FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Hillsdale, Michigan – 6 January 2023
The Hillsdale County Community Foundation is honored to have five enthusiastic community leaders join the organization as the newest members of our Board of Trustees. We are excited to welcome Shea Dow, Jared Jordan, Mike Roberts, Mike Smith, and Abigail Nevins, as they are great assets to have on our board.
Shea grew up in Jonesville and was a graduate of Jonesville High School, Class of 2004. He continued his studies at Michigan State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in supply chain management from the Eli Board College of Business in 2008. While attending Michigan State University, Shea began working part-time at the VanHorn-Eagle Funeral Home in Hillsdale. After graduating from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science in 2009 with a degree in mortuary science, Shea moved back to Hillsdale to begin his career in funeral service. In 2020, Shea and his brother-in-law, Brian Barrett, were honored to purchase the Eagle Funeral Homes, moving the business into fourth generation family ownership.
Shea is a member and elder of the Jonesville First Presbyterian Church, Hillsdale Hospital Membership Corporation, Hillsdale County Michigan State University Alumni Club, and the Hillsdale Elks Lodge. He formerly served on the board of directors for Hospice of Hillsdale County and Hillsdale County Child Abuse and Prevention Awareness. Shea and his wife, Emily (Bell) reside in Jonesville and have two children; daughter, Dylan, and son, Connor.
Jared Jordan joins the board from the Jonesville area where he is the Shipping/Receiving Manager at MarVo Mineral Co. and in his free he takes on a much different role as he moonlights in a garage rock band called Cardon Decoy. He has been a Hillsdale County resident his entire life, attending Jonesville Community Schools K-12 and Hillsdale College from 2013-2017. Jared and his wife Hannah have one son, Becket and two dogs, Cooper and Charlie.
Mike Roberts is the current headmaster at Hillsdale Academy. From 2002-2022 he served as the athletic director and assistant headmaster at the Academy. Mike earned his bachelor’s degree from Hillsdale College in 1998 and his master’s degree from the University of Colorado in 2002. In addition, Mike has spent the last 20 years as the head varsity boys and girls track and field coach at Hillsdale Academy and is a lecturer at Hillsdale College in the Sports Studies Program.
Mike is a member and serves as an elder at College Baptist Church and is the co-director of The Eliminator Race. He enjoys traveling, especially camping in northern Michigan and is an avid sports fan. Mike and his wife Lisa have been married 23 years. Together they have four children; Anna, Megan, Caroline, and Eliza.
The Honorable Michael Smith has been a Jonesville resident since 1988. His career included 12 years on the bench as the chief judge for the 1st Circuit Court, the 2B District Court, and Hillsdale County Probate Court. Mike and his wife Mary Jo have been married for 41 years and together they have six children and 16 grandchildren. Mike enjoys reading, gardening and volunteering.
Abigail Nevins is a senior at Jonesville High School. She has been a member of the YOUTH Advisory Council for the past two years and she also gives of her time working, milking cows at a local dairy farm. Her love for animals has led her to being an active participant of the Jonesville FFA, while also showing horses and sheep at the Hillsdale County and Branch County Fairs.
The Hillsdale County Community Foundation was established in 1991 with their slogan, “For good. For ever.” As a community grant-making foundation, it provides seed money to organizations and institutions that have identified problems and have designed constructive action programs aimed at solutions. A majority of the Foundation’s grant making is focused on the areas of youth, leadership, philanthropy and volunteerism.