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At its regular monthly meeting on Aug. 12, the Southwestern Michigan College Board of Trustees awarded six staff members with service pins.

Athletic Director and Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rodell Davis received his five-year pin from Trustee Dr. Elaine Foster. Davis grew up in Chicago and played Division I basketball for Dr. Tom Davis at the University of Iowa, where he earned his bachelor’s degree.

Davis has coached basketball at Drake University, Providence College, Loyola University-Chicago and Chicago State University. He already had more than 10 years of experience in administration at the NJCAA level at Laramie Community College in Wyoming and Kennedy-King College in Illinois when he joined SMC in August 2021.

He and his wife Stefany live in Mishawaka. His son RJ started two years for the Roadrunners and holds the SMC record for most three-pointers in a game, season and career. RJ now plays at Grand View University in Iowa. Rodell’s daughter Haley also works in higher education, having recently earned her master’s degree and moved from a job at Purdue University to Michigan State University.

Davis was introduced by Chief Marketing Officer Mike O’Brien, who then accepted his 10-year pin from Dr. Klint Pleasant, SMC President and CEO.

O’Brien, from Cincinnati, earned his bachelor’s degree in advertising from Indiana University, Bloomington. He moved to Chicago and worked as a media planner and supervisor at Leo Burnett, an ad agency serving such clients as Kellogg’s, Tropicana and Samsung. In 1994, O’Brien relocated to the South Bend area and over the next 22 years, he worked at ad firms in positions of increasing responsibility, serving national clients such as Schwan’s Consumer Brands, Alcoa, Owens-Corning, Stryker, Fifth Third Bank, Kroger, Whirlpool and the Big 10 Conference. During that time, he also earned his MBA in Strategic Management from Davenport University.

O’Brien then served as director of digital media at WNDU for a year before joining SMC in August 2016 as vice president of marketing and enrollment management.

From 2020-21, he added supervision of student services. In 2021, O’Brien took on new roles of vice president for institutional advancement and executive director of the SMC Foundation, overseeing marketing, fundraising and development activities while also leading the college’s initiative to re-establish intercollegiate athletics.

“Mike has been a central figure in the successful growth of SMC Athletics from two start-up squads to nine teams of championship caliber, including hiring, evaluation of coaches, monitoring recruiting and scholarship awards, assisting on two major construction projects, managing game day personnel and operations and providing ongoing sports information,” Pleasant said. “These efforts have helped boost enrollment, build camaraderie on campus and in the community and raise the visibility of our college in the state and throughout the region.”

He and his wife, Chris, who works for the University of Notre Dame, have two adult daughters pursuing careers in Chicago and Portland, Ore.

Academic Advisor for Business and Advanced Technology Kyra DeLoach, who began her five-year career with three years as a residence hall manager, graduated from SMC with a graphic design technology degree, adding a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and graphic design at Indiana University South Bend. She also holds a master’s degree in arts and educational technology from Michigan State University.

“During her time in Res Life, Kyra was honored with the Outstanding Entry-Level Professional Award for the Great Lakes Association of Colleges and Universities,” Vice President for the Student Experience Dr. Katie Hannah said. “In addition to advising, she teaches one of our Education 120 classes, helping first-year students transition to college. She has been integral in the process of revamping Ed 120.”

Another SMC alumna, Jennifer Wolf of Niles, was awarded her 10-year pin.

“She started working in the business office as an intern and student worker,” said Chief Financial Officer Michelle Kite. “She worked as staff accountant for about a year, then was promoted to senior staff accountant. About two years ago she was promoted again to manager of accounts payable and accounts receivable, overseeing our cashier window and several staff accountants.”

Wolf, who is married, earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting through SMC’s partnership with Ferris State University.

Kite also presented Assistant Financial Aid Director Blake Bundy. “He and Jenny started a week apart and have similar paths.”

Bundy, also marking 10 years, started as a student worker in 2015, graduating in 2016 with a business degree and starting as financial aid coordinator. He added his bachelor’s degree through the Ferris program and returned to school this past year for a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in data analytics from Louisiana State University-Shreveport. He and his wife, Brooke, live down the street in Dowagiac from his twin brother, who also works in financial aid.

Before becoming SMC’s server administrator in July 2016, Manoj Khot worked for a Boston pharmaceutical research company.

“As our system administrator, he assures that critical back-end systems like Banner and Wired are highly available. He is a proud stepfather of six daughters and loves his late wife fondly. The rest of his family lives in India,” Chief Information Officer Mick Valeris said.

In other business, the Board of Trustees welcomed Brandy Johnson, president of the Michigan Community College Association, who provided an overview of the group’s legislative priorities and progress to date. As she approaches her fifth anniversary in the role, Johnson is re-visiting all 28 community colleges and three tribal colleges in the MCCA. SMC represented her 19^th stop.

Trustees accepted 12 individual gifts totaling $20,810. The board also acknowledged 24 donations to the SMC Foundation providing another $42,469.