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The Board of Directors of the Arts & Industry Council is comprised of 12 members, each appointed to a three-year term by the Nominating Committee and approved by the Board of Directors.
The Board is responsible for the oversight of the business, property and affairs of the Arts & Industry Council.
The Directors represent the public's general interest in arts and cultural activities in the Calhoun County Region. The Board represents diverse geographic, ethnic, business and non-profit interests and stakeholders.
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Tonya Arnett, Board Secretary
tarnett49224@yahoo.com
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Tonya Arnett is a native of Albion, Michigan. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Ecology and Family Life from Michigan State University and her Masters degree in Guidance and Counseling from Western Michigan University. Now retired, Tonya’s 30 plus years in education were spent as the educator/administrator for the Calhoun Intermediate Office in their county-wide program for School-aged Pregnant Girls and as a Guidance Counselor at Albion Senior High School. In addition to her focus on education, Tonya Arnett was Regional Minority Recruitment Consultant to State Farm Insurance Companies, assisting State Farm Executives with minority recruitment. She has also provided consultant services to other organizations including the Albion Public Safety Department in researching the socio-economic needs and attitudes of the African American community.
Along with being on the Board of the Arts & Industry Counsel, Tonya Arnett has been a volunteer in many community organizations including Greater Albion Habitat for Humanity, Albion Foundation Arts Advisory, NAACP, Domestic Violence committee, Greater Albion Alliance Diversity Action Team and Citizens to Beautify Albion, where she developed the idea of “The Men Who Cook” fundraiser. During the 1980’s, she founded the Albion Black Alumni Association which provided positive opportunities, including scholarships, for African American students in Albion. Currently, she is a member of the Friends of the Library, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Lewis Chapel A.M.E. church and serves as an Adjunct Professor for the Education Department at Albion College.
Tonya enjoys traveling, reading, stain glass, yoga and jazz and ballroom dancing. Tonya Arnett resides with her husband Jim. They are the proud parents of five very successful children and seven gorgeous grand children, three horses and one dog.
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Linda Gillespie, Board Member
linda.gillespie@comcast.net
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Linda Gillespie is a native of Battle Creek, Michigan who attended Lakeview Schools and then continued her education at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Linda obtained a BS degree in Physical Therapy.
Linda and her husband Robb moved to Texas in the 80s where they lived for 20 years moving back and forth from Dallas to Houston several times. During that time, Linda continued to work in the health care field as a Physical Therapist in both hospital and home health care settings. The last 12 years spent in Dallas, Linda worked for the Visiting Nurse Association of Texas as the Director of Operations. Responsibilities included overseeing the daily operations of patient care, budgeting, hiring/firing of patient care managers and serving on Board Committees. The VNA of Texas carried a patient census of 3,000 patients and was a community based non-profit organization that provides home health and hospice visits to the community.
Art in the form of textiles and fabric has been the expressive side of Linda’s life. Her grandmother, a seamstress in Battle Creek, and her mother inspired Linda and her sisters to be creative. Linda has tried many avenues of textile art including needle point, weaving, spinning and dyeing, but has found real passion for the last 20 years in quilting. Linda has won several national awards for her quilting and has been recognized at the International Quilt Festival in Houston and the American Quilting Society Show held in Paducah, Kentucky.
Linda and her husband made the decision and commitment to return home to Battle Creek in 2000. At that time Linda and her sisters, Cathy Zanoni of Kalamazoo, Mi and Rebecca Kelley of Chattanooga, TN decided the time was right to combine their talents and passion to start a fiber art manufacturing business now called Zanoni Designs with a product line called “Fabric Art in A Bag” www.fabricartinabagcrafts.com. It has been challenging trying to turn a passion into a profitable business. Each sister brought various skills to the enterprise. Cathy was a landscape architect and business owner. Becky has a background in health care but in the last 15 years has concentrated on her art interest in pattern design for clothing and art dolls. Linda brought operational skills and ability to combine colors. Combining these talents has been a good frame work for the business, but many challenges remain.
