Grace Names 2019 Outstanding Alumni
October 5, 2019 at 1:22 a.m.
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Jim Kessler, Mary Louise Miller, LeAnne Lavender, Lamarr Lark, and Dan and Debi Renner were honored for their accomplishments and contributions to Grace and to their communities.
Jim Kessler, Winona Lake, was named Grace College Alumnus of the Year.
Kessler graduated from Grace in 1970. He started his coaching career at Grace College in 1977 and never left. After five decades of coaching, he made the decision to finish his career in December 2018.
Mary Louise Miller, Warsaw, was presented the Honorary Alumni Award.
She and her late husband, Dr. Dane Miller, “are legends in the Winona Lake and Warsaw community, the state of Indiana, and across the globe,” according to a news release from Grace. The worldwide orthopaedic company, Biomet (now Zimmer Biomet), was founded in the Millers’ converted barn in 1977.
Thirty-five years ago, the Millers created the Dr. Dane and Mary Louise Miller Foundation to support leadership in philanthropy, public service and the advancement of the sciences. The foundation has supported numerous nonprofits and thousands of families; one of the chief benefactors is Grace College.
Since Dane’s death in 2015, Mary Louise has continued to support their passions.
Lamarr Lark, Libertyville, Ill., received the Alumni Distinguished Service Award.
After graduating from Grace in 1987, Lark spent the majority of his career at Abbott, a leading global healthcare company, where he retired as vice president of human resources at the age of 50. While at Abbott, Lark pursued any opportunity he had to pastor, serving as an assistant pastor and executive pastor at various churches as he and his family moved around the country for his job.
LeAnne Lavender, Indianapolis, was named Grace College Young Alumna of the Year.
After earning her bachelor’s degree in 2010, Lavender began her career as an admission counselor at Grace where she achieved record-breaking numbers in both her territory and for the institution. She went on to become the director of admission at Grace College Indianapolis. Concurrently, she earned her MBA from Grace in 2015.
In 2016, her husband, Derek, was in a serious motorcycle accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down. Lavender resigned from Grace to help him recover and figure out a new way forward. As a result, she founded Lavender Accessible Design where she helps others design and create accessible spaces for their home or business. Additionally, she’s become an advocate of the spinal cord community through her social media presence, Lavenders Longshot.
Dan and Debi Renner, Pickerington, Ohio, were presented the Parent Distinguished Service Award.
Dan and Debi are the proud parents of Sarah and Daniel, Grace College graduates of 2016 and 2019.
“We couldn’t be more thankful for the way Grace invested in our kids, striking the perfect balance of giving them both the structure and the freedom to grow in their faith,” said Debi. Dan and Debi wanted their two children to benefit from a college experience that sharpened them spiritually while giving them the tools they needed for a future career.
Dan is an active member of five years on Grace’s board of trustees and is currently the vice chair. Dan and Debi both have spent countless hours on various committees at Grace, have been integral in developing Grace’s new brand platform, and have consulted on enrollment and financial aid interests. The Renners have also contributed significantly with their resources.
Dan was part of the founding team at CoverMyMeds (Ohio), a healthcare software startup established in 2008. Blessed with wise leadership, a talented team and an industry model that found unusual traction, the business grew at a rapid pace. CoverMyMeds was sold in 2017, and the Renners now enjoy the freedom to invest in many people and organizations, including Grace. The Renners support scholarship funds and the launch of Deploy, Grace’s competency-based seminary program.
Jim Kessler, Mary Louise Miller, LeAnne Lavender, Lamarr Lark, and Dan and Debi Renner were honored for their accomplishments and contributions to Grace and to their communities.
Jim Kessler, Winona Lake, was named Grace College Alumnus of the Year.
Kessler graduated from Grace in 1970. He started his coaching career at Grace College in 1977 and never left. After five decades of coaching, he made the decision to finish his career in December 2018.
Mary Louise Miller, Warsaw, was presented the Honorary Alumni Award.
She and her late husband, Dr. Dane Miller, “are legends in the Winona Lake and Warsaw community, the state of Indiana, and across the globe,” according to a news release from Grace. The worldwide orthopaedic company, Biomet (now Zimmer Biomet), was founded in the Millers’ converted barn in 1977.
Thirty-five years ago, the Millers created the Dr. Dane and Mary Louise Miller Foundation to support leadership in philanthropy, public service and the advancement of the sciences. The foundation has supported numerous nonprofits and thousands of families; one of the chief benefactors is Grace College.
Since Dane’s death in 2015, Mary Louise has continued to support their passions.
Lamarr Lark, Libertyville, Ill., received the Alumni Distinguished Service Award.
After graduating from Grace in 1987, Lark spent the majority of his career at Abbott, a leading global healthcare company, where he retired as vice president of human resources at the age of 50. While at Abbott, Lark pursued any opportunity he had to pastor, serving as an assistant pastor and executive pastor at various churches as he and his family moved around the country for his job.
LeAnne Lavender, Indianapolis, was named Grace College Young Alumna of the Year.
After earning her bachelor’s degree in 2010, Lavender began her career as an admission counselor at Grace where she achieved record-breaking numbers in both her territory and for the institution. She went on to become the director of admission at Grace College Indianapolis. Concurrently, she earned her MBA from Grace in 2015.
In 2016, her husband, Derek, was in a serious motorcycle accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down. Lavender resigned from Grace to help him recover and figure out a new way forward. As a result, she founded Lavender Accessible Design where she helps others design and create accessible spaces for their home or business. Additionally, she’s become an advocate of the spinal cord community through her social media presence, Lavenders Longshot.
Dan and Debi Renner, Pickerington, Ohio, were presented the Parent Distinguished Service Award.
Dan and Debi are the proud parents of Sarah and Daniel, Grace College graduates of 2016 and 2019.
“We couldn’t be more thankful for the way Grace invested in our kids, striking the perfect balance of giving them both the structure and the freedom to grow in their faith,” said Debi. Dan and Debi wanted their two children to benefit from a college experience that sharpened them spiritually while giving them the tools they needed for a future career.
Dan is an active member of five years on Grace’s board of trustees and is currently the vice chair. Dan and Debi both have spent countless hours on various committees at Grace, have been integral in developing Grace’s new brand platform, and have consulted on enrollment and financial aid interests. The Renners have also contributed significantly with their resources.
Dan was part of the founding team at CoverMyMeds (Ohio), a healthcare software startup established in 2008. Blessed with wise leadership, a talented team and an industry model that found unusual traction, the business grew at a rapid pace. CoverMyMeds was sold in 2017, and the Renners now enjoy the freedom to invest in many people and organizations, including Grace. The Renners support scholarship funds and the launch of Deploy, Grace’s competency-based seminary program.
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