Meet Our Board of Directors
Brenda Hunt - Chair
Brenda is a native of Michigan, raised in rural Montcalm County. She received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Western Michigan University. Brenda has 40 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, she joined the Battle Creek Community Foundation in 1993 as a program officer. She was promoted to vice president in 1995, to chief operating officer in 1997 and began as president & CEO in April of 1998. She was previously employed with the Greater Kalamazoo and Holland United Way’s and the American Red Cross, Kalamazoo County Chapter.
Brenda is known throughout the state for her collaborative approach to addressing community and regional needs. She has provided leadership and guidance in fostering public-private partnerships and has been instrumental in bringing about refocusing initiatives to be more collaborative and inclusive.
During her tenure with the Battle Creek Community Foundation, Brenda initiated the Regional Health Alliance (RHA) a collaborative planning and programming initiative. Re-structured as the Population Health Alliance in 2019, focus areas have included access to care, infant mortality, obesity and teen pregnancy. Through collaboration and advocacy, the work of RHA attracted Western Michigan University Homer Stryker School of Medicine to Battle Creek to establish a family residency program. During the pandemic Brenda chaired a task force that created the Battle Creek Shelter, an independent nonprofit organization that serves as a 24/7 low barrier shelter for men and women.
Brenda provided leadership for the acquisition and restructuring of the Burnham Brook Community Center, now, Kool Family Community Center, a title holding corporation of the Battle Creek Community Foundation. The restructuring of the Center established a consolidated home delivered meal kitchen/office for Calhoun County as well as the financial infrastructure required to make the facility the home of Senior Care Partners PACE.
During her tenure in Battle Creek, Brenda has been involved with numerous efforts to increase access to health services. She served on the Board of Albion Hospital until a re-alignment with Jackson County occurred. In 2001 she was once again engaged in the effort to create the Albion Health Care Alliance (AHCA), an independent nonprofit organization that was created to provide access to health services after the hospital was closed in 2001. An effort where BCCF continues to provide fiduciary and management services to support AHCA’s sustainability.
Health related Board service includes eighteen years on the BBCH Community Partners Board of Directors, five years on Battle Creek Health System, and ten years on the Bronson Healthcare Board of Directors. Brenda has served on three search efforts to secure health care executives, numerous health system committees and task forces. She has attended five NRC Governance Institutes for board members. In her role as a local funder Brenda has directed or collaborated on both small and large health funding and financing efforts for 30 years.
She has received several honors for her work including the Dale Griffin Health Leadership Award and the John and Kay Polzin Ambassador for Healthcare Award from Bronson Health Foundation. Brenda continues to serve as an advocate for health needs both in the community and board room.
Karol Clason, MBA, FACHE - Vice Chair
System Director, Strategic Planning & Business Development – Bronson Healthcare Group
Karol Clason oversees strategic planning and business development for Bronson Healthcare headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She has over 29 years of experience in health care and 22 years in strategic planning. Karol received her Bachelor and Master of Business Administration from Walsh College in Troy, Michigan. She served as a Senior Examiner for the Michigan Quality Council and is a Fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). Karol also served six years on the Hospital Hospitality House of Southwest Michigan Board.
Anita Grivins, CPA - Treasurer
Chief Financial Officer at Milestone Senior Services.
Anita received her B.A in Accounting from Western Michigan University and went to work for Plante Moran, obtaining her CPA license there. Her focus was on the healthcare industry performing audits and consulting work for hospitals, long-term care facilities and continuing care retirement communities. Upon leaving Plante & Moran, she worked at the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians for 10 years as their Director of Finance, overseeing the related finances for the government operations and assisted in the monitoring of gaming operations.
Anita has over 30 years of experience with accounting, budgeting, forecasting, grant administration, audits, compliance, strategic planning and involvement with several Boards. Anita has remained very active in her Latvian community both here in the Kalamazoo area as well as on a national level.
