Hour of Impact
CREATING MOMENTUM: The YMCA Community’s Commitment to Bright Futures
Thank you for joining us for our 2022 Hour of Impact!
Thank You to Our 2022 Panelists
About Shelley Irwin
Shelley Irwin is the Host and Producer for The WGVU Morning Show, a newsmagazine talk-show format on the local NPR affiliate Monday through Friday.
She also hosts several public affairs TV programs, including Family Health Matters and Kalamazoo Lively Arts. Shelley is award winning in her profession, including five consecutive Gracie Allen Awards from American Women in TV and Radio for excellence as a program host. She was awarded the 2016 Athena Award, Rotary of Grand Rapids’ Service Above Self award, and Meals on Wheels of Western Michigan’s Chef Specialty 2021 Honoree.
Irwin was named as one of the 200 Most Powerful Business Leaders in West Michigan by the Grand Rapids Business Journal and has been named one of the most 50 Most Influential Women in West Michigan by Gemini Publications.
Her community involvement extends from the Kent County Park Foundation to the Girl Scouts, Hope Network, Circle Theatre and Cherry Health Foundation, among others.
She has represented the U.S. in Long Distance Triathlon and Duathlon World Championships and chases after her 3 Jack Russells and cat YODA in her spare time.

Shelley Irwin
About Kent Riddle
You may not expect an engineer to be at the helm of one of the nation’s largest rehabilitation systems, but Kent Riddle is more than comfortable in that role. After graduating from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science degree in construction management and engineering, Kent’s career followed a likely track: commercial and industrial real estate development, building design and construction, and global mergers and acquisitions.
But his professional path realigned in 2002 when his wife, Susan, suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car crash and recovered at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. Kent joined the hospital board and in 2011 was invited to become Chief Executive Officer.
Kent’s leadership has resulted in transformational accomplishments including: a $66 Million expansion and renovation project in Grand Rapids more than doubling the number of beds and staff; the creation of the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Network with over three dozen acute care hospitals across Michigan and Indiana; and the development of the Mary Free Bed Foundation.
But Kent considers the most significant achievement is a 700% increase since 2011 in the annual number of patients treated by Mary Free Bed experts, and no one understands better than Kent what it means to have futures transformed by rehabilitation.

Kent Riddle
About Dr. Philomena V. Mantella
President Mantella is the first woman and the fifth president to lead Grand Valley State University, the fourth largest university in Michigan. She has an impressive 30-year career in higher education marked with success propelling universities forward into new markets, expanded relationships, and countless new program innovations. She has improved student outcomes and market position at each university she has served. She is currently leading Grand Valley State University through the challenges of our time, most notably the global pandemic, with an eye on the future, relevance and growth amid disruption. In the last two years, she has expanded the university’s offerings and potential learners with programs aimed at non-traditional and underrepresented students. She developed a national alliance to raise underserved student voices, improved pathways to graduation, and brought student insights forward in institutional transformation. Collaborating across sectors, she embraces the role of education in shaping lives and communities. Mantella is committed to leading with integrity and keeping an unrelenting focus on empowering talented faculty and staff to accelerate GVSU’s trajectory and success.
Mantella has worked at public and private institutions in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Michigan. At each institution, she has developed strategy, working across academic and service domains to drive growth initiatives that include: developing new formats of education, digital delivery and mutually beneficial partnerships. At Northeastern University, she shaped and executed the strategy to move from a single place-based university to a global university system, opening the first seven regional campuses worldwide. She earned a Ph.D. in college and university administration from Michigan State University and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Syracuse University.

Philomena V. Mantella
It is our sincere hope that our gratitude can be felt and that you see your role in the work we do each day.
Thank you to Meijer for being our presenting partner!

Critical Needs Partners






Stepping Stone Partners
- ChoiceOne Bank
- Consumers Energy
- Feyen Zylstra
- First United Credit Union
- Lake Michigan Credit Union
- Litehouse Inc.
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital
- MK & Associates
- Nichols
- PNC
- Progressive AE
- Stevens Advertising
- University of Michigan Health – West
- Varnum, LLP