If you are passionate about the school district and would like to use your talent to help students achieve lifelong success, we invite you to volunteer for a board position. Please contact the Foundation office if you would like to talk with someone about your interest.

Board of Trustees

Elizabeth L. Banta
Grand Rapids Public Museum

Chair, Grants Committee

Funding for Michigan schools is precarious at best. But an education is one of the single most important gifts we can give our children. My husband attended Forest Hills Central, and we moved to this neighborhood precisely because of the schools. I am committed to helping our district provide a remarkable education to all the children who pass through our doors. The Foundation is a wonderful vehicle for raising awareness and also raising money for our schools.

Mike Batts
CEO, Batts Group

Affiliations:
Trustee - Grand Rapids Public Museum Foundation
Past Trustee - Grand Blanc Educational Foundation
Director - The Batts Foundation

My family and I moved back to West Michigan in 2003 primarily because of the excellent reputation of the Forest Hills Public Schools. There is so much to be proud of in this community and I want to do whatever I can to continue the tradition of excellence.

I initially became involved as a member of the Fine Arts Center Foundation beginning in 2006 and was an early proponent of merging with the Educational Foundation to help provide a self-sustaining endowment fund. This will allow special arts and educational programs to continue under the limited budget our school system now has.

My wife Beth and I have five children, two of which are still at Forest Hills Northern.

Dan Behm
Superintendent, Forest Hills Public Schools

Our schools and our community are focused on a common aim of doing what is best for children. Throughout the history of our school district, our community and our staff have given their time, their talents, and their treasure to ensure that each child has what she or he needs to unlock their unique and limitless potential. I value the Foundation as a means to bring creative, unique and “out of the box” programs to our students. When I came to the district as Superintendent in 2006, I was and remain committed to doing what is best for our children. This means providing each and every child with the very best education possible.

Christopher Engle
Partner, Argus Financial Consultants

Immediate Past Chairperson

A strong public school system is a critical component of a strong community. It has become clear that we cannot rely on the state to provide sufficient resources to maintain our standard of excellent education. As a parent of three children, I believe that education is critical to their success in life. I joined the board because I believe in a strong relationship between the Forest Hills school district and the community of families it serves.

Sue Gutierrez
Principal, Northern Trails 5/6

District Liaison

2000 Michigan American Legion Teacher of the Year
2001 FHPS Teacher of the Year
2002 Michigan's Teacher of the Year
2003 NASA International Space Camp
2004 Michigan State University Distinguished Alumni

I began my teaching career in 1994 at Forest Hills Central Middle School, where I taught history and social studies. I set high standards for all of my students and was relentless in efforts to engage them by making history tangible and meaningful. While serving as the teacher on loan to the Michigan Department of Education, I represented all of Michigan's teachers. Through my advocacy for the teacher’s voice, I was able to earn a seat on the State Board of Education, which is now occupied each year by the Michigan Teacher of the Year. I enjoy volunteering at the Frederik Meijer Gardens as part of their Education Committee and am also a doctoral candidate at Western Michigan University in K-12 School Administration. My husband and I have an elementary son in the district, and I am a proud Northern graduate. I am eager to work with the children, staff and families of Northern Trails each and every day.

Candace Hinshaw
Community Volunteer

Board Vice Chairperson

Affiliations:
Trustee and Officer, Forest Hills Board of Education (1979-1983)
Co-Founder and Trustee, Forest Hills Educational Foundation (1983-1994)
Founder and Member, Forest Hills Cultural Arts Committee (1976-present)
Trustee, Forest Hills Fine Arts Center Foundation (2002-2011)

In 1983, Charlie Anderson and I, both former presidents of the Forest Hills Board of Education, were asked by the administration to co-found an educational foundation – a relatively new concept in public K-12 education at the time. Its purpose was to provide funding for educational enrichment not covered by the school budget.

Since that time, the Foundation has given more than $900,000 in grants, offering expanded curriculum and innovative programs for our students and staff, including subject-related materials and creative activities, technological equipment and training, life skills and staff development. In 2000, voters in Forest Hills approved a bond issue to build an incredible new community resource, the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center (FAC). Prior to the FAC’s opening, a foundation was formed to raise funds for an endowment for the center’s operating expenses. We have raised more than $1.2 million for this purpose.

In public education it is imperative that we meet the needs of students of all ability levels and career goals, challenging creativity and expecting excellence in both academics and the arts. With the current reality of massively decreased state funding for our schools, it is more important than ever that we expand the scope of our fund raising activities. To accomplish this with the greatest efficiency, our two boards have united to form the Forest Hills Public Schools Foundation.

As a parent of two Forest Hills graduates and grandparent of two current students, it is a particular privilege to continue my involvement in promoting quality education in Forest Hills as a member of the board of this new entity.

