The Phi Beta Kappa Society
GREATER DETROIT ASSOCIATION
Nominees for 2023 Board
Leaders of the Association are elected by majority vote of the members present at the Annual Meeting. The Nominating Committee has chosen the following candidates to stand for election at the Annual Meeting on December 10, 2022.
PRESIDENT (incumbent)
Janet Bauder Thornburg (ΦΒΚ Stanford University 1974)
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Raised in California, Janet is a geologist who earned B.S. and M.S. degrees at Stanford University and a Ph.D. at the University of Colorado Boulder. While working in the petroleum industry, she lived in Oklahoma, Wyoming, Colorado, and Texas. Since retiring to Ann Arbor in 2016, Janet has served the Greater Detroit Association as Vice President for Membership (2017-20) and President (2021-23). She also serves ΦΒΚ as Senator and Chair for the East Central District. Her newest avocation is learning to horseback ride.
PAST PRESIDENT (incumbent)
Pamela Trotman Reid (ΦΒΚ Howard University 2016)
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Pam is a ΦΒΚ Senator. An alumna of Howard Univ; Temple Univ; & Univ. of Pennsylvania, she served as president of Univ. of Saint Joseph (Connecticut) for seven years. Formerly a professor of psychology at Univ. of Michigan, as well as at City Univ. of New York. She now lives in mid-town Detroit and is a senior scholar at the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute at Wayne State.
VICE PRESIDENT FOR PROGRAMS (incumbent)
John Bassett (ΦΒΚ Ohio Wesleyan University 1964)
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John is President Emeritus at Clark University. He also served as President of Heritage University and as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. A professor of English who began his career at Wayne State University (1970-84), he is now retired and lives in Auburn Hills.
VICE PRESIDENT FOR MEMBERSHIP (incumbent)
Levi Roth (ΦΒΚ Indiana University Bloomington 2019)
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Levi pursued dual B.S. degrees in physics and computer science as well as a M.S. in Information Systems at IU. Post graduation he moved to Rochester Hills as a software developer for General Motors. He has served the Greater Detroit Association as Vice President for Membership and Young Professionals Co-Chair in 2021 and 2022. He also serves ΦΒΚ as Vice Chair for the East Central District. In his free time, Levi enjoys slalom water skiing.
SECRETARY (incumbent)
Aaron Pearson (ΦΒΚ Purdue University 2002)
Aaron is a Client Services Manager at IQVIA. He has a background in cognitive science, where his past work focused on human visual perception. His more recent work has focused on data interpretation and analysis in support of a variety of disciplines including psychology, education, survey methodology and healthcare. He holds degrees from Purdue University, Michigan State University and the University of Michigan.
TREASURER (incumbent)
Mary Stone (ΦΒΚ University of Michigan 1980)
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Mary has bachelor and master's degrees in actuarial science. She began her career as an actuary in insurance before becoming a retirement consultant for organizations with defined benefit and defined contribution plans. Although recently retired, Mary remains active in the actuarial profession.
SCHOLARSHIP CHAIR (incumbent)
Christine Nasso (ΦΒΚ Wayne State University 1971)
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Chris worked in reference publishing for most of her career --- as an editorial director, new product development director, and, finally, a publisher. She lives in Royal Oak and currently does free-lance marketing work for a publisher of reference books for middle and high school students.
SOCIAL MEDIA CHAIR (incumbent)
Kelly Rayner (ΦΒΚ Valparaiso University 2019)
Kelly recently completed a Masters of Science in Criminal Justice at Michigan State and currently works in the Detroit PD - Crime Intelligence Unit. She has served the Greater Detroit Association by helping to establish an online presence for the association through Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Additionally, she has helped in planning many of our Young Professionals events. In her free time she enjoys crocheting and listening to podcasts.
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS CO-CHAIR (incumbent)
Jonathan Jan (ΦΒΚ University of Michigan 2019)
Jonathan earned his bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science, Business and German at the University of Michigan, then continued with a master’s degree in Industrial and Operations Engineering. During his time at the University, he was a tenor in the Men’s Glee Club, the second oldest collegiate chorus in the United States. He currently works as an Operations Specialist in Manufacturing IT at General Motors.
AT-LARGE BOARD MEMBER (incumbent)
Stacy Krainz (ΦΒΚ University of Michigan 1975)
Stacy Krainz was born in Detroit, raised in Royal Oak, and educated in Ann Arbor, where she earned her Phi Beta Kappa key from the Univ. of Michigan. Her career took her out of state as she earned three graduate degrees (MA at U Texas-Austin; MA and PhD in Linguistics at the Univ. at Buffalo, SUNY). She worked in adult education in Mexico City and taught university courses in Toledo (OH), Buffalo (NY), and two Middle Eastern countries. Now back in Michigan, she is retired and exploring old and new Michigan experiences.
AT-LARGE BOARD MEMBER (incumbent)
Bryant Edward Russell (ΦΒΚ University of Delaware 1980)
Bryant earned his undergraduate Mathematics degree at the University of Delaware and his doctorate in Mathematics at the University of Michigan. He currently works as an actuary within enterprise risk management, focusing on Insurance Risk. He has been a math adjunct instructor at Oakland Community College since 1987. Leisure activities include reading, day trips around the state, and learning to play guitar.
AT-LARGE BOARD MEMBER
Rebecca Kraus (ΦΒΚ Wayne State University 1975)
Rebecca earned dual B.A. degrees in History and Art History. She has worked in the corporate and academic worlds, heading planning organizations. She founded Rebecca Kraus & Associates LLC in 2006, providing strategic planning, executive coaching, and leadership development. She was the 2015 President of ICF (International Coach Federation) Michigan, and is a current Board member. Rebecca has also served on the boards of the Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM), the Small Business Resource Center, and the American Lhasa Apso Club.