or watching a favorite TV show with a friend.

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Gabbie Schuitema

Programming Assistant

Gabbie contributes to a wide range of functions within the organization, providing administrative support to the programming, partnerships, and deployment teams.

Gabbie earned her MA in Human Services Counseling – Business from Liberty University and has experiences in human services and elementary education. Outside of work, you can find her enjoying a cup of coffee on her front porch, scouring the local thrift stores for hidden gems, or sharing a meal with family and friends.

Board of directors

Fostering wisdom and direction.

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Gene Miyamoto

Chair

Gene serves as a principal advisor and CEO of a healthcare service private consultancy and is based in Holland, MI.

Gene has led and served in health system C-Suite and Board roles for 40 years, including (to name a few): Spectrum Health (now Corewell Health), Priority Health, Trinity Health, and Ascension Health. Gene has a B.A. from Calvin University in Philosophy and a M.H.S.A from the University of Michigan.

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Perrin Rynders

Vice Chair

Perrin is a trial attorney and partner at Varnum Law in Grand Rapids, MI.

Perrin has served with Varnum Law since 1985 where he has successfully prosecuted and defended a wide variety of business and commercial disputes, ERISA cases, employment cases, product liability and personal injury cases, health care fraud and tax matters. He earned his J.D. from University of Michigan Law School and his B.A. in History from Calvin University.

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Kristi Potter

Secretary

Kristi most recently served as director of the January Series at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, MI.

Kristi served as part of the January Series staff at Calvin University (Grand Rapids, MI) from 1996 to 2022, acting as the Series’ Director for 15 years. She is a graduate of Calvin University and has served as an elder at Calvary Christian Reformed Church (Wyoming, MI).

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Adam Kinder

Treasurer

Adam serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Holland Home and Christian Living Services in Grand Rapids, MI.

Adam has served in executive leadership roles within a variety of corporate finance teams for more than 10 years, including leading the corporate finance team of a publicly-traded corporation. He is a graduate of Calvin University with a B.S. in Accountancy and is a Certified Public Accountant and Chartered Global Management Accountant.

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Mycal Brickhouse

Director

Rev. Dr. Mycal X. Brickhouse serves as a director of programs and grants at Leadership Education at Duke Divinity School in Durham, NC.

Ordained as an itinerant elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Mycal previously served as a pastor in North Carolina and as director of alumni relations at Duke Divinity School.

Mycal is a graduate of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and earned an M.Div. and a D.Min. from Duke Divinity School. He is passionate about community relations and spending time with his family.

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Patricia Duthler

Director

Patricia serves as the Managing Investor and CEO at Duthler Holdings, LLC in Grand Rapids, MI.

Patricia has served as the Executive Director of GROW (Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women) and as a senior consultant with Greystone Global of Chicago. She graduated with a BA in secondary education from Calvin College and a BS in international business from Aquinas College. She has also earned a Master of Public Administration from Western Michigan University and a Master Certificate in Applied Project Management from Villanova University.

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Christine Metzger

Director

Christine most recently served as the Head of School at Lexington Christian Academy in Lexington, MA.

Christine earned her B.A. in Education from Calvin College, an M.Ed. in Educational Administration and Supervision from Covenant College and was a fellow in the inaugural cohort of the VanLunen Center for Executive Management. The majority of Christine’s nearly 30-year career centers in senior leadership experience in non-profits, managing organizations of 40–80 people and budgets of $2M to $10M.

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Juli Morse

Director

Juli serves as Vice President of Customer Success at Swan Island Networks in Portland, OR.

Juli is a mechanical engineer, entrepreneur, and founder of River Parkway Labs, with 17 years of experience working in the high tech and consumer goods industries. She graduated from George Fox University with a B.S. in Engineering and holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis.

Career Opportunities

We’ll post available job opportunities here.

We are grateful for your interest in the work of our organization. We invite you to prayerfully consider applying for an open position that would uniquely fit your skills and passions.

If you don’t see a position that currently fits you, we encourage you to stay connected by subscribing to our newsletter and watching for other ways you can stay connected with The Colossian Forum.

Start the re-formation.

We believe in meeting people where they are. That’s why we’ve developed offerings to meet individual, small group, and organizational needs.

Whether you want to listen to our podcast on your drive home, access free resources to help you facilitate challenging conversations, participate in a small group study, host a speaker at your event, or set up an organization-wide workshop, we have options.

See How We Can Help
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