Regional Officer Team 2011-2012
Kari Kahler
Coordinator
(231) 995-1228
Kari's job is to provide guidance and insight to the regional officer team. She was the Acting Coordinator until September 30, 2009 and was recently promoted to Regional Coordinator. She is doing a wonderful job providing a firm backbone to our team.
Kari is the Director for the Department of Learning Services at Northwestern Michigan College where she provides leadership for the following departments—the Center for Learning, tutoring, disability support services and the honors program. She serves on a number of college wide committees that impact student learning, persistence, retention and college completion. She has been an Advisor for Alpha Rho Pi since 1997 and has watched them grow from 1 star to 5 star! Kari is also working on her dissertation for her PhD at Michigan State PhD in HALE (Higher Adult and Lifelong Education); her topic is about students who have beaten the odds and succeeded in college when they didn’t think it possible. She is married to a wonderful man named Chad, and the proud mom of Cori (one of NMC's former chapter officers) and now a senior at Michigan Tech and Casey, a high school senior.
She loves to camp and finds solace in what she considers her little piece of heaven on earth in Leelanau County—the tip of the pinkie, for you “hand as map” folks! She looks forward to finishing her dissertation so she can read whatever she wants and not feel guilty about it! Her family enjoys racing sled dogs and they own nine Siberian husky/malamute dogs, they also raise chickens, berries, and hope to have a small flock of Icelandic sheep beginning this fall. What excites Kari the most is seeing students grow and develop as leaders through taking advantage of all that Phi Theta Kappa has to offer!
Michael J. Wisniewski, Jr.
President
(734) 494-2067
Michael must keep everyone on task, help fellow officers, answer questions about society programs and regional tasks. As Regional President, he must also preside over all Michigan Regional Meetings, direct regional activities and projects, coordinate and oversee the Regional Awards Programs. Responsibilities also include appointing committees, and maintaining communicating and working with our sister region of Alabama.
Michael is a full-time non-traditional student at Schoolcraft College in Livonia. He is two credit hours from earning his Associate of Applied Science in Computer Information Systems and has been accepted into the University of Michigan, Dearborn, where he plans to double major in Computer Information Systems and Computer Math.
Michael was installed into the Omicron Iota chapter of Phi Theta Kappa as the Vice-President of Communications in April 2010. He was installed as chapter president in April 2011, and elected as president of the Michigan Region of Phi Theta Kappa in May. He is married to his wonderful wife of thirteen years, Margie, and the father of a seventeen year old daughter, Catherine, and two Chihuahuas, Hershey and Candie.
In his past, Michael was a police officer, volunteer fire fighter, emergency care attendant, civilian jailer and an assembly worker at Ford Motor Company. He brings his drive and service heart to the community and the region.
In his free time, Michael enjoys attending church activities, playing video games, writing computer programs, and spending time with his family. He also enjoys blowing glass and table top lampworking/bead making.
Michael thoroughly enjoys traveling, especially traveling the roads of Michigan meeting members of the Phi Theta Kappa family.
Nathaniel Erickson
Vice President
As Regional Vice President, Nathaniel is responsible for taking over for the President in case of absence, keeping in contact with his designated chapters according to the C.O.R.E program, helping to run regional meetings, training leaders throughout the region, as well as being a leader to and for the Region.
Through many battles attempting to find his identity, or voice as he refers to it, Nate went on to graduate from Escanaba High School in 1999. By this time, Nate was already in college gathering his credits in pre-nursing. He went on to graduate, becoming the first person in his family to receive a degree post high school. After working in Wisconsin as a flight and trauma nurse, Nate moved back home to Escanaba where he decided to go back to school and find a new path to a new chapter in his life, even with unimaginable obstacles standing in his way.
Nate fights hard in creating safe places for people who are deemed different, and carries himself as a loud voice in the fight against discrimination of any kind, especially among the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, and Transgendered) community. After writing a poem on violence and intolerance toward the LGBT community, Nate was awarded the honor of having his name engraved on the Wall of Tolerance in Montgomery Alabama. Nate is well known on the campus of Bay de Noc Community College, where he strives towards contributing an active part in College Success for all students. After becoming a member of Phi Theta Kappa, Nate immediately became an active participant. He instantly found fellowship and a sense of family among the Alpha Xi Delta Chapter. Along with becoming Regional Vice President, Nate also recently became President of Alpha Xi Delta. He is active in Escanaba’s community theatre, Players de Noc.
Among all of Nate’s unwavering involvements, none hold a closer bond than his work with the American Cancer Society. A survivor and now currently a strong fighter against this horrific disease, Nate has found a passion in bringing people together to raise not only money, but awareness as well. He founded Nater’s Hope, a team that walks in honor and in memory of all who have struggled with cancer. Having embraced his journey in life thus far, Nate holds a unique ability to relate to all who cross his path. Always willing to listen, Nate continues to jump hurdles in order to be everything he dreams of.
