Northwestern College is governed by a board of trustees made up of people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. The board consists of 32 members, including pastors, health care professionals, entrepreneurs and business owners, among others. Most board members are NW alumni or have direct connections with the college.
This board is in charge of preserving the mission and identity of the college as well as giving guidance for the future. Specifically, it makes budget and property decisions and hold the president, along with other leaders of the college, accountable in their decisions.
The board members are split into six committees to oversee the college. These committees include Enrollment and Marketing, Academic Policies, Finance, Campus Life and Advancement. All of the members on these committees meet twice a year, once in April and once in September. There is also an executive board of members that meets once a month. The executive board is made up of one member from each of the six committees.
Anita Bomgaars is a part of the executive committee and represents the Enrollment and Marketing committee. Bomgaars is a 1977 alumnus of NW. She has worked as a real-estate agent at her own firm, a film producer, a teacher and has served on many committees for the college.
“My experience of being a student in the ‘70s as well as my children attending Northwestern, has given me a range of perspectives about the college,” Bomgaars said. “All of these things—as well as my variety of careers—help me to make educated decisions for the college and its future.” This is Bomgaars’ third year on the board. She represents the RCA from the Midwest.
Kurt Dykstra, a 1994 graduate of Northwestern, serves on the Enrollment and Marketing committee with Bomgaars. Dykstra has worked as a lawyer, a professor at Hope College in Holland, Mich., and as the mayor of Holland for five years. He represents the RCA and the “around the nation” positions on the Board of Trustees.
“We are called the Board of Trustees for a reason,” Dykstra said. “The college trusts us to bring our experiences to making decisions for the college. One of our priorities is to make sure to take care of the college when we are gone. This trust is put in us because of our professional experiences, life history, concern, love and overall passion for this school.”
A recent addition to the board, Tricia Vermeer, also graduated from NW in 1994. Vermeer works with the Vermeer Charitable Foundation in Pella, Iowa. She is a member of the Advancements Committee, which helps raise money for the college.
“I accepted the invitation to be on the Board of Trustees because I want to support and give back to my college,” Vermeer said. “I am passionate about Northwestern’s mission, and I love to recruit students to come, so they can have the same college experience that I had.”
Albert Okine went to college with Dykstra and Vermeer but graduated in 1995. Okine is originally from Ghana, but he currently resides in Dakota Dunes, S.D., with his family. He serves on the Campus Life committee.
“I believe the criteria for being on the Board of Trustees is one who is a Christian and embodies the vision and mission of Northwestern College and is willing to bear witness to the college, work in serving on board committees, share his or her God given wisdom in the service of the college by responsible leadership and support the college with his or her physical resources,” Okine said.
The executive board has monthly meetings to discuss issues and concerns at the college. The entire Board of Trustees meets twice a year, once in April and once in September.
