Amy Thomas-Mellema

Executive Director

Amy Thomas-Mellema is a visionary leader with exceptional experience and a leadership style focused on collaboration, empathy, transparent communication, accountability and having fun! During her 25-year legal career, in addition to managing her own law firm, Amy has held positions as general and senior counsel at organizations including Priority Health and Health Alliance Plan. Amy is passionate about health and healthcare, and the impact of nonprofits in our community.

Mandy Thompson

Executive Chef

Chef Mandy Thompson has a passion for food is medicine, plant-based cooking, and teaching. With a background as a Holistic Health Practitioner and Instructor for children and youth cooking classes at Kent District Library, her talent and experience are an amazing fit with Revive & Thrive Project's mission. She brings her skills for healthy and delicious cooking and youth development into the kitchen. Mandy is a mom of three and is always cooking something new for her family. When you see Chef Mandy in the kitchen, she will be wearing one of her awesome veggie t-shirts.

Carlita Gonzalez

Program Coordinator

Carlita's passion for serving West Michigan nonprofit organizations began after volunteering as a Spanish interpreter for the Humane Society of West Michigan (HSWM) over 15 years ago. Since then, she has been dedicated to working exclusively for nonprofit organizations, focusing on advocacy for equitable access to community resources. She brings an array of experience and skills from working alongside diverse populations in her prior roles at Safe Haven Ministries, HSWM, and Kent District Library.

Morgan Vargo

Programming Assistant

Morgan oversees food packaging, manages volunteers, and provides administrative support to fulfill our mission of serving the community. Drawn by her belief in food's healing power, Morgan joined Revive & Thrive Project in 2022 as a volunteer and guest chef, stepping in for Chef Mandy during vacations. She has extensive experience in restaurant management and is a culinary enthusiast – spending her free time foraging, gardening, and cooking. Her commitment to community service extends beyond Revive & Thrive, as she has volunteered with Paws With A Cause, local food banks, and Becca's Closet.

Erica Osman

Communications Specialist

Erica is a passionate and creative visual communicator with a service-led heart. She has experience in design and marketing across industries, including Dillard’s Inc. and Central Michigan University, and is excited to put her storytelling skills to use to expand Revive & Thrive’s brand and mission. Erica believes in the importance of caring for your community and serving others. She has volunteered with CASA of Kent County, Treetops Collective, and churches and is a member of Grand Rapids Professional Women for Good.

Abbie Larink

Salesforce Administrator

Abbie is a non-profit professional with a people-focused heart and a data-loving brain. She has been involved with Revive & Thrive since 2020, serving various staff roles including client services manager, volunteer coordinator, packaging and delivery coordinator, and social media manager. Since 2023, Abbie has spearheaded our adoption of Salesforce. She enjoys building user-friendly technology tools that help our team serve the community and share our impact.

Abbie has a background in interfaith community organizing and is currently earning her Salesforce developer credential. She has enjoyed being part of Revive & Thrive Project’s exciting growth over the past several years and is honored to continue supporting our team, clients, and volunteers in the mission to provide healthy meals and empower the next generation.

Zoey Streeter

Kitchen Assistant

Zoey assists Chef Mandy in managing kitchen operations and ensuring the delivery of high-quality healing meals.

Outside of our kitchen, Zoey dedicates her time to mentoring youth – coaching rowing at Northview High School and supervising children at a daycare – where she instills positive habits and encourages personal growth.

Brittany Hill

Kitchen Assistant

Brittany began at Revive & Thrive as a volunteer. Inspired by Chef Mandy, Brittany became a weekly kitchen volunteer every Wednesday assisting in preparing nourishing meals. Brittany finds fulfillment in supporting Revive & Thrive clients and their families during recovery, particularly mothers balancing life-altering illnesses and family responsibilities, by cooking nutritious foods that help them regain their footing more quickly. She works alongside Chef Mandy to ensure the kitchen operations and responsibilities run smoothly and over 400 delicious, healthy meals are delivered each week.

Brittany has a background in accounting and enjoys spending time with her husband and two children.

 

*Total hours of the Revive & Thrive staff are equivalent of 4.5 full-time employees.

Meet the Board

Donna Tefft

Board President

Donna retired from her position as chief operations officer at D.A. Blodgett – St. John’s in the spring of 2021, following a career that included direct service, volunteer management, grant writing, program development, mentoring and coaching, risk management, quality assurance and evaluation, accreditation, and executive leadership. Eager to find new and unique ways to continue to serve our community, Donna found the mission of the Revive & Thrive Project to be a great fit with her passion for individual, family, and community well-being.

In addition to her work as an accreditation consultant, Donna serves as a Peer Reviewer for the Council on Accreditation. Donna is an active outdoorswoman, favoring running, hiking, and biking to most anything other than time with her husband, children, and grandchildren, preferably in northern Michigan.

Krista Koster, CPA, MSA

Board Treasurer

Krista is a senior manager at Hungerford Nichols. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Cornerstone University, and completed her Master’s in Accountancy at Grand Valley State University. As part of the Specialized Accounting Services Team, Krista works closely with a variety of businesses and not-for-profit organizations to ensure they have accurate financial information. Her areas of expertise include accounting processes, financial statements, payroll, budgeting, and cleaning up accounting messes.

Krista brings her passion for healthy eating to our team. In addition to cooking plant-based, Krista enjoys spending time with her family, playing golf, reading, and watching the Detroit Tigers.