Kelly McCormick, MBA, BS, RN - Secretary
Chief Executive Officer – Centrica™ Care Navigators
Kelly McCormick, MBA, BS, RN, is the Chief Executive Officer of Centrica™ Care Navigators. Prior to this position, she served the same organization as the Chief Operating Officer for a number of years where she provided overall direction and provision of the agency’s clinical and operational areas including quality service delivery, strategic planning, business operations, census growth, compliance, and financial oversight. Prior to these positions, she served as Director of the Nursing Resource Team at Borgess Medical Center, Community Relations Officer and Director of Residential Services at Centrica™ Care Navigators, formerly Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan, Marketing Specialist at Borgess Health Alliance and Product Manager in Sales and Marketing at Stryker Medical.
Kelly earned her Registered Nurse Diploma through the Bronson School of Nursing. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Studies and a Master of Business Administration (MBA), both from Western Michigan University. She is nearing completion of a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a concentration in Leadership and Management through Walden University where she is a member of the Walden University’s International Nursing Honor Society which recognizes academic achievement and integrity.
In addition to her work responsibilities, Kelly formerly served on the Advisory Committee for the Kalamazoo Community Foundation’s Women’s Education Coalition Grant, is the former Vice-chair of the Public, Community, and Member Relations Committee for the Michigan Hospice and Palliative Care Agency, and is a former Editorial Consultant for Home Health Aide Digest. Additionally, she has been a presenter at the Michigan Hospice and Palliative Care Agency Conference and has served on several boards and committees in the Kalamazoo area.
Erin Majka - Past Chair
Erin Majka concentrates her practice in the areas of estate planning, estate administration, and long term care planning. Erin graduated from DePaul University College of Law (magna cum laude and Order of the Coif). Before attending law school, she graduated from DePauw University, which is located in Greencastle, Indiana. She is licensed to practice in both Illinois and Michigan. After law school, Erin was an attorney with a firm in Chicago for eleven years before moving home to Michigan.
Erin is a board member for both the Hospital Hospitality House of Southwest Michigan, located in Kalamazoo and Senior Care Partners P.A.C.E – Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), located in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo. She is also a member of the Junior League of Kalamazoo. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, as well as reading and volunteering.
Daniel Brauner, MD
Chief of the Division of Geriatrics at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
Daniel Brauner, MD, is a board-certified internist with added specializations in geriatrics, rheumatology, and medical ethics recently recruited as the Chief of the Division of Geriatrics at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
He received a bachelor of science in biology from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, and his medical degree from Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York. He was a resident and chief resident at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, completed his Rheumatology Fellowship at the University of Illinois, Chicago, Medicine and Cook County Hospital, and a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship at the Institute for Humanities and Medicine.
He was a founding member of the section of Geriatrics at the University of Illinois, Chicago, where he practiced rheumatology and geriatrics. He then moved to the University of Chicago, where he concentrated on geriatrics practice and medical ethics, was the director of the Geriatrics fellowship, medical director of its teaching nursing home, co-director of the ethics consultation service, and assistant director of the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics Center. His research interests include the historical genesis of current standards of care, the evolution of the language of medicine and its influences on care, how cognitive impairment influences care, and issues of access to care.
Matthew R. Cooper
After graduating from Valparaiso University School of Law, with honor awards in contracts and criminal law, Matt clerked for a Circuit Court Judge. Matt then joined the Law Offices of Schuitmaker, Cooper, Cypher & Knotek, P.C. Over the last 25 years, Matt has represented clients in major litigation cases and has participated in jury trials in Van Buren, Kalamazoo, Barry and Wayne Counties. Further, Matt has prosecuted cases in Illinois, Maryland, Indiana and Michigan at the Federal and State Court levels. Matt has worked on both civil and criminal cases. Matt has appeared in Circuit Court in over seventeen (17) Michigan Counties. Matt has also handled cases in the Western and Eastern Federal District Courts, the United States 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Michigan Court of Appeals and the Michigan Supreme Court.
