Staff and Board
Staff
Director
Erin Peyer
A Wisconsin transplant, Erin grew up playing music and earned her Master's degree in Piano Pedagogy. Upon moving to Michigan in 2018, she decided to switch gears and pursue a career in nonprofits. She started at the ACWL-Nuveen as the Assistant to the Director before becoming Director in September of 2019. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and the Whitehall TIFA Board. She spends most of her free time reading, baking tasty treats, and hanging out with her husband, daughter and pups.
Assistant Director
Susan Wink
A Michigan native, Susan lived in the high plains desert of Roswell, New Mexico for several years where she maintained a professional studio creating custom ceramic tile and designing and building community-based public art. She also has an extensive education background teaching art to all ages in school and museum settings. Sue recently returned home to the “mitten” to be closer to family, the dense green woodlands, and the awe-inspiring Lake Michigan. When not in the studio, Sue enjoys cooking, reading and exploring the beautiful beaches throughout the state.
Marketing & Events Coordinator
Ian Martin
Ian has always been drawn to creativity and education. He has worked as the Training Program Manger for Braintree-PayPal, as a trainer at Apple Retail, and as an English teacher in Valencia, Spain. Ian’s artistic background is in writing and filmmaking. Ian is thrilled to be joining ACWL-Nuveen which combines his passions for education and creativity. He looks forward to highlighting the artists, educators, patrons, and volunteers who are central to ACWL-Nuveen.
Board of Directors
Chair
Holly VanderPlaats
Holly is a former social worker who spent her clinical and administrative career in mental health and substance abuse agencies in Grand Rapids. She and her husband moved to Montague in 2009. Since her retirement in 2013 she has been involved as a volunteer in a number of church and community activities. She is excited to join the ACWL-Nuveen Board in their efforts to bring art to all those living in the White Lake area. She enjoys reading, boating and bridge.
Treasurer
Deb Harris
Deb was a teacher in the Reeths-Puffer district until her retirement. She is an active member and teacher at the ACWL-Nuveen. She enjoys boating and soaking in the sights of White Lake.
Lynn Cotter
Lynn Cotter is a retired librarian and English teacher. She is also one of the founding members of the ACWL-Nuveen. Lynn makes her home in Montague. She and her husband, Dave, have two adult children.
Christopher Jones
Chris Jones was first introduced to the arts in the White Lake area through productions at the Playhouse at White Lake. He has explored the arts through a diverse range of disciplines and has a strong background in non-profit and retail. Chris enjoys taking classes through the ACWL-Nuveen, learning new creative skills, and sharing his knowledge with others.
Nicole Oquist
A native to White Lake, Nicole is a Ferris State University graduate in visual communication. She works full time as the Design Director at RCP Marketing, where she has been an integral part of their creative team since 1998. In addition to her professional pursuits, she is a dedicated mother to four children. Her passion for design is rivaled only by her love for the outdoors, where she finds solace in exploring nature with her family.
Laura Ritchie
Laura has been involved with the ACWL-Nuveen since 2010. Laura’s hope for the ACWL is to give opportunities to all artists in our community and to assist with ensuring that our center is accessible and welcoming to all. Laura works full time at Healthwest in Muskegon. She and her husband live with their boys in the White Lake community and enjoy all of the things this area has to offer for the arts and outdoor activities.
Casey Rodgerson
Muskegon, Michigan born and raised, Casey is a high school student at Reeths-Puffer high school. Casey has a long history with visual and preforming arts at Reeths-Puffer. Casey tries to be active in the community in any way possible and loves working with the ACWL-Nuveen.
Chester Winowiecki
Chester is a full-time artist who makes functional pottery, visual art and music. Originally from the Detroit suburbs, he has lived in the Whitehall area for more than 20 years with his wife, the artist Cara O’Brien.
Carolyn Carmel Dykman
Chair-elect
Carolyn is a local photographer who graduated from the Art institute of Phoenix with a degree in visual communications. Carolyn has lived in the White Lake area for 18 years, with her husband Jeremy and 5 children. She enjoys books, coffee and the water.
Jeremy Dykman
Secretary
Born and raised in Montague, Jeremy moved to various locations throughout the US. He then moved back and graduated and has lived in the White Lake area ever since. He earned his Masters in Cybersecurity from Penn State and has worked in Information Technology at Wesco for the past 22 years. Jeremy and his wife Carolyn have 5 amazing children. He enjoys the water, riding his Harley, and all things White Lake.
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Ann Kraus
Ann is an artist with a background in construction and management. In addition to all things art, she enjoys working on house projects, hiking, biking, and travel.
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Kanda Parrott
As a freelance artist relatively new to the area, Kanda wanted to join a group of art enthusiastic and driven people as well as make lasting connections in the community. Kanda hopes to help ACWL in their future projects/plans and add a fresh perspective while working on meeting her own artistic goals!
Gretchen Schneider
As a vested member of the White Lake community, Gretchen joins the Board of Directors to continue her efforts of “giving back” whenever possible. Gretchen currently works at MasterTag in Montague as a Quality Coordinator for Customer Success; as well as, assisting local school districts as a substitute bus driver. Gretchen holds a degree in English / Business Administration from Central Michigan University and enjoys woodworking, following school sports, camping, writing, and spoiling her wiener dog, Maggie.
Mackenzie Smith
Mackenzie recently moved back to her hometown of Montague, having come up empty handed after looking all over the country for anything that could compare to Lake Michigan. She is a project manager during the day and fills her free time with knitting, garment sewing and modern quilting (you can find her quilted items in the gallery!). She started volunteering at ACWL because she loves having access to such a variety of art and arts programming in our community, and is excited to contribute to continuing this impact as a board member.