Philanthropic Leadership Team

For three decades, John Anthony has been an active member of the Bay College Foundation Board of Directors. As the board’s current President, John guides board members in their efforts to decide how the foundation’s funds should be used and how the foundation should seek out new donors. John has served on the board since about 1990.

“At the time, I was becoming active in our businesses and in our community, and a member of the Bay College Foundation Board reached out to me. Obviously, I was intrigued by it – I took the time to learn more about Bay and then affirmed this was something I wanted to be a part of and contribute to,” he said.

John is affiliated with local businesses Andex, which manufactures packaging material for clients across the country, and Anthony & Co., which focuses on promotional products for businesses in the paint and hardware industry. These businesses employ a combined total of roughly 110 people.

John has served as the Foundation Board’s President for most of his time as a board member. In this role, he said his primary aim is to encourage the growth of Bay College and the communities it serves.

As for the board itself, John said one of its main goals is to fulfill its fiduciary duty. The board members must determine how to effectively use, invest, and monitor the funds that have been donated to the Bay College Foundation. “Because people have contributed their hard-earned money to achieve their desired goals, it’s the board’s responsibility to make sure that is carried through,” he said.

The Foundation Board also plays a key role in creating opportunities for potential donors to fund education and enrichment opportunities at Bay. “Really, what we’re trying to do is understand how education is changing, and then seek out people who have an interest in supporting Bay and provide the means for them to do so,” John said. Along with this, he said the board is responsible for being “an advocate and an ambassador” for Bay.

John has taken pride in seeing Bay College and its surrounding communities grow over the decades. He went on to say the Foundation serves as a form of “self-help” for  Delta and Dickinson counties. “I’ve always believed that, to improve our communities, we have to grow within – we have to do it ourselves, and the College and the Foundation provide that opportunity for people to better their lives,” he said.

On a similar note, John said he appreciates how Bay can help people develop their own skills and find new employment opportunities for themselves. “Anyone who attends Bay College is essentially there by choice – from the dual enrolled high school student, to the high school graduate, to someone in their 20s looking to learn new skills, to the mom who has raised her children and now is pursuing her goals,” he said.

Looking ahead, John hopes to keep leading the Foundation as it works to support local communities and people. “My plans for the future would be to continue to grow the Foundation, to help build even stronger educational and enrichment opportunities in Delta and Dickinson counties, and to continue to evolve to best serve our educational needs and community needs,” he said.

John was pleased with what the Foundation has been able to accomplish so far and voiced his “sincere thanks” to people in the area for their support of the Foundation and Bay as a whole. However, he said Bay’s students and programs have a greater need for support and assistance than the Foundation can currently provide.

“Even though we’ve provided over 300 scholarships and nearly half a million dollars on an annual basis, there is still more to do,” he said.

Financial contributions to the Foundation play a key role in its continued success. According to John, the best way for people to donate to the Bay College Foundation now or to arrange scholarship opportunities for the future is to contact the Bay College Foundation directly. To contact either the Advancement Services Manager, Vicki DeGrand or the Vice President of College Advancement, Kim Carne, call 906-217-1700 or email foundation@baycollege.edu. 

Bill Marmalick has been actively involved with the Bay College Foundation Board for about 30 years. As the board's Vice President, he is responsible for running meetings in the board president's absence.
 
Currently, Bill is semi-retired, but he continues to own Delta Appraisal Services. He also founded and was the owner of Premier Real Estate; however, he has since sold that business.
 
According to Bill, he first became interested in Bay College in the early '90s. At that time, he was approached about the possibility of helping the school plan a fundraiser.
 
"Carolyn (Bissell, the Executive Director of College Advancement at the time) came and asked me to serve on the golf committee for the golf tournament that Bay College has. I was on the original committee that started the golf tournament 30-some years ago," he said.
 
Soon after, Carolyn asked Bill if he would be interested in serving on the foundation board. He agreed and has been a member of the board ever since.
 