In 2011, Matt was selected by the Paw Paw Chamber of Commerce as the Community Volunteer of the Year. He is a charter member and past President of the Paw Paw Area Rotary Club. Matt is past president of the Optimist Club. For numerous years, he has worked for Paw Paw Rocket Football, Inc., and Paw Paw Youth Baseball, Inc. Matt formed both of these organizations into Michigan Corporations and obtained their 501(c)(3) charitable organization status from the Internal Revenue Service.
On a county-wide level, Matt has served on numerous county-wide boards such as the Van Buren County Local Emergency Planning Committee, the Southwest Michigan Legal Aid Bureau and the Tri-County Headstart Board.
On the state-wide level, Matt sat on the Michigan Bar District Character and Fitness Committee.
Matt recently released “A Soldier’s Home” which follows Sgt. Hurley from his tranquil life at home, his tour in Iraq, and a Federal Court lawsuit that would result in Congressional Amendments that benefit all servicemembers in the United States Military. Sgt. Hurley took on Deutsche Bank, Saxon Mortgage Company, and a Detroit foreclosure law office in a David vs Goliath campaign that lasted seven years, and resulted in the first jury trial of its kind.
In addition, Matt co-founded the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act Foundation, Inc., a Public Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Charity which is dedicated to assisting United States Servicemembers and their families.
Matt and his wife Laurie reside on a small farm in Paw Paw with their children Anella, Drew and Bennett and loyal companion Buck.
Kim E. Doherty, MSN, BSN, RN
Prior to retiring in January 2020 Kim served as Director of Inpatient Care and Utilization Management at Spectrum Health located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her administrative oversight included directing and managing the care coordination of a comprehensive range of services within each of the ten inpatient acute care settings. The care management teams coordinated transition care plans across all levels of the care continuum for adult and children’s populations. The scope of coordination involved collaborating with insurance providers, ambulatory care settings, outpatient services, all levels of hospice and palliative care, acute inpatient rehab, skilled and private home care services, senior living communities, skilled and long-term nursing facilities, long term acute hospital, durable medical services and behavioral and psychiatric care, both inpatient and outpatient settings.
Kim has experience designing and redesigning patient care coordination and care transition models of care; including but not limited to risk stratification system, warm handovers, heart failure transition coach model, ED staff model, clinical network high risk team huddles and care progression team model. Kim has thirty years’ experience with the Joint Commission, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, compliance, avoidable readmission reduction, physician clinical documentation, outcomes management, quality measures, medical appropriateness, and clinical denials.
Prior to these responsibilities Kim served an additional twenty years as Inpatient Care Management Director at Borgess Medical Center and Battle Creek Health System. Several other positions included interim Vice President of Operations and Chief Nurse Executive, Director of the Neuro Ortho Trauma service line, Clinical Medical Surgery Educator, Surgical Services RN, and Post Anesthesia Care Unit Manager.
Kim completed her Associate Nursing degree from Kellogg Community College, Bachelor of Nursing degree from University of Michigan and Master of Nursing degree from Grand Valley State University.
Nadeem M. Mirza, MD
Dr. Nadeem Mirza is a distinguished psychiatrist and the lead physician for the Bronson Neurobehavioral Health Program. He serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Western Michigan University’s Homer Stryker School of Medicine. Dr. Mirza obtained his medical degree in Punjab, Pakistan, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in immunogenetics at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, affiliated with Harvard University, in Boston. He completed his residency in Psychiatry at the University of Connecticut and the National Institute of Mental Health and pursued a combined fellowship in Geriatric Psychiatry at the National Institute of Health and Johns Hopkins University.
Board-certified in both General Psychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry, Dr. Mirza specializes in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. He has been actively involved in clinical trials at the National Institute of Health and in pharmaceutical-sponsored clinical studies. Beyond his professional endeavors, Dr. Mirza is passionate about community service and advocacy. He has volunteered extensively, serving for over a decade on the Health and Human Services Committee for the City of Portage. His work with the Alzheimer’s Association and other outreach initiatives has been instrumental in raising awareness and providing support for caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients.
