by Maggie Mutch | Mar 5, 2025 | The 2025 People's Choice Award
Behavioral Health Grants Project Director, Hope Network | Adjunct Professor, GVSU Kasie Pickart is a passionate mental health advocate with over 10 years of experience in project management, focusing on improving behavioral health services and clinical outcomes. She...
by Maggie Mutch | Mar 5, 2025 | The 2025 People's Choice Award
Director of Workforce Development, West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology Renida Clark is dedicated to creating equitable access to opportunity. As Director of Workforce Development at the West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology, she spearheaded WMCAT’s...
by Maggie Mutch | Mar 5, 2025 | The 2025 People's Choice Award
Vice President of Talent and Inclusion, Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce Rodney L. Savage is a dedicated leader committed to advancing equity and inclusion in the workplace. As Vice President of Talent and Inclusion at the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, he provides...
by Maggie Mutch | Mar 5, 2025 | The 2025 People's Choice Award
Diversity Coordinator, Wedgwood Christian Services Arlan Palmer is a dedicated leader in the Grand Rapids community. As Chaplain and Diversity Coordinator at Wedgwood Christian Services, he’s spent 38 years supporting vulnerable youth and families, particularly...
by Kelsey | Mar 4, 2025 | Profile
Play is absolutely essential for children, youth and families of all kinds. Two Grand Rapids women who know and understand this well have now been honored the Michigan Association of Play Therapy for their work and advocacy in the realm of play therapy. On Thursday,...
by Kelsey | Mar 4, 2025 | Cityscene
The Grand Rapids Lantern Festival is returning to John Ball Zoo, promising to be another unforgettable experience with hundreds of lanterns lighting up the night, offering an immersive, enchanting atmosphere. If you’ve been in Grand Rapids the last couple of...
by Kelsey | Mar 4, 2025 | Relationships
When I was asked to write on the topic of identity, I thought I had gone through enough self-exploration that I could probably call on my personal experiences alone. In college, I found myself when I found friends who accepted and helped bring out the real...
by Maggie Mutch | Feb 28, 2025 | Brilliance Awards Finalists 2026
President & Founder | Ward Aviation Growing up with a grass landing strip in his front yard and a professional pilot as his father, it’s not surprising that Mark Ward developed a lifelong passion for private aviation. Graduating from Western Michigan University...
by Maggie Mutch | Feb 28, 2025 | Brilliance Awards Finalists 2026
Principal | Culinary Cultivations Chef Shawn Kohlhaas is a seasoned food service industry veteran of 30-plus years, leading the way with new and fresh approaches. With a passion for farm-to-table initiatives with an emphasis on local, organic and sustainable...
by Maggie Mutch | Feb 28, 2025 | Brilliance Awards Finalists 2026
President, Founder & CEO | VIVE MICHIGAN As a Mexican immigrant, Edgar Garcia is committed to creating spaces and opportunities in the professional and entrepreneurial space for the Latino community of West Michigan. Since his first business in 2002, he’s...