Over the years, Bill has been on many local boards, some of which he is still a member of and some of which he no longer serves on. He said being a member of the foundation board has been a highlight of his service career.
 
"I've enjoyed it - it's fun working with the other board members and watching the endowments grow. It's one of the boards that I'm on that I enjoy the most," he said.
 
The foundation reached a major financial milestone roughly five years ago.
 
"Growing the amount of money that we manage to over $10 million has been our biggest accomplishment that I can think of," Bill said.
 
In contrast, the foundation's assets were about $3-4 million when Bill started serving on the board.
 
Along with this, Bill said he is proud of the foundation's overall mission and what it accomplishes on a yearly basis.
 
"There's a lot of kids that have been able to go to school and get a degree and go on to further their education because of the foundation," he said.
 
On the foundation board, Bill has served in the Vice President role for three years.
 
"Basically, if John (John Anthony, the Board President) is not there, I take over for him," he said of this role.
 
His son also attended classes at Bay in 1997 and 1998.
 
Regarding his future plans, Bill said he aims to continue serving on the board for some time.
 
"I'm just planning on sticking around for a while longer. I like it - I enjoy the meetings and the people on the board, and I immensely enjoy helping the kids," he said.

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For several decades, Dr. Glendon Brown has played an essential part on the Bay College Foundation Board. In addition to his role on this board, Glendon serves in a similar capacity for a local high school.

According to Glendon, he joined the foundation board in the 1990s while working for the Mead Corporation’s Escanaba paper mill (now operated by Verso). By the time he retired, Glendon had become vice president of production technology for the company’s publishing paper division, which consisted of the Escanaba mill and two other facilities.

“The publishing paper division was approached about someone being a member, and the president asked if I’d be interested in volunteering to work on the board. That’s my best memory of it, anyway,” he said.

Along with this, former executive director of college advancement Carolyn Bissell contacted him to discuss the possibility of serving on the foundation board.

“I knew how important the community college was to the area since it allowed people to continue their education beyond high school. Some of the advanced trades training that Bay offered was of significant interest to the paper mill, as well,” Glendon said.

Glendon decided to join the foundation board and has been an active member ever since. Almost immediately after he started serving on the board, he became involved with its investment committee. Today, he is the head of this committee.

“Assisting in the management of our endowment and trust funds is probably the biggest role I’ve had with the foundation. By managing these funds, they can sustainably grow and fund the scholarship programs Bay provides,” he said.

One of Glendon’s most notable accomplishments as a board member has been his efforts to establish an investment policy for Bay. He was primarily responsible for drafting this policy. A version of it is still used for annual performance reviews of investment managers today.

Bay’s investment portfolio has grown considerably in the decades since Glendon joined the board. About five years ago, the assets managed by the foundation passed the $10 million mark. Glendon said he was glad to play a role in helping Bay offer a sizable scholarship program to its students.

While he was serving on the board, Glendon’s two children attended calculus classes at Bay. They were in high school and taking advanced courses at Bay allowed them to keep up with other students in their chosen field of study.

“Bay being readily available allowed them to take calculus classes before they went off to college. They were both going into engineering and would have been behind if they weren’t able to take classes in this subject before college,” he said.

Along with his role on the Bay College Foundation Board, Glendon serves on the Escanaba High School scholarship committee. He joined the committee shortly after joining Bay’s foundation board and is still involved with both organizations.

Though they are different in some ways, Glendon said both groups are similar in their ability to offer confidence to possible educational donors.

“We can look a potential donor in the eye and say ‘we’re going to take excellent care of any money you entrust to us. This money’s going to be managed well, and it will serve the purpose of funding scholarships for a long time into the future,’” he said.

Glendon said his experience as a member of the Bay College Foundation Board has been highly positive.

“I would encourage anyone to volunteer to serve on Bay’s board. It’s a very worthwhile opportunity to do good for the community,” he said.

