Board Members | Family Futures

Victor Joaquin

The Right Place

I know the importance of what a strong, central family unit can do for a person. If not for the strength of my family, foundationally, life could have been more difficult. We weren't wealthy. We didn't have many advantages. However, we had each other. Because I know how fortunate my situation was, my mission is to help spread that level of strong and supportive foundation to other families by promoting the services made available to new parents by Family Futures!

Mabel Heitmeier

Owner, Spark Joy in MI

Family Futures’ work, especially the Connections program, has made a great impact on me and my family when I was a new mother. It gave me a tremendous sense of comfort and support to help me navigate through the first few years of parenthood. Serving on the Family Futures’ board is my opportunity to give back and share the wonderful offerings that this organization provides with more people.

Beth Dornan

The Comms Squad

Participating in Leadership Grand Rapids was a life shaping experience….I truly understood the impact of systems thinking and how the problems that limit our community are connected and not simply solved. There are no one-size-fits-all solutions and every problem – poverty, crime, health care disparity, education – is intrinsically connected at many levels. My service had been focused on education and youth and that’s where I felt I could make the greatest impact on the other areas – it’s undeniable that a strong start helps pave the way for a future filled with potential. I heard Candace speak on a panel during the health care day of LGR. It was the day I swore I wasn’t going to cry, as I had during the criminal justice, education, equity and other focus days. It’s there that I saw first-hand the impact race has on disparity of health care outcomes – race kills in more ways than the obvious. It also showed the thread that equity is through all of the service areas and the powerful impact it has on community and societal outcomes. It was equity, systems thinking and ultimately impact that brought me to Family Futures and what keeps me connected to the organization. On a personal level, I wish I would have known about Connections as a new mom with a colicky baby with a short-term health issue – while I was grappling with postpartum depression and struggling to do it all and figure it all out.

Elizabeth Kramb, Chairperson

Mission First Operations

I was first introduced to Family Futures when I had my daughter, Natalie. I was given a flyer for the Connections program at one of the many pre-parent classes my husband and I attended and signed up immediately. I thought receiving age-relevant information about my new child would be very helpful – and it was. Getting a few pages of information that told me what to expect (and not expect) and giving me activities to do with Natalie really kept me from wondering what she should be doing, and activities could I be doing with her. When my son Alex came along, I did not hesitate to sign him up for Connections. Even though I had been through raising an infant two years earlier, I had forgotten many of the milestones and when to expect them. Connections calmed my worries and reminded me what to expect and when, and gave me someone to contact if I had any worries. The Connections program helped me be a reasonable and informed parent. After Natalie was in the Connection programs for a year, I decided that Connections was so helpful to me, I needed to spread the word about the program to other parents. I started volunteering for Family Futures, and after a few years was asked to join the Board of Directors. Being a volunteer and on the Board has allowed me to talk to more people in the community about how Family Futures can help make families in our community stronger.

Gary Mouw, Vice Chair

Varnum LLP

I wanted to get involved with and contribute to Family Futures because of its focus on early childhood development. As the science supports, ages 0-5 is the most important time in a child's development to set a foundation for healthy relationships and future success. From a purely utilitarian perspective, investing resources, time and effort in early childhood development has the greatest “bang for the buck.” Being a Board Member also supports my own values, as someone who is committed to seeing our community continue to grow, improve and be more equitable. Participating in an organization focused on children is also consistent with my Christian values, where followers of Christ are directed to serve the little ones. I wanted to work with Family Futures to first learn more about the organization, and then hopefully be able to contribute to its growth and continued success to reach and help ensure the development of children in our community.

Greg Northrup, Secretary

Verbio North America Holdings Corp (President & CEO)

Part of our responsibilities as citizens of the communities we live in is recognition of the value we can provide to those who could benefit from the lessons of life we learned, both the good and bad experiences. I have been fortunate to understand the importance of the impact we can have on children during the early years of their lives. Ages 0-5 are critical as related to establishing values, providing support, and offering access to educational materials. This is the mission of Family Futures, and where I think I provide some valuable support and input.

Meghan Gartman

Ernst & Young LLP

I was asked to join the Family Futures Board while pregnant with my first child. I felt a strong connection to the mission knowing that knowledge is power. The chance to be part of an organization that focuses on helping families through such a beautiful yet scary time was something I couldn’t pass up. As a Connections parent myself, I value the work Family Futures does to bring an understanding and a sense of stability to those early months where social media, friends, and sometimes even family can make parenting feel mystifying.

Twayne Howard, Treasurer

The Right Place

Family Futures is essential to solving so many of the critical needs of our community. We have all heard countless parents explain that they really didn’t know what they were doing when they first became parents. This seems to be nearly universal. To have an organization of caring professionals, dedicated to supporting the needs of parents and their children, that surrounds them with the resources they need to raise healthy children is truly miraculous. Giving children more support now will help them succeed later. This will have a ripple effect through the community, making West Michigan a better place for us all.

Our Board Members

Serving our community with experience and passion

Current board members

Click on any current board member to see why they joined Family Futures

Victor Joaquin

Mabel Heitmeier

Beth Dornan

Elizabeth Kramb, Chairperson

Gary Mouw, Vice Chair

Greg Northrup, Secretary

Meghan Gartman

Twayne Howard, Treasurer

Emeritus board members

Aaron Pike

Brian Murray

Gregg Hughes

Ingrid Cheslek

Kathleen Koch

Sandy Walls