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George Guerin, Board Member
gmguerin@voyager.net
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George Guerin is a graduate of Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa with a BA in physics and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, with a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering.
His early career with Chicago Bridge & Iron Company took him to several overseas assignments in the design and field construction of refineries, hydro-electric plants and liquefied petroleum gas storage.
George joined Kellogg Company in 1973 as a design supervisor and was promoted to project engineer in 1975 and subsequently to project management positions. As a Kellogg Company employee he was responsible for several factory expansions, facility improvements, and new facilities including Building 100 at the Battle Creek cereal plant and the W. K. Kellogg Institute for Food and Nutrition Research in downtown Battle Creek.
After retiring in 2001 he was elected to the board of the Art Center of Battle Creek and subsequently appointed a board member of the United Arts Council (now AIC).
His volunteer involvement in the Battle Creek area has included assisting with the Battle Creek Symphony, Vice Chair of the Minges Brook-Riverside Neighborhood Planning Council, member of the Building Committee of the Calhoun County American Red Cross Chapter and various other organizations. In addition to his continued involvement with the Arts and Industry Council, the Art Center of Battle Creek and the American Red Cross he also works closely with the Southern Michigan Amateur Radio Society and is a dedicated amateur radio operator.
After living in Battle Creek for over 30 years, he now resides in Marshall Township.
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Julyette Jacobs, Board Treasurer
julyette.jacobs@kellogg.com
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Julyette Jacobs joined the AIC Board in 2005 and is currently serving as the Treasurer. She is employed by Kellogg Company as Manager, Financial Benefits. Prior to returning to Kellogg Company in July of 2001, Julyette was Vice President of the Financial Literacy Center (FLC), a financial education company. While at FLC, she edited a book titled 401(k) Success Stories which was published in English and Japanese. During her career, Julyette has held various positions in employee benefits and financial services. She is a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) and has been a CEBS instructor at Kalamazoo College. She holds a Masters Degree in Nutrition from Cornell University and a Bachelors Degree in Nutrition from Drexel University.
Julyette owned an antique store, Pump Arnold’s Place, in downtown Battle Creek in the 1980s. It was operated by her partner, Bryant DeBolt. They currently own the Binder Block in downtown and have begun restoring the exterior of the building. Hobbies include studying and buying antique glass, gardening, boating, reading and traveling.
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Dr. Velma Laws-Clay, Board Member
velma.clay@sbcglobal.net
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Dr. Velma Laws Clay is the former Director of the Equal Employment Opportunity Office at the Hart-Dole-Inouye Battle Creek Federal Center. She retired in May 2004 after 43 years of government service with the Department of Defense.
She received a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Western Michigan University in 1987, a master' a degree in Public Administration in 1991 , and a doctorate in Public Administration in April 1998 through Western Michigan University.
Dr. Clay is a 1985 graduate of the Community Leadership Academy and is a consummate volunteer. She has served on various boards and numerous committees throughout Battle Creek, including the Board of Directors for NorthPointe Woods-A Senior Living Community, Heritage Battle Creek Historical Society, Battle Creek Art Center, Battle Creek Downtown Development Authority (DDDA) , Battle Creek Unlimited (ECU) Downtown Development Advisory Committee, Battle Creek Committee on Community Affairs (BCCCA), Battle Creek Community Foundation, the Kalamazoo Institute of Art, and the National Resource Center for the Healing of Racism.
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Chris McCoy, Board Member
cjmccoy30@sbcglobal.net
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Christopher McCoy has been a resident of Battle Creek for 35 years. He attended Battle Creek Public Schools and thereafter earned a B.S. degree from Michigan State University in Public Affairs Management and Economics.