Ashley Flees
Secretary/Treasurer
Ashley is responsible for fostering communication throughout the region. Maintaining accurate up-to-date records of all Michigan chapters, keeping a record of Chapter Standings, and updating the Regional Directory are all duties of the Regional Secretary/Treasurer. Ashley is also in charge of taking roll call at meetings, taking minutes, assisting the President when necessary, assisting with developing the annual budget, and coordinating and overseeing Regional elections.
Struggling through some ups and downs in high school, Ashley succeeded in graduating with her class n 2009 from Kalkaska High School despite being seven credits short at the beginning of her senior year. Promptly after graduating, Ashley took advantage of a scholarship she had received from Northwestern Michigan College in the eighth grade, the Northwestern Michigan College Commitment Scholarship. Once at NMC, Ashley applied herself to her studies and for the first semester concentrated solely on that. Soon there after she became involved with various capacities of student life on her campus including a few campus positions. After becoming a Welcome Center Ambassador, Ashley’s involvement in the campus skyrocketed. Today she holds three campus positions and is an active member of various student groups.
Shortly after obtaining the requirements to become a Phi Theta Kappa member Ashley was inducted and strove to continue on her path of academic excellence and campus involvement. Soon after becoming a member, Ashley became a chapter officer of Alpha Rho Pi and quickly became all the more involved. In 2011 she became a regional officer taking her involvement to the next level. As the secretary for both her chapter and her region Ashley intends to keep everyone on track.
Ashley enjoys a variety of things. She loves to travel and intends on seeing as much of the world as possible. Some hobbies that Ashley partakes include: foraging for woodland goodies, reading, writing short stories, and nautical archeology. Over the last few years Ashley has been covered in the local newspaper, the Record Eagle, recorded in a TEDx Traverse City special, and presented various speeches on a variety of topics. Ashley is passionate about where Phi Theta Kappa can take her and others and is always willing to share that passion with anyone who will listen.
Hope Buell
Public Relations/Historian
Photographer, newsletter editor, yearbook editor and website developer are the varying job descriptions for the Region's PR/Historian. Hope is responsible for the publication of the regional newsletter. Thus, she will be the one to submit any content you would like to have included in the newsletter or any information you may want to be considered for the website. This can be articles, jokes, artwork, poetry, pictures and even recipes. Other duties include assisting the President when necessary, and maintaining social networking sites, fostering communication within all members of Phi Theta Kappa.
After graduating from Montague High School, Hope went into the Navy, where she trained to become a 3rd Class Petty Officer Electronic Technician. Upon returning to Michigan, she began her college education at Muskegon Community College, where she is pursuing an Associate of Applied Science and working on the pre-pharmacy credits she needs to transfer into the Ferris College of Pharmacy.
Hope joined Phi Theta Kappa in the fall of 2009 and became Beta Xi Xi’s Vice President of Service, where she organized the service projects the chapter was involved in, including the Adopt A Highway program’s highway cleanups. In April of 2010, she was elected as the Chapter President, and quickly became the first Five Star Member of Competitive Edge in her chapter once the program was introduced.
Since there was no PR/Historian for the chapter, she set up and began a new website to highlight the activities of Beta Xi Xi. In April of 2011, she was elected to the position of PR/Historian for Beta Xi Xi, and went on to be elected in May of 2011 to the position of PR/Historian for the Michigan Region.
In her spare time, Hope likes to travel, meet new people, and work on arts and crafts projects. She enjoys graphic editing, digital scrapbooking, knitting and crochet, jewelry making, reading, kayaking, biking and anything to do with Phi Theta Kappa!
Roger Hammonds
Alumni Representative
(734) 678-7085
Roger's job as the alumni representative is to represent the Michigan Region Alumni Association by assisting the current Regional Officers with decisions, and maintaining open lines of communication between the two. He organizes the Regional Officer Orientation and assists the MRAA President when necessary.
While working full-time and attending college part-time, Roger has acquired to degrees from Schoolcraft College in Livonia, an Associate Degree in Applied Science for Accounting and an Associate in Science. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Accountancy at Walsh College. He has four classes left to obtain that goal. Roger works for a building supply company in Brighton doing accounts receivable and purchasing for the past twelve years. He lives in Novi, a northwest suburb of Detroit.
Staying active in Phi Theta Kappa for seven years has lead Roger to many opportunities, including attending five Annual Conventions, an Honors Institute, and several regional conferences. Roger has also held many positions within the organization. These include serving as a chapter officer of Omicron Iota twice; once as Vice President of Recruitment, and once as Vice President of Service. He has also attained positions within Michigan Region Alumni Association including Vice President, President, and Alumni Representative. Roger has held the position of Alumni Representative for three consecutive years. These are just some of teh highlights of his time with Phi Theta Kappa.
In his spare time Roger enjoys traveling and meeting new people. Community service and leadership building is what drives Roger to continue his experience with Phi Theta Kappa. He has a thirst for knowledge and believes you can never learn too much!