The Michigan State University College of Education Alumni Board enhances support and promotion for the college, as well as for faculty, current and future students and friends. The Board provides leadership and programs on behalf of the over 60,000 Spartan education and kinesiology alums. Board activities include hosting events like Get-A-Job and Study Snacks, supporting Homecoming traditions, providing student scholarships and hosting regional alumni receptions.
Being a Board Member
Board members serve three-year terms and meet at least four times annually, primarily in-person. Throughout the year, members participate in ad-hoc or standing working groups that support the annual priorities of the Board. Members determine the Board’s priorities in response to the needs of the Board, the college’s alums and the strategic vision of the college.
2024-25 Priorities:
- Forever Forward Legacy Endowed Scholarship
- Outreach & Recruitment
- College & University Strategic Support
Board Member Nominations
To nominate yourself or another College of Education alum as a potential member of the Board, please fill out the form here.
More Information
Please direct any questions about the Board or volunteer opportunities to College of Education alumni relations coordinator Ryan C. Smith.
Meet the 2025-26 Board
Officers
Ph.D. ’14
Deputy Chief Officer, Examinations,
National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
Chicago, IL
Steven has worked in assessment and measurement for over 20 years. Prior to joining NCSBN, Steve worked for Instructure, Twig Education, Adtalem Global Education and enjoyed a long tenure with the assessment team at the Michigan Department of Education. As an independent psychometric and assessment consultant, Steve has worked with numerous certification boards in the healthcare, law, and financial sectors. Steve is also an adjunct professor of Mathematics, Statistics, Research Methodology, and Psychology for multiple providers of higher education.
Steve received his Ph.D. in Measurement and Quantitative Methods from the MSU College of Education in 2014. He earned his Bachelor of Science (Psychology) and Master of Science (Applied Experimental Psychology- Neuroscience/Cognition concentration) from Central Michigan University.
Retired Director of Adult Studies Program,
Virginia Wesleyan College
Norfolk, VA
After earning three degrees from the College of Education (B.A.- Elementary Education/Social Science; M.A.- Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education, Ed.S.- Curriculum), Rich’s career in the field began as a middle school teacher but most of his professional experience over 35+ years has centered on providing leadership for the development and delivery of adult/continuing education programs and services in a variety of administrative roles including serving as a Community Education Coordinator (East Lansing Public Schools and MSU), Director of Continuing Education (Tidewater Community College, Virginia Beach, Virginia), Director of the University of Virginia Regional Center (Hampton Roads, Virginia), and Director of Adult Studies at Virginia Wesleyan University (Norfolk, Virginia). Additionally, Rich has served as a board member and officer for several professional associations including the National Council for Community Services and Continuing Education and the National Coalition of Lifelong Learning Organizations as well as receiving appointments to various community non-profit boards related to advocacy and long-range planning for economic development, parks and recreation, vocational education, military education, aging/elderly concerns, and public broadcasting,
Now retired, Rich and his wife, Jill (a career K-12 science educator who also earned three degrees from the College of Education) have been long-time supporters of the University and the College through the Annual Fund (John Hannah Society) and started the first alumni club in the state of Virginia when they moved there from Michigan in 1980. Rich is honored to be a member of the College’s Alumni Advisory Board and to be able to support the board’s strategic planning initiatives in service to the students, alums and faculty who have contributed to the College’s long-standing and well-deserved high national rankings in so many program areas.
B.A. ’00, STCRT ’01, M.A. ’03, TCRT ’06, Ph.D. ’11
Founder/CEO, Black Male Educators Alliance; Assistant Professor, MSU
East Lansing, MI
Curtis Lewis is an assistant professor in the Department of Teacher Education and the Founder/CEO of Black Male Educators Alliance, a non-profit organization. He specializes in the philosophy and implementation of restorative practices and culturally sustaining pedagogy in K-12 schools. His research and experience focus on strategies for recruiting, engaging and retaining Black male educators in K-12 schools, and the inequities within those schools that are preventing students of color from attaining success and a liberatory educational experience. Furthermore, he specializes in K-8 mathematics teaching and learning, school leadership development, dismantling school structures and practices that devalue student voices and obstruct schools’ ability to engage in liberatory educational practices. He is a recipient of the Michigan Chronicle’s Men of Excellence award for his work around the State of Michigan and beyond.
