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Our Advisory Board
Our Advisory Board helps us with issues of program selection, program design, and marketing reach. These volunteers provide us with valuable insights into many areas of the larger community.
Front row (left to right): Father James O'Leary, Fanny Tabares, Reverend Beth McLaren,
Marie Beualac, CSJ
Back row (left to right): Gertrude Maurer, CSJ, Reverend Steve Doughty, Elaine Van Doren,
Elizabeth Tompkins, Michael Dunn, Michele Gossman, TSC Director
Not Pictured: Vito Valella
Marie Beualac, CSJ
Sr. Marie was raised in the Detroit area and entered religious life at 18. She earned her BS in biology from Nazareth, an ME in Science Education from Wayne State, and a MA in ministry from Creighton. She completed CPE training at Bronson. She has been a teacher, principal, chaplain, and pastoral associate. Most recently she was the Pastoral Minister at SS Cyril & Methodius at Gun Lake where she devoted 14 years of service and oversaw fundraising and construction for a new church building. Sr. Marie currently serves as a Development Associate for the Congregation of St Joseph.
Rev. Steve Doughty
Steve is an ordained Presbyterian (PCUSA) minister and the served as the Executive Presbyter for the Presbytery of Lake Michigan, where he supported pastors in 71 congregations, for 10 years. He devoted 23 years to parish ministry. His M.Div. is from Yale and he completed Shalem's Spiritual Guidance Program. He is the author of numerous essays in "Weavings" and other journals, and has written four books.
Michael Dunn
Michael is a man of many talents and interests. Professionally he is an architect who owns his own architectural practice, doing primarily homes and small commercial projects after several years of working at large firms, doing big commercial projects. He holds a Masters of Fine Art in painting and printmaking, and loves to explore worlds that lie behind the obvious. Michael has had numerous art shows in the area and won an honor award for a restaurant that he designed in association with another architect.
Michele Gossman
Michele has been the Director of the Transformations Spirituality Center since 2000. Her background is in financial services, with many years of experience as both a banker and a bank examiner. Her MBA is in Finance, her BBA in General Business/Political Science. She was a founding Board Member of the Kalamazoo Drop-In Child Care Center, and is a member of the Board of Missions and Social Action in her parish.
Gertrude Maurer, CSJ
Sr. Gertrude is one of the founding staff members of Transformations. Here she is a full-time spiritual director, retreat director, program planner and facilitator. Her doctorate is in American Literature and she taught at Nazareth College. She has ministered in both the US and Ghana, and lives in Bethany House where homeless women are offered a time and place to start over. Sr. Gertrude is active in coordinating activities for the work we do in support of caregivers.
Rev. Beth McLaren
Beth has been an ordained Episcopal priest for over 20 years, serving both in Michigan and in Connecticut. She is an active participant in the Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan having served on the Christian Formation Task Force, the Anti-Racism Task Force, and the Cathedral Corporation. She is currently enrolled in the Epiphany Certification Program in Formative Spirituality at Seton Cove in Indianapolis and serves on the Workplace Spirituality Group at Borgess Health.
Fr. James O'Leary
Fr. O'Leary is Pastor of St. Ambrose Church in Parchment. He was ordained in 1961, and has a philosophy degree from Sacred Heart Seminary and a theology degree from North American College in Rome, Italy. Fr.O'Leary serves the community in many ways, including extensive work with 12 Step Programs and work with the courts and their treatment of those with substance abuse problems.
Elizabeth Tompkins
Elizabeth is educated in theology, pastoral care and ministry formation with a certificate in spiritual direction. As the former resource coordinator for the Episcopal Diocese of West Michigan, she was involved in formation at the local, state and national levels. She trained in labyrinth facilitation with Dr. Lauren Artress at Grace Cathedral and has facilitated labyrinth events for over ten years. She has a rich diversity of interactive gifts and an intentional spiritual presence.
Vito Valella
Vito is president and owner of Treetop Performance Solutions, LLC that is a training, development, and consulting company. Their areas of specialization include human performance improvement workshops and services, and they plan and facilitate gatherings for strategic planning, creative idea generation, client complaint analysis, focus groups, and project implementation planning. He earned a BBA in Accountancy from Cleveland State, and an MBA in Organization and Administration from Case Western Reserve. His corporate experience included 19 years with Eaton and 16 with Whirlpool.
Elaine Van Doren
Elaine has been a member of the Kalamazoo community since 1976. She is licensed as a Registered Nurse and has her PhD in Education with a focus on Research and Program Evaluation. She is currently employed as an Associate Professor at Grand Valley State University where she teaches courses in community health nursing and management/leadership. Her scholarly area of interest is in geriatrics and health care access. Elaine is also associated with a number of community organizations including Burnham Brook Center in Battle Creek (an Area Agency on Aging) and in Kalamazoo, the First Presbyterian Health Clinic, and the Gay and Lesbian Resource Center.
Elaine belongs to St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Delton, where she serves on the Liturgy Committee. She is interested in spiritual development and has attended many Transformations programs.
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