Gov. Snyder appoints Kathy Vogelsang to Michigan Women’s Commission

Gov. Snyder appoints Kathy Vogelsang to Michigan Women’s Commission

Kathy Vogelsang. Courtesy GVSU

Gov. Rick Snyder has appointed Kathy Vogelsang, an executive at the Van Andel Institute, to a three-year term on the Michigan Women’s Commission.

The 15-member board works to improve the quality of life for Michigan women, including providing support for female veterans, fighting human trafficking and assisting women business owners.

Women veterans in Michigan

The Michigan Women’s Commission, which is part of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, has several initiatives targeted for completion this year, one being focused on women military veterans.

A survey of Michigan women veterans regarding their needs has been completed, and this fall, the organization will be collecting data on their enrollment numbers at Michigan colleges and universities.

That will be followed by communication of the findings to the state’s Congressional Delegation, with emphasis on gender-specific services provided by the Veterans Administration.

Finance background

Vogelsang — who earned a bachelor’s degree in finance in 1995 from Grand Valley State University, followed by an MBA from GVSU in 1999 — is the chief investment officer at the Van Andel Institute, responsible for the investment management of the institute’s $1.2 billion endowment fund.

Vogelsang has had a full career in the financial industry: vice president/senior portfolio manager at Fifth Third Bank Wealth Management Group; investment manager at JVA Enterprises, the family office of Jay and Betty Van Andel and financial analyst for Stokes & Company, a Washington, D.C.-based accounting firm.

Vogelsang serves on several boards and committees and is active in the community: president of the Seidman College of Business Alumni Association from 2007-2011; Alumni of the Year by the Seidman College of Business in 2006 and one of the Grand Rapids Business Journal’s 50 Most Influential Women in West Michigan in 2012.