CEO,
Communities In Schools of Michigan
Lansing, MI
Mallory DePrekel is the CEO of Communities In Schools of Michigan, a statewide nonprofit that provides integrated student supports to 40,000+ students in Michigan. She is a 2010 graduate of the College of Education and a member of the original Urban Educators Cohort Program (UECP) cohort. Mallory currently lives in East Lansing with her husband and two young sons.
Directors
M.A. ’00
Director, Academic Advising,
Kellogg Community College
Portage, MI
Donna LM Malaski is the Director of Academic Advising at Kellogg Community College, located in Battle Creek, Michigan. During her over 25-year career in higher education, she has worked in Residence Life, Orientation, and Academic Advising. Once Donna graduated from Michigan State University, she started her Academic Advising career at Oakland University. Following the completion of her doctorate, Donna began her role at Kellogg Community College (KCC). She has been at KCC in the capacity of establishing and monitoring the College’s advising model that supports the College’s strategic plan and major initiatives. During Donna’s 25 plus years in higher education, she has earned institutional, state (MiACADA), and national (NACADA) awards in Academic Advising. She is also involved at the national level serving as chair on NACADA’s Two-Year Colleges Advising Community, as well as being a NACADA conference proposal reviewer for several years. Lastly, Donna has attended and presented at several state and national conferences on Academic Advising initiatives.
Donna received her Ph.D in Educational Leadership with an Higher Education Administration cognate from Oakland University’s College of Education and Human Servies in 2014.. She earned her M.A. in Student Affairs Administration from the MSU College of Education in 2000. She earned two Bachelor of Science (Microbiology and Zoology, Genetics) from the MSU College of Natural Science in 1998.
Associate Professor, Department of Teacher Education
East Lansing, MI
Scott is a career educator—he has taught High School German in mid-Michigan, ran an after-school and summer program for elementary students in the Bay Area of California, taught English and Special Education on a rural island in the Philippines as a Peace Corps volunteer, and taught 4th and 5th grade in New Mexico near the Navajo Nation. Scott completed his Ph.D. in the CITE program at MSU in 2019, and has been working in the Department of Teacher Education as faculty ever since, where he works to help future teachers adopt explicitly anti-racist stances and practices to bring with them into their classrooms.
Secretary and Chief of Staff,
Michigan State University Board of Trustees
East Lansing, MI
Stefan Fletcher has served as the Secretary and Chief of Staff to the Board of Trustees since January 2023. In this role, Dr. Fletcher supports the Board in the fulfilment of its general supervisory responsibility for the university. Dr. Fletcher is the internal and external liaison and adviser to the Board with custodial and management responsibility for the Board’s bylaws, ordinances, policies, and other records
Dr. Fletcher holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin – Superior (UWS), a law degree from the Michigan State University (MSU) College of Law, and a Ph.D. from the Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education program at MSU’s College of Education. Dr. Fletcher served in a variety of shared governance leadership roles while in Wisconsin and Michigan, including two terms as the Student Government Association President at UWS and four terms as the President of the MSU Council of Graduate Students. Before returning to MSU, Dr. Fletcher was the Director for Administrative Policies, Projects, and Academic Fellowships at the University of Wisconsin System Administration, overseeing systemwide policy and project management in addition to a fellowship program for advanced degree students. Dr. Fletcher currently serves as the chair-elect for the Association of College and University Policy Administrators (ACUPA), the organization for policy administrators in higher education. Dr. Fletcher joined the College of Education Alumni Board in October 2022.
