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Alumni Profiles
2022 Alumni Honorees
THE CALVIN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD RECEIVES MANY NOMINATIONS FOR THESE ANNUAL AWARDS, AND THEY PRAYERFULLY CONSIDER EACH ONE. THESE ALUMNI HAVE MADE CONSIDERABLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THEIR FIELDS, AND THEIR LIVES REFLECT THE MISSION OF THE UNIVERSITY.
Watch profile videos for each honoree
calvin.edu/go/alumni-awards
Read more profiles online
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NANA OWUSU-ACHAU ’12 YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD
An entrepreneur in agriculture and real estate, Nana Owusu-Achau combines his knowledge of technology, experience in business, and commitment to stewardship to grow sustainable agriculture in Ghana. A leader in his industry, he exports his company’s high-quality rice and food products around the globe.
GEORGE COMER ’68 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD
George Comer, a lifetime educator, invested his career in the youth and families of the Gary, Indiana public school district. An ability to solve any problem with creativity and heart characterize Comer’s signature leadership. Now retired, he maintains a strong commitment to giving back to the community he’s been part of his whole life.
CHRIS HOLSTEGE ’88 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD
Chris Holstege never imagined his chemistry major would take him into the field of medical toxicology. A long-time faculty member at the University of Virgina, Holstege works nationally and internationally to protect vulnerable patient populations and leads the way in promoting wellness and well-being for students on the University of Virginia’s campus.
Agent of Change
Nana Owusu-Achau ’12 Young Alumni Award winner
Ghana native Nana Owusu-Achau ’12 graduated with an impressive skillset in computer science, information systems, and engineering. He also served the Calvin community in many capacities over his four years, culminating with his role as student body president. Hard work and accomplishment landed him his first job on Wall Street. Yet, a mere three days into his career, Owusu-Achau pivoted and decided to return to Ghana. “I realized all that effort I could be putting out into these Wall Street companies, if I brought that to Ghana, the difference I could make is enormous.” He left the Big Apple in August, unsure where his future would lead, certain he could make an impact.
On the flight home, an article in a leading financial magazine caught Owusu-Achau’s attention and “a seed was planted.” According to the article, in 2012, Africa used only 8% of its arable land. Owusu-Achau contacted fellow Calvin alumni from Africa. “I said, ‘Hey guys, we’ve got to do something.’ We were underutilizing the resources we had as a continent.” He admits, at the time, he didn’t know what that “something” was.
Owusu-Achau chose to partner with his father in real estate, learned the business, and eventually branched off to start his own company. By 2015, he’d also invested in agriculture; however, his first ventures didn’t succeed as he hoped. Then, in 2018, while working on a real estate project, he met a community chief who shared some locally grown rice. “I loved it. Prior to this, I used to consume imported rice without thinking.” Finally, he saw a way to address the problem of underutilized resources in Ghana. Owusu-Achau supported two farmers from the chief’s community, helping them to produce high quality rice for the retail market. “Five years down the line, we work with about 300 small-holder farmers and have acquired about 10,000 acres we use for a commercial size farm.” His company, Agro Kings, sells Nana’s Rice and other food products in Ghana. More recently, the company began exporting rice to Belgium, Germany, the U.S, the U.K., and China.
Owusu-Achau lives by the principle of ta panta, the Greek phrase meaning “all things” that Paul used in his letters to early Christian churches. Owusu-Achau says he learned its application to his own life at Calvin. “God has called us to be agents of change in all things, whatever we find ourselves doing. As ambassadors of Christ, we have the responsibility of representing Jesus Christ on earth—being an instrument of change as he was.”
Agro Kings operates on three pillars. “We believe strongly in feeding the future, empowering the marginalized, and utilizing technology.” This means increasing food security through local food production, training farmers, and moving their growers’ products into new markets. Owusu-Achu believes every farming community Agro Kings partners with should benefit from its presence. The company helps communities access clean water, improve sanitation, and employ youth. Agro Kings is also committed to positioning women in key leadership roles within the company. To minimize climate impact, Agro Kings uses renewable energy to generate electricity and power irrigation. Of course, a business of this scale couldn’t run without key players and steady support. Owusu-Achau and his wife, Phyllis, work hard to make sure they meet the needs both of their employees and their growing family. Phyllis often works behind the scenes in human resources, especially as a support to female team members navigating the challenges of work-life balance. Together, Owusu-Achau and his wife have two daughters and also provide a home base to their chief farmer’s three children, so the girls can receive a quality education in the city.
Only a decade has passed since Owusu-Achau stepped off Calvin’s campus, diploma in hand. And though his path changed directions, his commitment to serving as an “agent of change” in God’s world never has. “I have always been a fundamental believer in the fact that we have a rich African culture, rich resources, and land.” That belief continues to inspire and guide Owusu-Achau’s vision for Ghana.
George Comer ’68 Distinguished Alumni Award winner
Community Builder
Tumult and progress marked 1964, the year George Comer ’68 graduated from high school in Gary, Indiana. That was the year of the Civil Rights Act. The Harlem Race Riots. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. But that fall, amidst political unrest and seismic social change, Comer stepped onto Calvin’s campus with a clear sense of vocation, a dedicated work ethic, and a strong faith he hoped would guide him over the next four years.
Comer first heard of Calvin through his sister and brother-in-law, who lived within walking distance of the Franklin campus. Since Grand Rapids had a robust African American community, Comer assumed Calvin would, too. Plus, the university’s strong academic reputation appealed to him. But Calvin’s conservative culture and predominantly white student population caught Comer by surprise. As one of only three black students on campus, Comer frequently shared his point of view with classmates. “Many of the Calvin students had not had an opportunity to interact with blacks. We would have little sessions, and I would talk about the black experience.” Still, Comer considered transferring. Looking back, he’s glad he stayed. “Calvin pushes for diversity,” he says, “and they’re sincere about it. They made every effort to make me feel comfortable.” Comer cites “being able to feel like I belonged, that I wasn’t going to be treated differently” as the reason he remained.
