Board Members and Staff

Curtis Bell II

Member Emeritus

Appointed to Kalamazoo County Probate Court, 2005 the Honorable Curtis Bell serves in the Family Division of the Circuit Court. He was managing partner in private practice at a law firm located in Kalamazoo, 1994-2005, an adjunct professor at Western Michigan University, Haworth College of Business, and a former Oshtemo Township Deputy Supervisor. Judge Bell served as president of the Kalamazoo County Bar Association, from 2008-2009, president of the Southwest Michigan Probate Judges Association, from 2007-2008, and secretary from 2006-2007.

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.

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

Sue Ellen Christian is the Presidential Innovation Professor at Western Michigan University for 2021-2023. She teaches journalism and media literacy, and has written books on both topics with a focus on representation of historically marginalized groups and on inclusive narrative. She co-created a book on oral histories of longtime Black residents of Kalamazoo for SHARE and has served on the SHARE board since 2019.

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

Retired & serving as trustee on several boards in Kalamazoo.

Trice Batson

Board Member

Trice Batson is the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. He previously served as the Coordinator of Diversity and Inclusion and Training Specialist. Included with his experience in diversity training and programming, he has served on numerous committees and is currently the Chair for The Diversity and Inclusion Committee for Equity and Culture. Trice earned a Bachelors degree in marketing from Western Michigan University (1999) and a Masters degree, also form Western Michigan University in Organizational Change Leadership (2019).

Caitlin Hoag

Board Member

Caitlin Hoag is the Lead Law Librarian at the Kalamazoo Public Library (KPL) and a founding member of KPL’s Antiracism Transformation Team. She has been involved in social justice work and dismantling systemic racism in the library world since 2010 and has spoken at state and national library conferences regarding antiracism. She grauated from Wayne State University with a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) in 2009. A lifelong Kalamazoo resident, Caitlin is glad to be a part of an organization like SHARE that makes our a community a better, more equitable place to live.

Sue McCrery

Board Member

Sister Sue, a member of the Congregation of St. Joseph, has served many years in ministry as a teacher, a campus minister, and a hospital chaplain. She got to know the work of SHARE when she invited the Summit on Racism to Ascension Borgess Hospital. Since 2002, when Sisters of St. Joseph began their antiracism work, Sue has been passionate about racial justice and equity. She facilitated the Borgess Diversity Council during her time at the hospital and serves on the Committee Against Racism with the Catholic Diocese of Kalamazoo. She is currently serving as Treasurer on the SHARE Board of Directors

Candy McCorkle

Board Member

Dr. Candy McCorkle currently serves as the Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI. Prior to joining the senior administration of WMU she served as the Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs and the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Alma College, Alma, MI. She has served in higher education for over 20 years beginning her career as an Associate Professor of Psychology at Spring Arbor University, Spring Arbor, MI. She also served as the director of the Masters of Counseling program at Spring Arbor University and was an Assistant Professor of Counseling and Director of the Global Campus Counseling program at Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI. Prior to serving at Alma College, Dr. McCorkle served as the Adjunct Administrator and Assistant Dean of the Honors program at Jackson College, Jackson, MI. She has also taught at the Moscow Christian School of Psychology, Moscow, Russia. She earned her B.A. in Psychology at Wright State University, Dayton, OH, her M.S. in Clinical Psychology from Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI and her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI. Dr. McCorkle has facilitated several workshops on privilege and identity, creating inclusive learning environments, and introduction to the basics of diversity and inclusion. She has served as a keynote speaker on topics related to diversity, equity and inclusion in educational and mental health settings. She has contributed as a chapter author to a text on pre-college programs and their impact on college retention as well as a guidebook for diversity and inclusion practitioners. Dr. McCorkle is completed a year-long National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education’s (NADOHE) fellowship focused on the work of Chief Diversity Officers. As an administrator, educator and counselor, Dr. McCorkle has always demonstrated her commitment to moving organizations toward inclusivity.

Michael Smith

Board Member

Michael L. Smith is a member of the Division of Student Affairs staff at Western Michigan University. Michael’s extensive career includes healthcare communications, corporate communications and broadcasting. He was a member of the marketing and communications team at Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo and supported social media, internal and external communication initiatives for the health ministry. His higher education career also includes a previous position at Central Michigan University in 2011 as Assistant Director, Executive Communications. In this role, he served as the chief speechwriter for the CMU administration. Michael has also worked in corporate communication departments at Haworth, Inc., and at Amway Corp., and held the position of Director of Public Affairs at WWMT-TV in Kalamazoo from 1996 until 2000, where he created the station’s public service campaigns. Michael is a native of Murfreesboro, Tenn., attended Middle Tennessee State University, and worked at radio and television stations in the Nashville market. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in management from Spring Arbor University, and he is a former adjunct instructor at SAU.

Tina Wade

Board Member

Albertine Wade’s childhood dream was to become a classroom teacher. After being accepted by Western Michigan University (WMU) in 1966, she moved to Kalamazoo and attended WMU from (1966-1969). She graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Arts in Education and taught grades 5-6 for two years (1971-1973) in the Kansas City, Missouri Public Schools. Upon returning to Kalamazoo , she began teaching in the Kalamazoo Public Schools {1974}, grades 4-6. After receiving a Masters of Arts in Education from WMU (1979), she was hired as an Instructional Specialist (1992-1996). She began teaching Advanced English, Creative Writing and Social Studies, grades 7-8, at Hillside Middle School (1997-2006). Albertine retired (2007) from Kalamazoo Public Schools. Currently, she is a mentor to youth participating in Kalamazoo’s Reading in Motion.

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.

Amber Whitfield

Program Coordinator

Originally from Benton Harbor, Michigan, Amber attended Western Michigan University and received her B.A in Public History with a minor in Psychology in 2017. She also works as an Interpretation Specialist for the Kalamazoo Valley Museum and has had experience interning at the Western Michigan University Zhang Archives and Regional History Center. Amber will pursue her master’s in Library Science with a concentration in Archives from Wayne State University. While serving as president of Delta Xi Nu Multicultural Sorority, INC she developed a true understanding and passion for social justice and diversity. Through her position as Programs Coordinator, she hopes to spread the importance of social justice and racial healing through an understanding of history and community programs

Patricia Davis

Office Manager

Attended Davenport Business College with a degree is Business Administration. Has worked as an Administrative assistant for 30 years. Works in the community promoting diversity and inclusion thru non profits. In her position as Office Manager she want to educate the community on the importance of racial equity and the rich history of african americans that Kalamazoo has.