Elementary Teacher,
Fitzgerald Public Schools
Warren, MI
Becky Girling is a fifth-grade teacher at Mound Park Elementary. She has been working with at-risk students during her professional career. In addition, she has been a mentor to new teachers in her district and a cooperative teacher for student teachers from various universities in Michigan. She has held many leadership positions across her district and helped design, implement and pilot new curriculum. Becky has won many awards over the years, including District Teacher of the Year and also a finalist for Elementary Teacher of the Year in Macomb County in 2019. Becky has been a club sponsor for a multitude of student programs. In addition to teaching, she has been a coach for the YMCA Girls on the Run and STRIDE programs for over a decade. She has been awarded many grants to help innovate her teaching and positively inspire student learning. Becky is passionate about teaching our youth that they have the ability to achieve greatness.
Fifth Grade Teacher, Hayes Intermediate School
Grand Ledge, MI
An educator for over 20 years, Matt Powers is currently a 5th grade teacher at Hayes Intermediate School in Grand Ledge Public Schools. He has also taught 3rd through 6th grades at Maplewood School in Maple Valley Schools.
Matt has a long family lineage of Spartans – his grandfather, grandmother, mother, sisters, aunts and in-laws all earned degrees from Michigan State University. Matt met his wife and fellow educator, Shannon, at MSU. They have two daughters, the youngest continuing the family’s Spartan legacy.
Over the years, Matt developed his leadership skills serving on a variety of committees and teams. He’s served as chair of Elementary Science and Grade Level committees as well as member on School Improvement, District Improvement, PBIS, MTSS, MIBLSI and MICIP teams. Matt has also spent the last seven years mentoring new teachers.
Matt is passionate about improving the work environment of his colleagues, most recently serving as an active union member with the Maple Valley Education Association where he held long-term positions of Vice President and Negotiations Team Member. He is also active in the Eaton County EA as Vice President and PAC Chair.
Always quick to fill a need, Matt joined the Thornapple Kellogg School Board in 2019, working alongside colleagues to complete a ‘Needs Assessment’ and pass a bond for $36 million. The efforts facilitated numerous improvements, including smaller class sizes and strengthened curriculum.
Coaching is another way Matt serves his communities. Building on his affinity for athletics and competition, Matt coached his daughters’ youth league teams in numerous sports. Matt transitioned to coaching 7th grade boys and girls basketball at Maple Valley.
Middleville UMC is another home for Matt. He is the Vice Chair of the Trustees Committee. Matt is an active member of the Discipleship Formation Committee, formerly known as the Christian Education Committee.
M.A. ’03, STCRT ‘99
Eighth-Grade Math Teacher, Chippewa Middle School
Okemos, MI
Laura Kueffner is an eighth-grade math teacher at Chippewa Middle School in Okemos, Michigan. She has served as an educator in the mid-Michigan area for over 19 years after receiving her B.A. in mathematics from MSU as well as an M.A. in curriculum and teaching. Over the years she has taught all grades 7 through 12 and is currently using the CMP curriculum developed at MSU for teaching math at the middle level.
In addition to her years of teaching, she also worked at MSU Federal Credit Union for 6 years where she became a new employee training specialist. In this role, she developed experience and leadership at teaching adults as they entered the workforce. She has a passion for supporting public education. As a mother of two, she has experienced first-hand how much of an impact good educators have in the lives of others. She and her family live in the Haslett area and both her children graduated from Haslett Public Schools. Her daughter will be finishing up her studies at the University of Michigan this year and playing her senior season in the Michigan Marching Band. Her son begins his studies at MSU as a freshman in the fall. Their family loves traveling around the state and enjoying the natural beauty of the lakes and trails that it has to offer. Laura is a multi-generational Spartan with parents who both attended MSU and whose extended family has many ties to the university. As such, she is excited to have this opportunity to be a part of this board and give back to MSU.
M.S. 2001
LinkedIn Profile
Associate Professor, Exercise Science
Department Head
Grand Rapids Community College
Grand Rapids, MI
Laura currently works as a classroom teacher, leading undergraduate courses across higher education for the last twenty-four years. Her role as a faculty member also allows her to support students as an advisor and mentor outside of the classroom.
As an academic Department Head, Laura conducts program review, maintains accreditation requirements, updates curriculum and manages transfer articulation agreements. She serves on numerous committees including the Strategic Leadership Team, Academic Governing Council, and Faculty Council. She prides herself on collaborating with others to achieve shared goals.
