MEET THE BOARD

                

Herb Higgin      Trustee   Mr. Higgin has resided in Bridgman for the past 9 years and is married to Gina Higgin.  Together they have three children Melissa, Katie and Sam.  Melissa is married and lives in Illinois with her family, Katie is a Bridgman 2010 graduate and Sam will be graduating spring 2012.  Both Herb and Gina are involved and have been involved with various committees that promote students’ activities and their success.  Herb believes in providing opportunities for students to maximize their potential.  Presently, Herb serves as Program Coordinator for Safe Harbor After-School programs within the Michigan City Area School System.  He holds a Masters in Health Sciences from Governors State University and has been counselor and administrator in health care facilities within Illinois and Indiana for the past 34 years.  Herb was appointed to serve as an after school ambassador and represented afterschool programs at a national conference in Dallas and Washington, D.C. over the past few years.  Mr. Higgin serves on the Board of the Indiana Afterschool Network where he also served as chairman from 2008-2010.  He has served as a trustee on the Bridgman Foundation for Educational Excellence board since 2010.        Debra Mensinger     Nominating   Mrs. Mensinger and her husband, Dennis, have two sons, Brandon and Christopher who are both students at Bridgman High School .  Providing a quality education for their children has always been a priority for the Mensingers.  Deb began “shopping” for a school when Brandon was 2 years old.  Impressed with both the academic and extracurricular opportunities Bridgman offered, as well as the award winning faculty and state-of-the art facilities, Bridgman Public Schools became their school of choice.   They were a school of choice family until moving to Bridgman in 2004.  Deb was a past member of the Berrien County ISD (now Berrien RESA) Parent Advisory Committee representing Bridgman Schools, participated in the Michigan Alliance for Families Leadership Development Series and served a term as President of the Friends of RMS.  She continues to be involved by serving on several committees supporting her sons’ high school activities.  Deb attended Western Michigan University where she studied business administration.  She worked at AEP’s Cook Nuclear Plant for 20 years in the Human Resources and Training Departments.  After leaving AEP, she and Dennis owned and operated vacation rentals along Lake Michigan ’s shore.  Currently, Deb is Director of Events for Dewey Cannon Winery and Willow Harbor Vineyards.  Mrs. Mensinger has served as a trustee for the Bridgman Foundation for Educational Excellence since 2008 and has served in the roles of Vice Chair-Projects and Nominating Chair.           Chuck Pope       Trustee   Chuck has lived in the Bridgman area since 1998. His two children, Haley and Ethan, currently attend Bridgman Schools.  Chuck works at the University of Notre Dame as an Accounting Manager within the Finance Division.  He is originally from central Illinois and received his B.S. in Accounting from Western Illinois University before becoming a licensed Certified Public Accountant while living in Chicago.  Prior to working at Notre Dame, he worked for several years in healthcare finance in Chicago and at Lakeland HealthCare in St. Joseph.  Chuck enjoys sports and exercising, especially running.  He has also stayed involved in his children’s recreational activities by coaching baseball, soccer, and floor hockey in recent years.  Chuck joined the Bridgman Foundation for Educational Excellence board as a trustee in 2011.