Christopher McCoy was an Insurance professional for 17 years and worked in the sales departments for Citizens Insurance and HMO West Health Company. In 1989 Christopher opened an Allstate Insurance agency and earned National Sales Awards and membership into the companies Honor Ring Sales Group. In 2001 Christopher sold his agency to pursue other business interests.
Currently he is the owner of Rhema Property Investments and Rhema Homes Adult Foster Care, managing a staff of five. Christopher is also the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of New Level Sports Youth Programs serving over 1,500 youth and managing a staff of 70 volunteers in four locations that include Michigan and Cleveland, Ohio. Christopher McCoy also serves as Co-Pastor and church Administrator for the Faith Assembly Christian Fellowship Ministries where he has served in the ministry for 20 years. In 2004, Christopher was recognized by the Battle Creek Enquirer News and awarded the George Award for exceptional Community service
Christopher McCoy has been married for 19 years to Denise Mitchell of Kalamazoo and together they have three children, Sidney, Christopher II and Taylor McCoy.
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Carol Petredean-DiSalvio, Vice Chair
carol@cfa-cc.org
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Carol Petredean-Di Salvio is currently serving as the President of the Arts and Industry Council’s board of directors. Carol is the administrator of the Community Foundation Alliance of Calhoun County, an organization that administers funding for county based programming and scholarships, with an emphasis on youth.
Carol is the President of the Homer Area Community Foundation and an advisor of the Homer Youth Advisory Committee. She is the secretary of Calhoun County Company, Inc. board of directors, secretary of the Calhoun County Economic Development Corporation , and a member of the Calhoun County Agricultural and Industrial Society Advisory Council.
Carol resides in Homer, Michigan with her husband Ron and is the mother of five daughters.
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Peggy Sindt, Board Member
psindt@albionedc.org
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Peggy Sindt is President and CEO of the Albion Economic Development Corporation, which is responsible for retaining, recruiting, and growing business in Albion. Her background includes higher education administration, marketing management, and real estate. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Albion College and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Michigan.
In addition to serving on the Arts and Industry Council board, she is involved with many organizations including Albion College National Campaign Committee, Albion College Planned Giving Advisory Committee, Albion Community Foundation board, Albion Health Care Alliance board president, Albion Rotary Club (past president and past assistant district governor), Battle Creek Health System board, the Forks Initiative, Greater Albion Chamber of Commerce, Greater Albion Alliance Tri-Chair, Homestead Savings Bank board, and the Michigan Economic Developers Association (past vice president).
She has also served on the Albion Community Visioning Committee (vice chair), the Albion Health Care Task Force (Tri-Chair), Summit Pointe Board (chair), and on the Calhoun County Economic Development Board, the Calhoun County Land Use Planning Committee, and the I-94 International Trade Alliance board.
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Kathy Tarr, Board Chair
tarrka@millercollege.edu
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Kathleen (Kathy) Tarr is currenty employed by Miller College in the Marketing and Communications Department. She is the current President of the Board of the Marshall Civic Center Trust which operates the Franke Center for the Arts in Marshall bringing various forms of music and theater to Southwest Michigan in a newly restored historic building. A 30-year resident of the area, Tarr has spent much of her life connected in some way with the performing arts - having spent 25 years as a Sweet Adeline, three years as Theater Coordinator at KCC, and 25 years as a reviewer for both the Coldwater Daily Reporter and Marshall Chronicle newspapers. She currently teaches an Encounter with the Arts class for KCC in addition to her other activities, and takes pride in having been involved in saving the Tibbits Opera House in Coldwater from the wrecking ball as a member of the group that collected money to pay back taxes on the 1882 structure.
A graduate of KCC and Siena Heights University, Kathy is a member of the Marshall Community Foundation and has served as a volunteer for Oaklawn Hospital and the Marshall Fountain Clinic. She is a recipient of the Athena Award from the Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce as well as the Citizen Award for Distinguished Service to Youth from the Calhoun Intermediate School District among other awards.
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