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Though Bay College’s Main Campus is in Escanaba, another vital part of the school is its Iron Mountain-based West Campus. Bay College Foundation Board Member Nancy Finch plays a crucial role in coordinating fundraising efforts and more between these two campuses.

According to Nancy, the foundation board’s members are either currently active in the communities Bay serves or were previously involved but retired. Thanks to her decades of involvement with Finch Law, P.C. in Iron Mountain, Nancy falls into the former category.

“I’m an attorney – I’ve been in my practice for almost 35 years,” she said.

Her time on the board began when Bay College Vice President of College Advancement Kim Carne took her to lunch and asked if she would become a member. That happened over half a decade ago, and she has been a board member ever since.

“I don’t know how time flew like that, but it did,” Nancy said.

Most of the foundation board’s members live in Delta County. However, along with Board Member Maddy Tousignant and Secretary Julie Olson, Nancy is based in Dickinson County. These three members attend board meetings virtually, which was the case even before the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020.

Nancy said the foundation board’s goals are securing scholarships, planning fundraisers, and increasing student enrollment in the communities Bay serves.

“We’re ambassadors to the college first and are also involved with enhancing the college’s ability to provide resources to students,” she said.

While the foundation board serves both campuses, Bay has a more extensive history in Delta County than in Dickinson County. Because of this, Nancy said the board is working to increase scholarship donations for West Campus students.

Money from fundraisers organized by the foundation board goes towards improving the Bay College experience at both campuses. At the West Campus, these fundraisers have supported the construction of a tutoring center and the purchase of simulation technology for nursing students.

As part of her enrollment-related work, one of Nancy’s goals has been to raise awareness of Bay’s dual enrollment programs.

“Students can graduate from high school and earn a two-year degree from Bay at the same time,” she said of this program.

Along with these priorities, the foundation board hopes to recruit additional members in both counties served by Bay.

Nancy said she is pleased that Bay College has established a presence in Dickinson County.

“A family donated the land that the West Campus was built on, but Bay had a hard campaign to get a millage approved. While that was all before my involvement with the foundation board began, I’m proud of how our community has started to embrace Bay,” she said.

She was also glad to be a part of successful fundraisers at the West Campus. In addition to the significant amounts of money they raised, these events brought people in Dickinson County to Bay’s campus in Iron Mountain.

“We’re proud that people gave money generously, and that’s to everybody’s credit – the entire board worked together, supported it, donated, and helped out,” Nancy said.

She thanked the school’s students, faculty, and staff for their involvement with these fundraisers. While she looks forward to resuming the events, they remain on hold due to the ongoing pandemic.

Finally, Nancy said she is happy with how the foundation board has helped make college education more accessible to people across the Upper Peninsula.

“Education’s one of the most important things someone can have. The more people we can get it to, the better,” she said.

People in Dickinson County who are interested in joining the foundation board can reach Nancy at 906-779-1587. Delta County residents who wish to join the board, or anyone who wants to donate/assist, can contact Kim Carne at 906-217-4027.

Northern Insurance Agency Assistant Principal David Fix is one of the newest members of the Bay College Foundation Board. Though he has only served on this board for a few months, David said he has enjoyed giving back to the college—and, by extension, the community.

David grew up in Escanaba; in 2013, he got his high school diploma from Escanaba Senior High School. After attending St. Norbert College in his freshman year, he returned to the area to take classes at Bay for a semester. Then, he went on to finish his degree in business administration at Central Michigan University.

“I always knew I liked working with people, and I kind of wanted to do something in business. Growing up, my father always worked in insurance—seeing how he got to work with people and problem-solve every day appealed to me,” he said regarding his chosen field of study.

Once he completed his degree, David did a few internships with Auto-Owners Insurance and ended up working at their corporate office in Lansing for a few years. In July 2019, he found a new job at Northern Insurance Agency’s Escanaba location.

“I always knew I wanted to get back to Escanaba. I had an opportunity to work with my dad, too, which I also wanted to do,” he said.