Mark Hunting
Attorney, Hunting Law PLC

Affiliations:
Treasurer - Paws with a Cause
Member - Grand Rapids Bar Association
Member - State Bar of Michigan
Member - American Bar Association

Success today depends on book smarts, but also street smarts, experience and creativity. The Foundation encourages all of those qualities through the grants we make, and through the support we provide teachers who are seeking to foster these traits in the students. I believe in the mission and purpose of the Foundation because it helps us top the list of desirable school districts in Michigan.

Jeannine Leslie
Community Volunteer

Board Chairperson

I believe that when it comes to community involvement in a school district, the impact of the whole is much greater than the impact of individual parts. My children attend school in the district, and I know that all parents share my desire for their children to receive the best possible education. The Foundation has the momentum and the reach to make a lasting impact on the quality of education in our district.

Karen Lott
Community Volunteer

Board Secretary

Community members within the boundaries of the Forest Hills school district always have been uniquely involved in Forest Hills schools. In 1956 area families recognized the need for a local high school and supported the consolidation of 13 small districts into one district: Forest Hills Public Schools. The first Forest Hills High School quickly was built on the current Central site. Since that time the district has grown to include 18 schools serving over 10,000 students, and routinely ranks among the top five districts in the state in standardized testing proficiencies.

This incredible student/staff success is due to many factors, but at its heart is the endless community support that founded our school district and continues to enrich our schools through classroom volunteers, PTOs, booster organizations, business partnerships, non-profit collaboration, financial contributions, continuous election support since 1984, and Foundation gifts and events.

The newly merged and renamed Forest Hills Public Schools Foundation offers all residents and Forest Hills friends many opportunities to continue this tradition of community involvement and support, and to assure the continued excellence that best serves our students, community and the world beyond.

I was employed by FHPS in 1985 as Assistant to the Superintendent for Coordination of District Communication, then as Executive Director of Community Services, and became Assistant Superintendent for Community Services in 2006. I retired in June 2010 and appreciate this opportunity for continued district support through volunteer work with the new foundation. Our three daughters graduated from FHC, and my two resident grandchildren will enter FHPS kindergarten in 2014 and 2016.

Walter Perschbacher IV
Realtor, Greenridge Realty

Board Vice Chairperson

The most important gift we can give to our children is a quality education. That gift relies on the willingness of the community to invest and re-invest in our school district. I attended Forest Hills Central, and I now live in the district. I am committed to helping Forest Hills remain one of the premier public school districts in the state. My involvement with the Foundation is one positive step in that direction.

Matt Smith
Director, Deloitte Tax LLP

Board Treasurer

Affiliations:
Member - American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Member - Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Member - Michigan Institute of Certified Public Accountants

I have always been an active member of the community in which I live. When I moved to MIchigan in 2006, I became involved with the Foundation to better understand the challenges facing our district. We as a community are responsible for the education of our children. The Foundation is an invaluable asset that provides teachers with the tools they need to help our students excel.

Mary Vonck

Board of Education Liaison

“It takes a village,” and Forest Hills is fortunate to have in its Foundation a group of community members dedicated to education and cognizant of not only the financial challenges we face but the incredible opportunities available to our children. The work they have undertaken and accomplished in my three short years as liaison has been remarkable. I value the opportunity to work with our Foundation and encourage all in our community to utilize their time, talent and treasure to support their efforts. Your investment will serve countless generations of Forest Hills students.

H. James Williams
Dean, Seidman College of Business
Grand Valley State University

I have a deep, personal, and life-time commitment to promoting and enhancing “The Academy.” My service as a Board member with the Forest Hills Public Schools Foundation accords me an opportunity to make a fundamental difference in education, by promoting and supporting quality K-12 educational opportunities for our communities’ children. Education is the one reward for effort that continues to give.

Foundation Director

Wendy Fisk

We all realize that state funding falls woefully short of what is needed to maintain a standard of excellence in education. I graduated from Forest Hills Central, and I have a child in the school system, so I know that the Foundation grants directly benefit the day-to-day learning of the students. I have been involved with the Foundation since 2008, and I am committed to building awareness of its role in our district.

At-Large Trustees

Chris Afendoulis
Allyson Breon
Marty Campbell
Greg Ford
Jeff Gietzen
Dave Moored
Jennifer Moss Hawkins
Mary Nelson
Mary Ellen Rodgers
Jeff Schreur

Committee Chairs

Gala Committee

Renee Fisk and Meg George

Golf Committee

Greg Ford and Brian Sandberg

Grants Committee

Beth Banta

Nominating Committee

Karen Lott

Please click here to view a list of our former board members.