Some of her previous experience includes working as Faculty Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence, where she led a comprehensive faculty professional development program. In addition she served as the Interim Associate Dean for the School of Arts and Sciences.
Laura is active with professional membership, leadership, advocacy, and scholarship in her field. She enjoys engaging students in these opportunities to develop their professional skills and extend their learning beyond the classroom. Outside of her academic endeavors, Laura enjoys coaching and regularly contributes to her community by providing membership and service to non-profit organizations that are committed to social justice and serving those in need.
STCRT ‘20
Biological Science and Chemistry Teacher, Academy of the Sacred Heart, Upper School
Bloomfield Hills, MI
Brittany Bacon (who, yes, loves pigs almost as much as she loves MSU) is a sixth-year secondary education teacher, and a first-year member of the College of Education Alumni Board. Brittany joined because she is passionate about empowering young teachers to feel equipped and excited about their profession – they have so much to offer! Although she grew up in California, her parents are MSU alums and she always knew she wanted to follow their lead, bleeding green all the way back to Michigan. Brittany met her husband while studying for her undergraduate degree and graduated from MSU in 2019 with a B.S. in Biology and an endorsement in Interdepartmental Studies. Her first few years as an educator were during the COVID pandemic, teaching at Saint Mary Catholic Central in Monroe. Having learned so much from the experience, she relocated a few years later when her husband’s job called them North. Now, Brittany teaches at Academy of the Sacred Heart, Bloomfield Hills in the Upper School. She gets to follow her passion every day by empowering girls through science and teaching six to eight preps annually. Brittany cannot wait to share her experiences and knowledge with young teachers, from how to fix a stapler to techniques for classroom management.
Go Green!
B.A. ‘75
Licensed Counselor, Grow Therapy
Former School Counselor, Hazel Park Schools
Troy, MI
STCRT ‘05
Melissa Wilhelmi is a bilingual teacher at heart who has also served as an immigration attorney, school leader, and nonprofit contributor in various parts of the country and world. She graduated from MSU in 2004 with a B.A. in Spanish and Elementary Education, and completed student teaching in Grand Rapids. Melissa has gone through extensive language development training with WIDA, and holds a J.D. and M.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Wisconsin. She is currently completing a Ph.D. in Language, Literacy, and Culture at the University of Illinois Chicago. Melissa is the founder and principal consultant at Café Lingua Consulting. She is married to a wonderful teacher with whom she shares an incredible son, Isaac, and two wild Weimaraners, Gholston and Grigio.
Student Representatives
Ph.D. ’25 (expected)
Linkedin Profile
Student Representative – Graduate
Chicago, IL
Theresa Murphy is the graduate student representative to the School of Education Alumni Board. She is a current 3rd year PhD student, studying Higher Adult and Lifelong Education in the Department of Educational Administration. Her goal is to work in a university administration role. She joined the Alumni Board because of her graduate assistantship in the Office of Graduate Career Development and the opportunity she saw to connect alumni and current students. Although she attended different universities for her undergraduate and master’s degrees, she now loves being a Spartan and having a college football team to root for!
B.A. ’25 (expected)
Student Representative – Undergraduate
East Lansing, MI
Senior, Elementary Education (PK–3) with Birth–Kindergarten Endorsement
Peri Bobrosky is a senior at Michigan State University, majoring in Elementary Education (PK–3) with an endorsement in Birth–Kindergarten. Passionate about early childhood development and inclusive education, Peri is dedicated to fostering positive learning environments that support every child’s unique potential from their earliest years.
As the current undergraduate student representative on the Alumni Board, she brings a valuable student perspective to alumni engagement and development initiatives. They are committed to building strong connections between current students and alumni and to representing student voices in board discussions.
Outside of academics, Peri is the President of Kappa Delta Pi, further deepening her experience in education and service. After graduation, they plan to pursue a career as kindergarten or 1st grade teacher, working to empower young learners and their families through compassionate and developmentally appropriate teaching.