A Group Home for the Developmentally Disabled
Grand Ledge and Dewitt, Michigan
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A Group Home for the Developmentally Disabled Grand Ledge and Dewitt, Michigan
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Chairperson: Kalmin (Kal) Smith has had a long and distinguished career with the State of Michigan and he is now retired. For many years he was a legislative analyst for the Michigan House of Representatives. He later became the Acting Director of the Michigan Department of Labor and then Senior Deputy Director of the Department of Consumer and Industry Services (which included the former Departments of Labor and Licensing & Regulation). Kal is a graduate of Albion College. He earned a Master’s Degree from Western Michigan University and his doctorate in p
Secretary: Sandy Tallian has been a board member since the fall of 2002. She is presently the board secretary. Sandy was employed with the Ford Motor Company for 30 years, retiring in 2007. Most of her professional responsibilities were with the Treasury Department of the corporation in which capacity she handled cash management, derivatives and foreign currency exchange. She is married to Robert (who is also a board member) and she is step-mom to Holly (a resident of Chosen Vision’s Home). Through her personal relationship with Holly, Sandy has gained considerable experience and knowledge about the special needs of developmentally disabled persons. She has also completed several workshops and training sessions in the area of alternative living, guardianship, and financial planning for the disabled.
Treasurer: Lynne MacDowell retired from the Michigan Department of Public Health in 2002 after 32 years of service. She was a financial analyst for the Department, where she developed budgets, provided oversight on federal grants, provided financial direction to various bureaus within the Department for which she had responsibility, prepared budget reports for presentation at Legislative hearings, and worked with local county health departments in developing grant proposals. Lynne is married to Bruce and own MacDowell’s Fireplace and MacDowell’s Flowershop in Grand Ledge. Lynne is a stepmom to Hugh who is a sophomore at MSU in Chemical Engineering.
Board Member: Melanie
Dart
graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in
English.
Her work experience has centered primarily in Personnel, Public
Relations, and Banking.
Melanie is Secretary and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of
the Dart Bank of Mason, Holt/South Lansing, and Grand Ledge. She is the
fourth generation to be actively involved in the Bank which was chartered in
1925.
Melanie is a member of Trinity Church (formerly East Lansing Trinity
Church) where she serves on a Missions Support Team, as well as the Hospitality
and Pre-School ministries.
She is currently Secretary of the Grand Ledge Kiwanis Club, and an
Ambassador of the Grand Ledge Chamber of Commerce.
She is married and has grown children, a son, Jonathan, and
step-daughter, Stephanie.
Tom Motz is a lifelong resident of Clinton County, having lived in Dewitt for the past 30 years. He is president of Motz Homes, a residential building and development company, founded in 1985. Tom and his wife of 36 years, Melinda, are proud parents of Andy, 32, who resides in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Adrienne, 26, who currently lives at home, and who will be among the first residents of Chosen Vision, Dewitt, upon its completion. Tom has served on the boards of directors of First Bank-St. Johns, as well as The Greater Lansing Home Builders and Remodelers Association, currently serving as its president. Tom is excited to be working with Chosen Vision, and to see his dream of providing Adrienne with a loving and nurturing home become a reality.
Board Member: Jim Russell earned
a degree in Business Administration from Hope College in 1983.
He currently serves as President and CEO of RBF, Inc. in Lansing. Jim is a dedicated family man who is active with his wife and
sons in a number of church and community organizations. Jim also serves on the Board of Directors for the Michigan
Chamber of Commerce, the NAPL, and the Printing Industries of Michigan.
He is a member of the Amy Foundation Advisory Board, the Board of
Directors of Covenant Community Care (a
faith based, non-profit organization dedicated to providing primary health care
to the uninsured and underinsured of Southwest Detroit).
Board Member:
Robert Tallian earned his Degree in Industrial Education from Ferris State University. He is a veteran of the Viet Nam War where he served in the US Air Force from 1970 to 1974. Robert was employed at Ford Motor Credit for 32 years and retired in 2007. His management position at Ford included the facilitation and structuring of dealership construction and mortgage financing for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury sales franchisers. Robert is a devoted father to Holly, who was born with Cerebral Palsy in 1976. As a result, Robert is experientially aware and acutely sensitive to the special needs of developmentally disabled children and adults. Robert has been on the board since 2002. Board Member:
Jennifer Wieland, native
of Peoria Illinois, moved to Michigan in 1981 to get married and start a
family. This journey has led her to, among many other things, raise her
daughters and help her husband build his business. Her expertise ranges from
working full time as a mother of five, to volunteering in the children’s
ministry at South Church in Lansing. Among her life experiences are helping to
start and run a restaurant, taking college classes in psychology, running
Marathons in Chicago, Detroit, and Quebec City, and traveling to Europe and
Mexico to assist in the marketing of her husband's business. Since Jennifer has
raised five daughters of her own, she has a passion for seeing young ladies live
independently. A grandmother of two, she now is focused on spoiling two little
Virginian's.
Board Member:
Linda L. Zylstra
grew up in Lansing, MI and attended Calvin College where she received her
bachelor's degree in Business and Psychology. Her husband, Joel, works
for Granger Energy and together they have three children; two who attend
Lansing Christian School and one that attends Calvin College. Prior to
being a full time mom, Linda worked at the David Chapman Agency. She has
also spent the last 20 years helping various non-profit organizations with
fundraising events. She currently serves on Lansing Christian
School's Foundation Board.
Founder/Board
Member Emeriti: Eleanor (Ellie) Tobey brought together a group of interested persons in 1991 and formed an organization named Chosen Vision, Inc. with the purpose of developing small group homes for developmentally disabled adults. For ten years she served as the chairperson of that organization. Ellie has a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy. In addition to being the mother of three children, she was a physical therapist for 26 years providing this service in acute care, home care, and school settings. She later earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Western Michigan University. She has worked as a professional social worker, supervisor and manager in the fields of mental health and health care for over twelve years. Ellie has been a long time member of Trinity United Methodist Church where she has been a volunteer leader of a special ministry for developmentally disabled adults for 20 years.
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