Board Members and Staff

Trice Batson
Board Member

Christine Berro
Board Member
Christine is retired director of the Portage District Library and a member of the Portage Rotary. Christine is involved with many local non-profits, including SHARE and Trauma Recovery Associates. She joined the Board of the Southwest Michigan Black Heritage Society in 2010 and continues to serve with SHARE.

Sue Ellen Christian-Isaksen
Board Member

Joanna Donnelly Dales
Board Member
Joanna joined the Kalamazoo Community Foundation staff in 2007 as a Donor Relations Officer before being appointed to Vice President, Donor Relations in 2012. Joanna is a member of the Community Foundation’s Anti-Racism Transformation Team.
Prior to coming to the Community Foundation, she held development positions in Washington D.C., with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the American Symphony Orchestra League. In New York State she held development posts at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy and with the Preservation League of New York State in Albany.
Joanna holds a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She currently serves on the boards of KC Ready 4s and the Downtown Kiwanis Club. She served on the board of the YMCA of Greater Kalamazoo for 9 years, including two as chair, and recently completed her service on the board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals West Michigan.
Joanna lives in Kalamazoo with her husband and three sons.

Byron Foster
Board Member

Caitlin Hoag
Board Member

Candy McCorkle
Board Member

Sue McCrery
Board Member

Tina Wade
Board Member

Chiante' Lymon
Executive Director - Staff
A Detroit native, Lymon moved to the Kalamazoo area to attend Western Michigan University. In 2018, she graduated as a full-time, first-generation college student with dreams of becoming an Attorney General and running her own non-profit. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and a double minor in Communication and Sociology. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, has served as the former Student Body President of WMU, Homecoming Queen, and institutionalized voter registration at WMU for students to understand the importance of civic engagement. Lymon leaves her role as Social Media and Technology Specialist at the Kalamazoo Defender, where she was previously a legal assistant and the board liaison and facilitator for the office’s Anti-Racism Team.

Curtis Bell II
Member Emeritus
Judge Bell became a member of the Board of the Southwest Michigan Black Heritage Society in 2007 and continues emeritus status with SHARE.

Edward Parham
Member Emeritus
Ed is a graduate of Western Michigan University where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Health Care Administration in 1977.
Ed has served as Technical Director of Cardiac Laboratory Studies and Administrator of Borgess Medical Center. Upon retirement in 1983 he established Physicians Planners Consulting where he served as medical consultant to numerous medical practices throughout southwest Michigan. Ed has served on the board of directors of several organizations, including the State Hospital, the Youth Advancement Academy, the Douglas Community Association, and Allen Chapel AME Church. In 1981 Ed co-founded the 100 Men of Kalamazoo, an organization devoted to serving as examples and mentors for young African American men.

Romeo Phillips, PhD
Member Emeritus
Dr. Phillips has been a member of the Kalamazoo/Portage community since 1968 when he accepted the position that led to his becoming the first tenured African American professor at Kalamazoo College. He has played an active role in community arts and political organizations, having served as the president of the Kalamazoo Chapter of the NAACP, as a member of the Portage City Council, and as a performer in the Kalamazoo Bach Festival, the Kalamazoo Singers, and other music ensembles.
Dr. Phillips was a founding member of the Southwest Michigan Black Heritage Society and continues his emeritus status with SHARE.

Patricia Davis
Office Manager