Calvin News

The Calvin University Board of Trustees welcomed five new members for its October 2023 meetings and honored five for completing their service to the university.

Jack Beeksma (Prince George, British Columbia), Tony Brookhouse (Whitinsville, Massachusetts), Rev. Dr. Moses Chung (Anaheim, California), Adam Ramirez (Pipestone, Minnesota) and Jim Valk (Kalamazoo, Michigan) are joining the board in 2023. While Bill Boer (Grand Rapids, Michigan), Tim Goudzwaard (Oak Forest, Illinois), Rick Mast (Edmonton, Alberta), Rhonda Roorda (Lansing, Michigan) and Ray VanderKooi (Grand Rapids, Michigan) concluded their terms of service this month.

The current 31-member board of trustees now includes representatives from 14 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces with multiple board members holding citizenship in other countries around the world. The board includes pastors and professors, CEOs and CPAs, legal partners and nonprofit presidents, with expertise ranging from accounting to agriculture, ministry to music, and higher ed to healthcare.

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“It’s exciting to have such an accomplished and diverse group of voices serving our institution,” said Wiebe Boer, president of Calvin University. “We are grateful for the many years of dedicated service from our outgoing board members, and we are excited for the leadership, experience, and perspectives that our incoming trustees are bringing. The makeup of our board is a beautiful representation of our institution—leaders from many disciplines all working together to advance our shared mission.”

Incoming trustees

Jack Beeksma is a retired elementary education teacher who taught for 37 years in three schools in British Columbia and Nigeria. He holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Calvin University. He’s served his church both as an elder and clerk, helps new Canadians learn English, and volunteers at his local YMCA. Beeksma and his wife Mary, who is a registered nurse and trained teacher, have two children.

Tony Brookhouse is co-owner and COO for the multi-store Koopman Lumber based in Whitinsville, Massachusetts, where he oversees sales and general management of 10 locations, two distribution centers and over 420 employees. In 2023, Koopman Lumber won LBM’s Dealer of the Year Award and the Annual Sales of $100+Million Award. Brookhouse and his family are active volunteers at the Whitinsville Christian School where he is co-chair of the Rise Up and Build Steering committee. Brookhouse, a graduate of Calvin, is also an elder at his church.

Rev. Dr. Moses Chung is director of program and strategy for Resonate Global Missions. Chung earned his bachelor’s degree from Calvin University, a master’s of divinity from Calvin Theological Seminary, and a doctorate in missional leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary. He is an ordained minister in the CRCNA. He’s served as a pastor in various cultural contexts, including a traditional CRC congregation, immigrant ethnic congregations, a multi-ethnic church plant, and a megachurch in both North American and international settings. He and his wife Eunae have two adult children, both who are graduates of Calvin University.

Adam Ramirez is a church consultant for regional development of cross-cultural rural ministry with Classis Minnkota and in collaboration with Classis Iakota, Resonate Global Mission and the CRC’s Consejo Latino. As a Mexican of Lebanese descent, Ramirez is the first ever Calvin board member with roots in the Middle East. He has a passion for building bridges between the Latino community and the CRC. With a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern College and a master’s of theological studies from Calvin Theological Seminary, Ramirez is finishing his doctorate in worship studies from Robert E. Webber Institute, focusing his dissertation research on rural ministry, church renewal, and immigration.

Jim Valk is managing director with UHY Advisors, Inc., a national CPA firm with 36 offices in 12 states. He manages the Kalamazoo and Dowagiac locations. Valk started his career in public accounting with Ernst & Young (now EY) and then opened his own firm in 1994 with two partners. After growing the firm to the largest local firm in Kalamazoo, he merged the practice into UHY. Valk and his wife Lorraine both hold bachelor’s degrees from Calvin University, so too do their four children.

Expanding representation

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“One of the things to celebrate with our new class of trustees is our expanded representation within the Korean and Hispanic CRC communities,” said Bruce Los, who serves as the board chair. “By continuing to broaden the diversity of voices on our board of trustees, we are living further into our commitment as an institution to be a place that both welcomes and cares well for learners from every tribe, tongue, and nation.”

The Calvin University Board of Trustees is comprised of Classis region representatives of the Christian Reformed Church, of which six are elected and 10 hold at-large positions. They are eligible to serve two 3-year terms. There are three alumni trustees chosen by the Calvin Alumni Association and they are also eligible to serve two 3-year terms. Finally, there are 12 at-large members who are selected by the president and members of the Trusteeship Committee of the Board of Trustees. They are eligible to serve three 3-year terms. All trustees are approved by the Synod of the Christian Reformed Church.