Christina Hazekamp Wright, MPH

Board Secretary

Christina holds a bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Sciences from Michigan State University and a Master's in Public Health from Boston University. She also holds certifications in Lean Management and Improvement Capability. Christina currently serves as the director of program management for the I-PASS Institute, leading teams who manage large-scale implementation projects across health systems. Her professional background also includes clinical nutrition counseling and research administration.

Working with chronically ill patients to improve their quality of life through food, Christina developed a strong appreciation for the positive impact that can be had on individual and community health when food systems are sustainable and equitable. In her spare time, Christina enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and their dog, Clifford.

Michael Puff, MD, FACG

Board Member

With over 30 years of experience in his medical career, numerous academic appointments, and board certifications, Dr. Puff brings an unparalleled wealth of clinical expertise to Revive & Thrive Project. He is a lifetime proponent of Food as Medicine and feels strongly about the organization’s mission of providing nourishing meals to those facing a health crisis while empowering the next generation. Dr. Puff shared his passion for Revive & Thrive’s mission: "I am a gastroenterologist and have talked about Food as Medicine throughout my career. Diet is huge. It has enormous consequences. I enjoy giving back and appreciate being able to support the work of Revive & Thrive and empower more teens as they learn about healthy eating habits and volunteerism.” Not only is Dr. Puff a passionate supporter, but he can also be found volunteering in the kitchen or in packaging alongside teen volunteers, enjoying the opportunity to connect.

Nancy Short

Board Member

Nancy is a native Michigander and professional people person. Her career, focused on strategic initiatives and engagement, has spanned a breadth of industries from government to health care, where her guiding principle has always been a desire to help others accomplish something bigger than themselves. Her greatest satisfaction comes from witnessing the moment someone’s eyes light up when they see the bigger picture and their role in it. 

After majoring in political science and psychology at the University of Michigan, Short pursued a master’s degree in political management at The George Washington University and began her career in government and politics. She’s thrilled to be working for Corewell Health as Manager, Board Governance, where she stood up the department and is leading daily operations. Her leadership efforts include integrating board governance and best practices across the organization, harmonizing five fiduciary boards and 30+ committees, and helping them to achieve effective and efficient operations with a positive culture.

Nancy is deeply committed to her community, believing that “Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth” (Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm).  A proponent of movement, food, and the arts as medicine, she’s delighted to serve on the Revive & Thrive Project board to put her belief of food as medicine into practice.

Julie VanGessel

Board Member

Julie VanGessel is a dedicated advocate for community empowerment and development in West Michigan, particularly in Grand Rapids.

With a background in sales and non-profit work, Julie is driven by her passion for youth development, social justice, and economic progress. She stands as a lifelong advocate for community development and empowerment. In her current role in member engagement at the GR Chamber, her belief in nurturing robust business relationships extends beyond individual enterprise success; it encompasses a broader vision of contributing to regional economic growth and overall well-being.

Julie actively contributes to the community by serving on various boards, including the Mary Free Bed YMCA. She resides in East Grand Rapids with her husband John, a Special Education teacher and high school football coach, their four children, and their Goldendoodle, Lou Holtz. The VanGessel family’s deep ties to the community are evident in their engagement in diverse activities, often centered around sports and community work.

Steve Williams

Board Member

Steve is a former executive and consultant who spent his career in managed health care, administration and chronic disease training, and program development. In the last nine years of his career, he served as executive director of the nonprofit Michigan for Clinical Systems Improvement (Mi-CCSI) which adapted and developed programs and training for primary care teams in complex patient management. In his career, he worked for two large, regional health maintenance organizations and consulted with regional and national health plans and insurers in a variety of operational and strategic initiatives. Now semi-retired, Steve enjoys cooking, reading, and volunteer work. He lives with his wife Lisa and has two adult sons.

John Williams CPA

Board Member

John is an income tax manager at Meijer Inc. Previously, he spent five years with BDO as a member of the core tax services group and four years with Vail Resorts as an EMT/patroller while living in Colorado. He is a Grand Rapids native and Michigan State University alumni. John brings his accounting skills and passion for helping others within the community to Revive & Thrive Project. He enjoys working in his garden and cooking new meals with the produce, seeing first-hand the positive impacts of fresh food and quality nutrition on a person’s overall health.

Sue Dempsey

Board Member

Sue is senior vice president at Acrisure Business Services at Acrisure, LLC. She is passionate about developing and engaging high-performing leaders and teams, transformation, and metrics-driven culture in operations. She currently leads a 900+ person shared services team across executional accounting, human resource, and service center operations. Sue has diverse experience with West Michigan companies including Kellogg Company, Stryker Medical, and Ernst & Young. She also founded Dempsey’s Frozen Custard with her husband. Sue received her Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Houston, completed her Bachelor’s of Business in Accountancy from Western Michigan University, and is also a Certified Public Accountant. She has advanced education from the Executive Development Program, Integrated Operations Management, at Michigan State University, and Hackett Institute Global Business Services Leadership Training. She served as a board member of SAFE Place and Stars & Stripes Child Care Center and was actively involved in multiple Kellogg Business Employee Resource Groups focused on the development of employees and diversity in the workplace including Women of Kellogg (WOK) leadership team.

Sue and her husband Bart have a passion for healthy eating and exercise (Sue is a 15-year cancer survivor) and love spending time with their four children, two grandchildren, and three granddogs.