Alliance of Professional Support Staff
An Independent Union of the Professional Support Staff at Grand Rapids Community College
Announcements
Updates:
Member Updates:
Abbey Atanasoff won the 2025 Homecoming Chili Cookoff with her Bangin' Beef Chili, congrats Abbey!!
In August Sondra Davis earned her BAS in Professional innovation (with emphasis in Communication and Education) from GVSU.
GRCC Updates that Affect You:
The dental and vision reimbursement benefit is increasing to $3000 for families with 2 or more dependents (previously $2570). This change begins January 1, 2026.
APSS Peer Guides Needed:
HR is looking for more people to sign up to be APSS Peer Guides! If you are interested in mentoring a new APSS, please follow this link to find out more or to apply!
Join the Union - There is Strength in Numbers:
If you know an APSS that is not yet a union member, feel free to share this website and encourage them to reach out to the board with any questions about the benefits of joining! The form is on our documents page.
Get Involved With Union Work & Join a Committee:
Some of our committees allow extra members to serve as support and back-up. Read about them in our by-laws. If you are interested in joining one, reach out and we can let you know if there are openings!
Important Dates
Board Meetings (RJF 315 or Virtual):
Tuesday, January 6, 2026 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Tuesday, February 3, 2026 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Tuesday, March 3, 2026 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Tuesday, April 7, 2026 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Tuesday, May 5, 2026 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Social Gatherings:
After Work Social Meet-Ups:
Margarita Friday: “after work” February 20 at Cinco De Mayo
The 2025 Holiday Party:
As usual the party was decorated beautifully and it went by super fast! We had 47 APSS members/retirees attend the casino themed event. Thank you to the Sunshine Committee for spending so much of their time making sure our members felt appreciated. This year we had David Lovell (Associate Director of Institutional Research) join the fun as our Black Jack dealer. There were various gift cards and gift baskets to choose from and fifteen large gifts like hotel stays, $100-$150 gift cards, a printer, a free day off work, free employee parking for a year, car washes, multi-guest golf passes, free subs for a year, and a 10-guest tasting tour at Founders.
The 2025 Summer Party:
Thank you to the Sunshine Committee for organizing this family friendly event! We had about 75 attendees attend this fun summer event at Johnson Park. There was a taco truck and lots of fun events for the kids (face painting, pinata, duck pond, and more)! See more photos here!
Employee Corner
APSS Comings & Goings:
New APSS Employees:
Robin Sausedo, SP of Workforce Training
Sarah Derylo, SP of Mech. & Arch Design/CIS
Jacob Hazewinkel, Accounting/Purchasing
Laurie Rikkers, Dental Clinic
New Union Members:
Sarah Derylo, SP of Mechanical & Architectural Design/CIS
Robin Sausedo, SP of Workforce Training
Lauren Fritz, School of Biological Science
Monica Roque, Lakeshore One Stop Specialist
Moraima Cortes Figuereo, SP to the Dean of Students
Employees on the Move:
Garrett Esper, Admissions and Student Services Functional Analyst
Matthew Butterfield, SP to the Dean of Stem
Sheena Weaver, SP for Applied Technology, Mfg and Mfg Apprenticeship
Katie Pena, Experiential Learning Coordinator
2025 Retirements:
12.11.25 - Laura Devries, English Department SP
10.31.25 - Amy Brandstatter, SP to Dean of Stem
7.3.25 - Janis Qualls, SP Nat. & Phy. Sciences
Contact Us
Do you have something special you’d like to share (birthday, award, new baby, etc.)?
Do you have a new program you want to highlight?
Or do you have other news you would like to share with our members?
Fill out the form to the right and we will reach out!