11:00 am Speakers
Marissa Netley
ABOUT: Wife, mama, and marketing obsessed. I run events, social media and the creative brand for a global coworking company called Hana. I recently moved back to my roots in Hillsdale after living in Newport Beach, California for the last several years.
Hobbies: When I am not conquering the corporate world, you can find me playing with my son, doing yoga, hopping on the Peloton, reading or taking my dog for a walk.
Favorite Bucket List Item: I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2014
Favorite College Memory: Throwing CHP with SAB
Proudest Accomplishment: Crushing my career goals, raising a family and finding joy in the journey of it all!
Roma Tarquenia Rogers
ABOUT: I recently joined the staff of Hillsdale College. My husband of 28 years and I are both Higher-Ed administrators and educators we have two adult sons, ages 26 years and 24 years. Our oldest majored in Graphic Design and is now an adventurous member of our Armed services and our youngest majored in Economics and is a detailed analytical problem solver.
Hobbies: Education, Travel, and Creative crafting
Favorite Bucket List Item: To visit all 50 States.
Proudest Accomplishment: Earning my Masters of science degree.
Sue Postle
ABOUT: I am single and reside in Hillsdale. I have a married daughter with 4 children. I am a social worker at a local high school.
Hobbies: Working out, spending time with the Lord, decorating my house, spending time with family and friends, celebrating life events and holidays.
Favorite Bucket List Item: Traveling to Italy, Israel, European World War II memorials - done!
Proudest Accomplishment: Raising my daughter as a teen mom (by the grace of God), and now being able to experience the joy of four grandchildren and watching them grow up.
Favorite College Memory: Graduation day! It took me 35 years to go back to school and earn my degree.
Jenny Pridgeon
ABOUT: I am finishing my 13th year in the Hillsdale Admissions Office, which means a few of the students I recruited my first year now have four children. I married Brian 2 1/2 years ago and we live on his farm about 30 minutes outside Hillsdale. He’s a 7th generation pig+crop farmer.
Hobbies: Traveling, reading, dinner with friends, walking down my dirt road
Favorite Bucket List Item: Visiting my 50th state - Alaska!
Favorite College Memory: My sophomore year as an RA in Olds was so great.
Proudest Accomplishment: The first thing that comes to mind is the poetry I've been memorizing- lots of Gerard Manley Hopkins! But I am also proud and thankful for the community of friends I have. When one of my closest college friends passed away a few weeks ago, I was really comforted by their kindness.
Alex Whitford
ABOUT: My mom is a crafting and urban gardening queen, and I have two younger brothers (Michael 21 and Ashton 15). Michael loves fitness and his frat at Central Michigan (LOL) and Ashton is an avid fisherman - with his own fishing Youtube Channel!? (Ashton Bassin' - toss him a follow ;) My dad passed away while I was a senior in college - he was a goofball and owned a carpet store, and I grew up playing king of the mountain with him on all the carpet rolls! My job as an account executive at Direct Donor TV has me working with major nonprofits in the United States, to build and place their television advertising on national tv networks. My clients are March of Dimes, No Kid Hungry, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and the Wounded Warrior Project - very diverse missions and needs, so every day is different! Right now I work remotely - but I'm making plans to move to the corporate headquarters in Washington DC in March!
Hobbies: Crafting, plants, running my small business @hillsdaliangoods, managing social media for other small businesses (Hillsdale Farmer's market is my personal fave!), and running to raise money for various substance abuse prevention nonprofits (Chicago Marathon - Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 2020 Mile Match - Natural High).
Favorite Bucket List Item: I want to run all 6 Major Marathons in my lifetime - Chicago (done), New York, Boston, London, Berlin, and Tokyo! I applied to two of them last year but #COVID.
Favorite College Memory: One of my best friends and Kappa big Alexis and I once opened all our car doors in the Suites parking lot, blasted "Classic" by MKTO, and had a dance party at 1 in the morning :)
Proudest Accomplishment: oh man - the day I jumped my highest my senior year of pole vaulting in college. 13'6" - it put me first in the country for a day! So surreal.