Board of Directors – Grandville Calvin Christian Schools

Cast your 2026 board vote:

GCCS Annual Meeting Notice:

GCCS Board Purpose & Supervision

The GCCS Board of Directors provides strategic direction and oversight for the entire school system (the “School”) in order to ensure effective implementation of the GCCS Strategic Plan and to discern God’s will as it relates to the future of the School. The Board directly supervises the Head of School, develops and maintains the GCCS Strategic Plan, and provides guidance concerning challenges that face the School.

GCCS Strategic Plan

Strategic Board

The Board of Directors for Grandville Calvin Christian School is a Strategic Board. This means the Board is responsible for setting strategic goals for the School and monitoring progress toward those goals. The Board delegates authority to the Head of School and others to develop operational tactics for completing the goals and managing day-to-day progress toward those goals.

Board Service Expectations

Current Board Members

Jamie Tanner
2027
President

Jamie and her husband, Tim, have one child who has graduated from Calvin Christian High School and another enrolled there. They attend Chapel Pointe in Hudsonville. Jamie works as a Real Estate Appraiser. Jamie joined the Board to give back and support the place that has meant so much to her kids, and to work toward maintaining the financial sustainability of Christian education for future generations.

Luke Scholten
2028
Vice President

Luke and his wife, Melissa, have one child enrolled at Calvin Christian High School and two children enrolled at West Side Christian School. They are members of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville. Luke is the Director of Early Childhood and Student Services at Kenowa Hills Public Schools. Luke joined the Board because he appreciates the focus of the school’s Strategic Plan in its efforts to develop our students in service of our God, both immediately and with a long-term lens.

Kendra Bylsma
2030
Treasurer

Kendra and her husband, Matt, have five children: one who attends Calvin University, a sophomore at CCHS, and three at West Side Christian School. They attend Westend CRC Church. Kendra is an alumna of the school and joined the board because she saw the sacrifices her parents made to provide her with a Christian education, which drives her commitment to ensuring that more families can access and benefit from this life-changing environment. She says, “I believe in building a school culture and brand where everyone feels they belong and can thrive. I’m excited to contribute my professional experience in business development, marketing, and sales to help create long-term sustainability and support the continued mission of Christian education.”

Lucas Yax
2028
Secretary

Lucas and his wife, Lindsey, have two children enrolled at GCCS: one in elementary school and one in middle school. They attend Faith Community CRC in Wyoming. Lucas works as the Assistant Superintendent at Lighthouse Academy Schools. Lucas joined the Board to offer his diverse background in Education, Ministry, and Organizational Management to assist the other board members, school administration, and community in making thoughtful and calculated decisions that will positively impact the future of GCCS.

Peter Ackerman
2030

Peter and his wife, Emilia, have three children enrolled at GCCS: two in high school and one in elementary school. They attend LaGrave Ave. CRC. Peter joined the board to give back to the community that has impacted his family. He looks forward to sharing his experience developing long-range strategic plans to set GCCS up for long-term growth and success.

Micah Childress
2029

Micah and his wife, Anna, have three children enrolled at GCCS, one in middle school and two in elementary school. They attend Harbor Life Church in Grandville. Micah works as a Real Estate Agent and was previously a professor at GVSU and Cornerstone University. He joined the board because his dad was a school board member, and Micah saw the impact his father had. Micah sees how the GCCS school system is set up for his children to succeed academically and spiritually, and he wants to contribute to that growth.

Matt Hollebeek
2027

Matt and his wife, Robin, have two children enrolled at GCCS: one in middle school and one in high school. They attend LaGrave Avenue CRC in Grand Rapids. Matt works as a Funeral Director/Owner.

Matt joined the Board because he likes serving other people and looking at situations from a long-term perspective while keeping in mind the small details.

Mike Hollebeek
2031

Mike and his wife, Mandy, are CCHS alumni and have four children: one in high school and three at West Side Christian. They attend Faith Community CRC. Mike joined the board because GCCS is a community he cares deeply about, and with at least one child enrolled at GCCS for the next 13 years, he is invested in the school’s long-term strength and wants to help guide its future.

Jason Howard
2029

Jason and his wife, Megan, have two children enrolled at GCCS, both in elementary school. They attend Ivanrest Church in Grandville. Jason works as the Production Manager at a local company called Closet Design. He joined the board to positively impact the school community by using his past and current experiences. He wants to do his part to help build the foundation of the future leaders in Christ.

Deborah Mouw
2027

Deb and her husband, Daniel, have two children enrolled at GCCS: one in middle school and one in high school. They attend Ivanrest CRC in Grandville. Deb works as a Technology Coordinator at Dutton Christian School. Deb joined the Board to support the ongoing work of the school’s administration and staff.

