Nominees for the 2022–23 Art League Board of Directors
The current Board has unanimously approved this slate and you, the members, will vote online or at our May 11th lecture. Below is the current slate for 2022-23 followed with bios for the three new nominees. We want to thank all who have dedicated countless hours of service to the Art League, our members, and the KIA.
Jim Cupper President
Nancy Kern Vice President
Karen Matson Past President, Ex Officio
Susan Eckhardt Secretary
TBA Treasurer
Laura Cathcart Hospitality Chair
Cat Crotchett Program Chair
Veronica Harik Membership Co-Chair
Efrosini Kokkinos Engagement
Sue Kovats Membership Co-Chair
Mary McCormick Communications
Maya Mokrzam KIA Liaison
Heidi Oberlin New Board Member
Sally Pritko depARTures Co-Chair
Stephanie Robinson Programs + Parliamentarian
Paula Shelhamer New Board Member
Julie Taborn depARTures Co-Chair
Doreen Thomas Historian
Gay Walker New Board Member
Paula J. Shelhamer
After teaching in Portland, MI, for three years, Paula was hired by the Dept. of Defense as an Overseas educator. For over 35 years she taught the children of the military and civilians on posts on Midway Island, Okinawa, Japan, Iceland and Germany. Paula retired to Kalamazoo 14 years ago and has been a docent at the KIA for 10 years. She considers Kalamazoo one of the best places in the U.S. to live!
Gay Walker
Gay is an artist and art therapist who has focused on using art therapy with people who have illness,
including Hospice patients and their families dealing with grief and loss, children and adults with cancer, people with Alzheimer’s Disease, and people with disabilities. As a professor and coordinator for Holistic Health and Wellness at WMU, she taught classes in expressive arts, illness and end of life, and holistic methods. She retired in 2017. She was recently awarded a Freedom of Spirit grant from the Fetzer Institute named in her honor to create an expressive art therapy program and a gallery at the new Bronson Cancer Center. She operates an Airbnb called “Artist Home in a Quiet Neighborhood.”
Heidi Oberlin
Heidi worked in public health, community mental health and non-profit healthcare leadership positions in Kalamazoo for over
35 years until she retired in 2021. She has an undergraduate nursing degree from Ohio State University and a graduate degree in public health from the University of Michigan. She was a committee and board member for many health and human services organizations and initiatives throughout her career. ”Although I don’t consider myself an artist now, I have a deep appreciation for the work that goes into creating art as well as its potential to enlighten anyone.”
The current Board has unanimously approved this slate and you, the members, will vote online or at our May 11th lecture. Below is the current slate for 2022-23 followed with bios for the three new nominees. We want to thank all who have dedicated countless hours of service to the Art League, our members, and the KIA.
Jim Cupper President
Nancy Kern Vice President
Karen Matson Past President, Ex Officio
Susan Eckhardt Secretary
TBA Treasurer
Laura Cathcart Hospitality Chair
Cat Crotchett Program Chair
Veronica Harik Membership Co-Chair
Efrosini Kokkinos Engagement
Sue Kovats Membership Co-Chair
Mary McCormick Communications
Maya Mokrzam KIA Liaison
Heidi Oberlin New Board Member
Sally Pritko depARTures Co-Chair
Stephanie Robinson Programs + Parliamentarian
Paula Shelhamer New Board Member
Julie Taborn depARTures Co-Chair
Doreen Thomas Historian
Gay Walker New Board Member
Paula J. Shelhamer
After teaching in Portland, MI, for three years, Paula was hired by the Dept. of Defense as an Overseas educator. For over 35 years she taught the children of the military and civilians on posts on Midway Island, Okinawa, Japan, Iceland and Germany. Paula retired to Kalamazoo 14 years ago and has been a docent at the KIA for 10 years. She considers Kalamazoo one of the best places in the U.S. to live!
Gay Walker
Gay is an artist and art therapist who has focused on using art therapy with people who have illness,
including Hospice patients and their families dealing with grief and loss, children and adults with cancer, people with Alzheimer’s Disease, and people with disabilities. As a professor and coordinator for Holistic Health and Wellness at WMU, she taught classes in expressive arts, illness and end of life, and holistic methods. She retired in 2017. She was recently awarded a Freedom of Spirit grant from the Fetzer Institute named in her honor to create an expressive art therapy program and a gallery at the new Bronson Cancer Center. She operates an Airbnb called “Artist Home in a Quiet Neighborhood.”
Heidi Oberlin
Heidi worked in public health, community mental health and non-profit healthcare leadership positions in Kalamazoo for over
35 years until she retired in 2021. She has an undergraduate nursing degree from Ohio State University and a graduate degree in public health from the University of Michigan. She was a committee and board member for many health and human services organizations and initiatives throughout her career. ”Although I don’t consider myself an artist now, I have a deep appreciation for the work that goes into creating art as well as its potential to enlighten anyone.”
Become a member of the Kalamazoo Art League
(or renew for 2022-23!)
We have a full line-up of interesting and inspiring speakers for our 2022-23 Lecture Series!
More details will be available in the upcoming. For information on how to join, click on the Membership tab above.
Spring 2022 issue of FOCUS
Note: Due to COVID, staffing, and other issues, we have unfortunately not been able to send our usual quarterly newsletters.
If you missed our last issue, you can read it here.
(or renew for 2022-23!)
We have a full line-up of interesting and inspiring speakers for our 2022-23 Lecture Series!
More details will be available in the upcoming. For information on how to join, click on the Membership tab above.
Spring 2022 issue of FOCUS
Note: Due to COVID, staffing, and other issues, we have unfortunately not been able to send our usual quarterly newsletters.
If you missed our last issue, you can read it here.
Check out what our past lecturers have been doing since they spoke to Art League! Just click on the Featured Speaker tab in the the main menu above and find outstanding links to more information about the speaker and/or their topics of interest.