In his leisure time, Dr. Mirza enjoys traveling and spending quality time with his family.
Jeannie Goodrich
Jeannie is the CEO of Summit Pointe, appointed in 2015. She began her career at Summit Pointe in 1995 and held various administrative roles, prior to be being named CEO. Jeannie acquired her Master’s Degree in Business from Notre Dame University
and her undergraduate in Organizational Management from Spring Arbor University.
Through adversity as a newly appointed CEO, Jeannie has championed the Community Mental Health system in Calhoun County prioritizing collaborations with local hospitals, law enforcement, court systems and physical health care providers. Jeannie’s passion is redesigning and implementing new programs that add value to the community and strives to improve the behavioral health system in Calhoun County.
Jeannie serves on the Calhoun County Health Department Board, the Battle Creek Homeless Shelter Board, the Calhoun Intermediate School District Board, The Alano Club Board and Athens Township Library Board. Jeannie lives in East Leroy and enjoys spending time on her 80-acre farm.
Sharrie Yingling
Sharrie Yingling has built a career rooted in community and service. She is an advocate for financial wellness, community enrichment, and people empowerment and believes that together WE WILL make a difference. The majority of Sharrie’s career has been in banking leadership for two of the largest and well-known consumer banks. In 2011 she joined the credit union movement when she started with Advia Credit Union, a $3B not-for-profit organization headquartered in Oshtemo Township, MI. Sharrie quickly showcased her aptitude to lead both people and operations which allowed her to elevate through the ranks and in 2014 she accepted her current role as the Director of Branches for the state of Michigan, overseeing nineteen branch locations.
With a focus on inspiring her teams to excel for the betterment of their communities, Sharrie’s leadership is instrumental in delivering on the credit union mission of people helping people. If you are around Calhoun or Kalamazoo County, you might catch Sharrie at local networking events, developing relationships with influential community leaders, and investing her efforts to advance collective community objectives.
In her spare time, Sharrie is an active volunteer and avid supporter of organizations like the American Heart Association, Kalamazoo Literacy, and the First Day Shoe Fund and joined Community Homeworks Board of Directors in 2024. When not at work, Sharrie enjoys reading (a good suspense novel, she can’t put down) kayaking and is an avid motorsports fanatic.
Mary Muliet
President and CEO, Battle Creek Community Foundation
With a passion for giving “voice & choice” to individuals who face oppressive, vulnerable, and disadvantaged situations, Mary Muliett is the President and CEO at Battle Creek Community Foundation.
Her desire to work toward equitable opportunity and dignity promotion for all individuals began when Mary was a child, watching her mother excel in special education administration. Mary’s work has been in foster care and licensing, family preservation, juvenile justice, intensive homebased therapy, chronic trauma & sexual assault services, affordable housing, re-entry programming, family shelter services, food programing, therapeutic riding, and home care (both and skilled and non-skilled). Mary has supported and advocated for children their families and individuals in the community with developmental, intellectual, and emotional disabilities, as well as those living in poverty.
Mary’s career trajectory has been driven by passion and strategic focus, development of up-and-coming leaders for the non-profit sector is a passion for Mary, while implementing new programs and growing existing services – streamlining programs to support sustainability for long-term success. Mary focuses on setting strategic goals and implementing solid program structures and systems for lasting impact.
Mary brings an entrepreneurial approach to her work with children, families, and individuals across the state of Michigan. She has implemented innovative offerings in family preservation, worked with individuals with disabilities to consider new models of programming, partnered with experts to implement services that meet community needs in many areas, and overall has focused on a person-centered approach across a continuum of care, in multiple health & human service settings. She is known for advocating, partnering, and collaborating with like-minded service organizations statewide, to create maximum impact and reach.
Raised in metro Detroit and currently a Battle Creek resident, Mary has more than 27 years of experience in non-profit and health and human services. Mary earned a B.A. in Art Education and a Master of Social Work from Western Michigan University, with full clinical licensure in the state of Michigan.
