Meet the Board

Doug Vanderwell

Board president

I’ve been the Executive Director of Camp Roger for 16 years. Previously, I was a mechanical engineer for Extol Inc. in Zeeland, MI. I graduated from Calvin College in 1993.

I am excited to be involved in creating a Christ-centered and Holy Spirit driven leadership culture for Bethel Community Education. The presence of God’s hand in Bethel’s beginning is very clear. It has been a joy to be involved in figuring out how to keep the Holy Spirit at the center of the board room and other leadership conversations. It’s not something that is easy or clear, but I think the pathway to success is in the striving for and seeking of God’s will.

It is also rewards for me to see students thriving at Bethel. Each student is getting what they need to grow and succeed. Students receive the customized support so they do not fall behind of fall between the cracks. I am really excited to see what God is going to do through Bethel. It is all His anyway!

Mary Broene

Board VIce President

As Christians, we are called to use our God-given talents to join in Christ’s work to further His kingdom. God called me to work the last 41 years in Christian education as a teacher, administrator, and superintendent. I love Jesus and believe with my whole being that our world belongs to God and all truth comes from Him. I am passionate about Christian education and nurturing students to be disciples of Him seeking to bring the hope of Christ and restoration to a broken world. I thoroughly enjoy working with students, staff, and community members, partnering with them in this work.

I love the educational model that BCE offers students- to be self-directed, set goals for themselves, and work together in community – and believe it serves students well, nurturing them to find the special
purpose for which God created them. I also love the focus on community.

I am both humbled and excited to join the community at Bethel Community Education to continue the work of the mission and vision. I firmly believe in the BCE Faith Statements to be true. I pray that God will use me in whatever way He sees fit to serve and support the BCE students, staff, families, board, and community partners.

Kate Mulder

Board Secretary

Kate Mulder lives on a farm in Lowell with her construction husband, three high-maintenance children, two devoted hound dogs, and twenty-five indifference longhorn cattle. She is really pushing for a donkey, but there are those that are against her. Kate brings a passion for special needs, inclusion, dyslexia education, and outdoor learning to the table and is thrilled to be a part of making this alternative education dream a reality for our community.

Tim ofield

Board Member

Peyton Deruiter

Board Member

Kevin Eastway

Board Member

Over the last twenty years, as part of the Young Life staff in Greater Los Angeles, Sacramento, and the Western Great Lakes Region of Michigan (in areas that varied widely demographically and socially: urban, rural, small towns, suburbs, residential facilities, and juvenile detention centers), God has given Kevin a heart for learning how to practice fundraising work in a way that more theologically faithful and effective. He continues to learn about and enjoys inviting people into the wonderful story of what God is doing through faithful friendship in the mission, giving friends and family an opportunity to have new and refreshing experiences with Jesus. Kevin is also the Principal/Founder of the Acuity Lab, a process design laboratory where people and organizations come alive, purpose comes into focus, and potential is cultivated. Kevin loves coming alongside people to help them realize their purpose and cultivate their potential.

Kevin comes to the BCE Board via his 25 year relationship with Curt and Katie Mulder. He loves watching the concept of BCE come into fruition in the lives of students, and thinks that this of education is crucial to the wellbeing of our community.

Bethany Love

Board Member

Bethany graduated from Calvin College in 2018 with a degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. She has been working with children since she was twelve years old. Bethany has a heart for creating space for children to be themselves and learn the way that works best for them. She chose to serve on Bethel’s board after meeting with Kate Mulder (who is also connected with YoungLife) to learn about the school’s mission.

She instantly fell in love with Bethel because of her calling in educational ministry, which was evident for her back in seventh grade. The more Bethany learned about Bethel, the more she fell in love with the idea of being a part of the community. God has confirmed that she needs to be a part of the board and learn and grow along with the school.

When she isn’t teaching at school herself or at Bethel, she is teaching dance classes or taking dance classes, and she loves to be active and outdoors.

Ruth Skidmore

Board Member

I have long had a passion for education and a keen interest in non-traditional models, first starting with a conviction that I would home school my own children (a conviction that was quickly overturned in the face of my own time and patience limitations), followed by a fairly frustrating journey through private Christian and public charter experiences that seemed better
suited to making children highly anxious and stressed than instilling a life-long love of learning.

Against that backdrop, I was excited to learn of Bethel’s efforts to fundamentally reimagine the approach to education in a Christ-centered environment that supports and celebrates each child’s unique gifts and passions. I feel privileged for the opportunity to participate in the vision and am excited to see what the future holds for Bethel.

Andrew vanden heuvel

Board Member

Innovative approaches to education are a passion of mine. I’m an astronomer turned high school physics teacher who stumbled into a freelance career in curriculum development. After working with awesome organizations like Michigan Virtual, NASA, Google, and USA TODAY, I returned to my first passion – astronomy. Currently, I teach introductory astronomy online to community college students across the country.

As followers of Christ, we are invited to join him in the restoration of all things – including schools. I believe that Christian schools, in particular, have a unique obligation to “think differently” and experiment with alternate approaches to teaching and learning in pursuit of a “redeemed education” for all students.

Throughout my life and career, I have been disappointed with the lack of innovation that I have witnessed in schools in general, and Christian schools, in particular. I’m interested in serving on Bethel’s board because I want to support the development and growth of the innovative student-centered learning that I see at BCE.

I am a graduate of South Christian High School, Calvin College, and the University of Florida. My wife, Laura, and I have three children.

Meet the Board

Doug Vanderwell

Mary Broene

Kate Mulder

Tim ofield

Peyton Deruiter

Kevin Eastway

Bethany Love

Ruth Skidmore

Andrew vanden heuvel

Enroll today!

© 2019 Andrew Padilla

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