In early April 2023, Foundation Board member (and fellow member of the EHS class of 2013) Jalyn Dagenais-Gendron contacted David to see if he would consider joining the board.

“She reached out to me to see if I would be interested and to talk about what the board did, and I said it would be a great thing to be a part of. Then, [Advancement Services Manager] Vicki DeGrand followed up and set me up with the nominating committee,” he said.

I am on the audit committee—we keep track of the board’s finances, and make sure all the T’s are crossed and the I’s are dotted. In my line of work, we handle audits quite a bit, so I’m fairly familiar with the process,” he said.

Other than that, he works with the board to help Bay students further their education.

“We provide financial assistance to students to further their education and help guide them on their career pathways,” David said.

In addition to the college classes Bay offers, David said the college’s sports and arts initiatives support Delta County as a whole. This has made him even happier to be involved with the board.

“I think any opportunity you have to give back and help other people in the area is a good social responsibility to have,” he said.

Along with his Foundation Board membership, David is a member of the Big “I” Legislative Board and the Delta County Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

Though he is still learning the ropes in his role as a Foundation Board member, David said he is looking forward to what comes next.

“It’s very new to me, but I’m excited for what the future holds and to see where I can help out while contributing to their continued success,” he said.

Val Hickner is a relative newcomer to the Bay College Foundation Board, but she has long had deep ties to the area. After some time away from the Upper Peninsula, she moved back to Escanaba a few years ago.

Val grew up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, before moving to Escanaba in 1978. She came to the U.P. along with her husband, Dr. John Hickner.

“John was offered a job at OSF HealthCare St. Francis Hospital & Medical Group. He did his training in Charleston, South Carolina, but I didn’t want to stay in the Deep South,” she said.

John primarily worked as a physician at OSF St. Francis. Eventually, he became a medical director and chief of staff. At the same time, he and Val raised their five children in the area.

“Along with that, he was actually on faculty with Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. He ran the rural education program at OSF St. Francis,” Val said.

However, John and Val left the area in 2000 due to a job opportunity downstate. There, John finished a 25-year tenure at the MSU College of Human Medicine. He then worked in other roles across the country.

When John retired in 2018, he and Val returned to Escanaba. Then, she heard from an old friend of hers – Bay College Vice President of College Advancement Kim Carne. Kim reached out to Val to ask if she would be interested in serving on the Bay College Foundation Board. Val “readily agreed,” and began her time on the board later that year.

“I’m one of the members that support the educational and financial needs of Bay College, as well as its cultural activities,” she said.

Both John and Val have enjoyed helping Bay through their work on this board.

“We were involved with The Wizard of Oz – we helped sponsor that event, which was the first major activity I was involved with as a board member. There was another large fundraiser called ‘Educate All,’ and John and I were co-sponsors of that event,” she said. According to Val, her children also participated in the latter event.

Along with these events, Val and her husband have supported the Bay College Scholarship Golf Outing. They have also created a scholarship of their own.

“John and I have started a scholarship at Bay for a Delta County student in need who will be entering the trades. We look at participation, character, interest in the trades, and financial need for this scholarship,” Val said.

“While I have a degree in speech therapy, I chose to stay home with our children when they were young. So, I stayed home for 18 years, and then I went to work as a speech therapist for Head Start in Escanaba. I took one or two classes at Bay while getting recertified as a speech therapist. It was just such a convenience, to be able to take these classes while staying close to home,” she said.

She went on to take further speech therapy classes at Northern Michigan University.

Though Val is closely involved with the Bay College Foundation Board, this is not the only local board she serves on.

“Like Bay, OSF St. Francis is a vital entity in our community. Both John and I are on the OSF HealthCare Community Council – we provide input to the OSF administration and give financial support to projects at OSF St. Francis. I am also involved with Women in Philanthropy, which is a group of women who support the needs and projects of OSF St. Francis. We gather once a month for a small program and raise money to support various endeavors at the hospital,” she said.

