Allison Miedema has been a resident of Ottawa County for most of her life – she grew up in Allendale, spent 10 years in Grand Haven Township and has since spent the past 11 years in Tallmadge Charter Township. Allison currently serves on the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners (District 11). She and her husband, Brent, have one teenage son. Her family enjoys spending time outdoors as a family, often visiting the county parks through hiking, geocaching, biking, and cross-country skiing. One of their favorite parks is Pigeon Creek Park as it is one they enjoy a variety of activities there throughout the seasons.

Allison has a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood education and spent 21 years teaching preschool – one thing that gave her great delight was piloting a nature based preschool program and serving as the lead teacher. Allison spent a majority of her day outdoors with the preschoolers – combining early childhood with environmental education – both children and adults learned in nature as well as about nature. There are many learning opportunities within our county parks for all ages and Allison looks forward to being able to come alongside those initiatives.

“Exposure to nature has been shown to be critical to our physical, social, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual health. Taking the time to care for the variety of parks within our county will help to provide opportunities now and for generations to come,” Allison says. From her learning in early childhood, Allison shares that “research has shown that spending time outdoors encourages creativity and problem solving, boosts academic and intellectual growth, and fosters curiosity and wonder.”

A favorite quote of Allison’s is: “As a painting reveals the existence of the artist, creation reveals the existence of the Creator.”

Kyle Terpstra has been a life time West Michigander and a resident in Georgetown for the last 10 years. He has been an Ottawa County Commissioner for the past four years, representing District 6. "I am excited to be on the Parks & Recreation Commission. My wife, two sons and I love being outside and enjoying Michigan’s great seasons."

"I feel that parks are a 'must have' in a great community and believe they play a vital role in making Ottawa County one of the top healthiest counties in Michigan! They are wonderful for physical and mental health. My favorite park is Upper Macatawa Natural Area. It is a wonderful park to walk or ride a bike. It's also a great park for deer hunting, if you are lucky enough to get lottery draw!"

Paul Sachs is Director of Strategic Impact for Ottawa County, where he implements innovative and pragmatic solutions for a growing array of interconnected services and strategies that positively impact quality of life and economic growth in the County. A Michigan native, Paul was born and raised in Royal Oak; attended Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo (B.S. Earth Sciences ’98); and currently lives in Holland with his wife and two daughters.  Paul previously worked as a Researcher for the Federal Highway Administration’s Research and Technology Center in McLean, Virginia; and as a Planning Analyst for Michael Baker Engineering under contract with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Washington D.C.

“My work with the County’s Department of Strategic Impact, which revolves a lot around maintaining and expanding our valued quality of life through various collaborative initiatives, aligns very well with the responsibilities of a Parks Commissioner. I’m thrilled for the opportunity to help directly support the important work of the Commission, and the outstanding staff of the Parks Department.”

Jim Miedema was appointed to the Road Commission in January 2013 with a term expiring December 31, 2018. He was reappointed for another 6-year term beginning January 2019, expiring December 31, 2024. Jim previously served on the Parks & Recreation Commission from 2008-2014. He is a retired body shop owner and currently resides in the Jamestown Township area. Jim has over 20 years of township service as a former Jamestown Township Supervisor and is currently serving as a Jamestown Township Trustee.