Tim Muilenburg
2027

Tim and his wife, Sara, have four children: one graduate of CCHS and three currently enrolled at CCHS. They attend Ivanrest CRC in Grandville. Tim works as a State Farm Agent. He joined the Board to help to lead Calvin’s growth in God’s community.

Linnelle Veldhouse
2031

Linnelle and her husband, Joel, have three children enrolled at GCCS: one in high school, one in middle school, and one in elementary school. They attend Ada Bible Church. She and Joel co-own a small medical practice in Wayland.

Linnelle values the school’s strong community, dedicated staff, and engaged parent volunteers, as well as the breadth of opportunities in music, robotics, and the arts. Most of all, she appreciates the school’s consistent Christ-centered foundation through chapel, worship, and student discipleship, and she is eager to support and strengthen this special community.

Contact the Board

The best way to contact the Board of Directors is via the…

Contact form

Address the Board

To address the Board at an upcoming meeting, please read and review what is asked of those wishing to address the Board. Once you have reviewed those guidelines, you may request to address the Board.

Request to Address

Board Info & Form

The board typically meets on the fourth Monday of each month except May, July, and December. Board minutes are posted after they are approved. Approval normally takes place at the next full board meeting.

2026/27 school year board meeting dates:

August 31
September 28
October 26
November 30
January 25
February 22
March 22 – Annual Meeting
April 26
June 7

If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else for board service, please carefully read through the expectations and then submit the form below as thoroughly as possible. A Grandville Calvin Christian Board Member should meet the following expectations:

Be a member of the Grandville Calvin Christian School community (a parent or donor).
Be a supporter of Grandville Calvin Christian and its mission.
Have a passion for and commitment to Christian education; be able to provide a vision for the future of Christian education in our context.
Agree to uphold and live out our Community Covenant – our Statement of Faith for employees.
Provide insight and leadership, especially in their unique areas of study, life experience, career expertise, and acquired skills.
Attend regularly scheduled board meetings, preparing in advance as needed to remain informed and ready to discuss board matters.
Participate on task forces and execute special assignments as necessary.
Attend special meetings and retreats as required.
Be active in GCCS school life.

Board Nomination Form

Committees & Task Forces

The Belonging Committee Task Force

We recognize that having a strong community doesn’t just happen without thoughtful deliberation and intentional effort to consider what we do, why we do it, and how we could do it better. The goal of this task force is to share, think, and plan together about what we do well in forming a unified Christian school community at GCCS and what we could do better. We have goals in our strategic plan that we want to accomplish, but even more, we have a desire, as fellow believers in Jesus Christ, to cultivate communities of belonging in our schools.

This task force focuses on supporting community in our Christian schools. As we continue to implement our GCCS Strategic Plan, the goal is to intentionally focus on Goal Area 3: “Cultivate Community” of the strategic plan. This task force will be made up of GCCS parents, Board members, and school staff.

The Board Development Committee (standing)

The Board Development Committee is responsible for identifying and maintaining potential new board members based on the strategic needs identified, providing board orientation for new members, conducting board self-performance evaluations, and developing programs to provide for the continued development of board members.

The Executive Committee (standing)

The Executive Committee advises and prioritizes issues for board members to address at future meetings.

The Faith Formation Committee (standing)

The Faith Formation Committee supports the Board in ensuring that the school’s mission, vision, and core values remain central to the student experience.

The committee monitors faith formation outcomes aligned with the Portrait of a Graduate, reviews the spiritual culture of the school, strengthens partnerships between home, church, and school, and recommends strategic priorities that equip students to serve and glorify God.

The Finance Committee (standing)

The Finance Committee works in conjunction with the Director of Finance to oversee the financial and budget planning process, establish financial goals, maintain and review financial records, and ensure proper financial internal controls are maintained.

The GCCS Foundation Board (standing)

The GCCS Foundation is a separate organization with its own Board of Directors. The Foundation manages more than $5.5M of assets and annually contributes approximately $250,000 to GCCS for use in the operating budget. Accordingly, it has a member of the GCCS Board who sits as a guest on the Foundation Board to provide collaboration between the two organizations.

The Policy Committee (standing)

The Policy Committee is a standing committee of the Board of Directors and periodically reviews updates to GCCS policies and proposed changes. The Policy Committee then recommends any revised language to policies to the full Board of Directors for possible adoption.

The Strategic Planning & Sustainability

This task force began its work in early 2026. Our current strategic plan runs from the 2026-2031 school year and continues to ensure that GCCS remains focused on its mission of equipping students to serve and glorify God for years to come.

The goal of this task force will be to work together with the GCCS staff and Board of Directors and to coordinate with the Christian Schools International (CSI) accreditation process to ensure that all of the forward-looking work being done at GCCS is prayerfully and thoughtfully planned with an emphasis on mission-focused goals and strategies that will lead to a thriving and sustainable future for our Christian schools.