Val said she and John plan to continue their support of Bay for the foreseeable future.

“Bay is vital to this community. John and I feel it is not only a responsibility and a duty to give back to the community where our children were raised, but a privilege. We’re glad we’re back, and our kids had a great launch from Escanaba,” she said.

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For about five years, Brad Mantela has been an active member of the Bay College Foundation Board. His ownership of businesses in both U.P. counties that are home to Bay campuses has made him uniquely suited for this role.
 
Mantela has been on the foundation board since 2016. That winter, he was asked about joining the board as a representative of the local business community - at that point, he had owned Dobber's Pasties for nearly a decade.
 
"I was approached by (board chair) John Anthony, and he asked if I wanted to represent a cross-section of people who own local businesses. Bay College has campuses in Delta and Dickinson County, and I also own businesses in both of those counties," he said.
 
Mantela's parents established Dobber's Pasties in 1975, and Mantela had worked there since 1999. He purchased the business in 2008 and has maintained ownership of it ever since.
 
Before he became a foundation board member, Mantela did not have any direct connections to Bay beyond some summer classes he had previously taken there. However, he was familiar with the college due to its role in the lives of various Dobber's employees.
 
"As a business owner, I've had many employees who are Bay graduates or folks who have been going to Bay. I think it's a great asset - Bay students are typically some of our best employees," he said.
 
In the years since he joined the foundation board, Mantela said things have been going well.
 
"We represent many different scholarships and endowments and other monies given to the college. Being the stewards of that, we've been able to help maintain that and help it grow," he said.
 
Thanks to an uptick in donations, along with the board's successful management of its assets, it has been able to boost the financial support it provides to Bay students as of late.
 
"Last year, we gave away just under half a million dollars in scholarships from the foundation. The amount we can give has grown - it's a percentage, but because the giving has increased and our investments have been doing well, the size of that percentage has increased," Mantela said.
 
Mantela has also enjoyed serving on the board on a personal level. He said one of his favorite things about serving on this board has been seeing the success of the college firsthand. Additionally, he has been happy to provide financial guidance to students hoping to continue their education at Bay.
 
"We can point them towards financial aid that is available - that can be a great incentive for people to finish their degrees," he said.
 
Mantela encouraged people interested in studying at Bay to seriously consider the financial support that could be available to them.
 
"If you're thinking about attending Bay or having one of your children attend Bay, look into the availability of scholarships and financial benefits from the foundation. Even if you don't think there will be anything there for you, there might be. There are some very specific scholarships available for people from different communities and people going into different degree programs," he said.

Nick M. Chenier was appointed to the Board of Trustees in 2021 and elected in 2022. He graduated from Bay College with an associate’s degree in business administration, then went to Lake Superior State University to complete a bachelor's degree in business administration with a minor in accounting and finance. Nick subscribes to being a life-long learner. In his free time, he is typically doing home projects, hunting, snowmobiling, or riding sxs. He is an entrepreneur and co-owner of Chenier's Greenhouse in Flat Rock and Norway, MI.

Vicki DeGrand was hired at Bay College in 2011 as the Advancement Specialist. DeGrand is a Bay College alumni and also holds a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration - Management from Lake Superior State University. She has earned a certification in Bay Leadership Training and PIL Certification. DeGrand was awarded the TORCH award in 2015 and is an active member of several committees on campus.

Kaylee Hubert is the Foundation Specialist, and has been employed with Bay College since October 2023. Kaylee previously held the position of the Events, Communications, and Alumni Coordinator until stepping into her new role in June 2025. Kaylee is a Bay College Alumni, where she received her Associate's Degree in Art and Design in 2019, and was awarded the 2019 Outstanding Graduate for the Arts and Letters Division. She then attended Northern Michigan University and received her Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Design in 2021. Kaylee is also a graduate of the 2025 Delta Force class.