Comer graduated from Calvin in 1968, turning down a graduate fellowship at the University of Michigan to return home, marry his childhood sweetheart, Sarah, and begin his career. He spent forty-four years in the Gary community schools, first teaching English and drama. After six years, he moved into administration. By the time he retired as assistant superintendent in 2012, he had held nearly every administrative position in the district. Over the span of his career, Comer became known for his ability to move into any role and get a job done.
Dedicated and innovative, Comer helped Gary’s students reach their full potential, piloting programs to enhance student learning and encourage parent engagement. Comer developed a partnership program with Indiana University called Competitive Edge, where high schoolers took summer classes in the sciences. For many participants, Competitive Edge was their first experience on a college campus. “That was sort of exciting to me.” Comer says, “Many of the kids were extremely well prepared in the Gary system, but because they have the steel mills there, which is good money, there just wasn’t that feeling of ‘Hey, I want to go off to college.’” Another successful program employed primary school parents and tasked them with strengthening parent engagement in their local schools. Comer notes, student performance increased when parents participated in their kids’ education. Growing up, church and family played vital roles in Comer’s life. That legacy lives on. Comer says he’s proud of his three children who built careers in education and healthcare. He’s proud to have loved two good women. His first wife passed away in 1992. His second wife, Mary, is the longest tenured administrator in Gary’s public school system. And he’s proud of his faith, because he says, “It keeps me humble.” Today, the Comers remain active in their community and church, investing in local students’ lives with time and financial support. “I just enjoy being around kids. It keeps me young,” says Comer, who teaches Sunday school, helps his wife coach the St. Timothy Community Church Bible Bowl team, and still attends school sports and fine arts events.
Looking back on his career and its many highlights, Comer doesn’t reflect on himself for very long. Instead, he remembers the students’ lives he touched. “If you really want to have an impact on children, go into teaching. It’s more than just delivering content. Sometimes it’s more of a personal kind of thing.” He hopes, above all, he changed the minds of kids who felt they weren’t talented enough to compete with the best students. “I hope the one thing I did was to convince them that they could.”
Chris Holstege ’88 has a heart for serving vulnerable populations. On any given day, the internationally renowned medical toxicologist might be found in a classroom, an emergency department, a courtroom, or a research lab. No matter his location or task, Holstege approaches each day with characteristic energy and a clear-minded commitment to service.
Holstege is a Professor of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Virginia’s School of Medicine and the Chief of its Division of Medical Toxicology, a program that treats patients who have been poisoned. He also teaches and serves as the Executive Director of the University of Virginia’s Department of Student Health & Wellness. His current research focuses on student populations, particularly in the area of substance abuse, and on criminal poisonings.
Toxicologists use differential diagnosis, a process of piecing together evidence and symptoms to both rule out and determine the toxins involved in a poisoning. Holstege says it’s a bit like piecing a puzzle together. He frequently partners with experts from a variety of fields and credits his liberal arts education at Calvin with preparing him to successfully collaborate at a multidisciplinary level. For example, Holstege serves on UVA’s Critical Incident Analysis Group that brings together experts from the sciences and humanities to study critical incidents, such as major terrorist events, and their impact on governments and societies. The group has studied incidents such as 9-11 and the attacks on U.S. embassies in Africa.
Holstege also assists in international poisoning cases. He has worked on high profile events such as the 2001 anthrax release and the 2004 poisoning of Ukranian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko. He currently serves as a member of a number of telehealth groups, one of which monitors patients for the release of chemical warfare in the civilian Ukranian population. “I really think Christians have a leading role to care for the vulnerable,” Holstege says. “Bureaucracies need to be held accountable. And we need to make sure justice is brought. Truly, if you really look at what drives me, it’s that.”
Holstege has also served in criminal prosecutions. He cites a partnership with Calvin faculty and student researchers who helped determine how much cyanide it would take to kill someone by lethal injection. That evidence helped lead to a murder conviction. “Predators are looking for the vulnerable. But I think you would be heartened to see how many people are working together to put them at bay and bring justice.”
More recently, Holstege’s research has turned to students, helping the University of Virginia define wellness and well-being, and even building a university partnership with Shenandoah National Park to get students out into nature. Holstege remains hopeful that an interdisciplinary approach to wellness will empower students to flourish in these challenging and complex times.
Holstege carries the torch of a long Calvin legacy. “I’ve been part of the history of this university for a long time. I grew up in the halls as a kid,” he says. His father, Henry Holstege ’54, was a professor of sociology; his mother, Lois Veltkamp Holstege ’54, attended Calvin; and his great-grandfather graduated from Calvin Seminary. Holstege himself studied chemistry and ran and hurdled for the Calvin track and field team. In 2017, he was named a Knight of Distinction. Holstege and his wife, Angela Dykstra Holstege ’90, have six children, five of whom chose to attend Calvin. As a Calvin parent, he appreciates the “fabulous faculty, their tremendous expertise, and an emphasis on service.”
Medical toxicology is intense work and Holstege admits he’s “seen significant brutality over the years.” It might be easy to grow cynical; but in fact, Holstege remains resilient, hopeful, even. His secret? He holds an unflagging belief in the value of public service. He relishes every opportunity to restore justice or return patients to health. He sees promise in the next generation of students. Though he’s well-established in his profession, you get the sense Chris Holstege has only just begun.
Chris Holstege ’88 Distinguished Alumni Award winner
A Heart for Service
