Joining the Aquinas community means becoming a part of something lasting – a lifelong connection rooted in trust, collaboration and genuine care. LeAnn Secord embodies these values beautifully and showcases why it’s great to be a Saint! 

LeAnn earned two degrees at Aquinas, studying psychology and sociology and earning her Bachelor of Arts in 2005. 

Originally, she wanted to pursue a career in sleep research; however, in her sophomore year, she took an on-campus job in Aquinas’ Advancement Office that shifted her career trajectory toward higher education and philanthropy. Then, she returned to Aquinas to earn her Master of Management degree in Organizational Leadership in 2020.

LeAnn highlights the importance of the people she met at Aquinas and how influential they have been in both her personal life and in helping her advance her career. She has graciously shared her success story, giving thanks to all those who supported her along the way.  

Finding Community in The AQ Office of Institutional Advancement  

In her student position in the Advancement Office, LeAnn completed tasks like mail merging and event coordination around campus. She expressed that this gave her the experience and confidence to talk to professionals in the community, teaching her the value of networking. 

This eventually led to her first “big kid job” at the University of Michigan Health West Foundation, then called the “Metropolitan Foundation.” “Without that on-campus job, I likely would have gone a different route,” she shares. “However, I do find myself utilizing the psychology degree in my interactions with prospects and donors, both in how I craft grant proposals and in the overall interactions with my team and the office environment.”

LeAnn attributes much of her early success to her mentors in the Advancement Office: Marjorie Kindel, Steve De Polo, Bill Weitzel and Kathy Fore. LeAnn shares, “These people have been awesome and really laid out a foundation for me to fall in love with the world of philanthropy and nonprofit work.” 

After starting as a Database and Prospect Research Coordinator, she worked her way into different and advanced roles in the philanthropy world. Now, she’s the Assistant Vice President of Development at the Grand Rapids Symphony. 

“It's been fascinating how this career trajectory was all because of how an on-campus job that I took exposed me to options that I really didn't think were possible,” says LeAnn. 

The Master of Networking Earns Her Master of Management 

Around 2016, LeAnn decided to pursue a Master’s degree. At the time, her job required an advanced degree to be considered for a C-suite position. 

In addition to Aquinas, LeAnn looked at programs from Davenport and Grand Valley; however, she shares how she wanted to be careful not to pigeonhole herself into the non-profit world. She wanted to pursue skills that would be translatable and didn’t want to go the big business administration route. 

She chose Aquinas’ Master of Management program after speaking with Lynn Atkins-Rykert, who explained that Aquinas’ program focused more on “the people management side of things.” 

Drawn by the opportunity to return to her alma mater and the availability of scholarships that made the program affordable, she was admitted and received the Hruby Scholarship. “One of the things that I love about Aquinas is how affordable they make it for students. In my undergrad, I came from a lower middle-income family, so finances were going to be a barrier to higher education. That’s one of the main reasons that I support as a donor as well,” LeAnn shares. 

Professional Development and Classes in the Parking Lot

LeAnn expressed that she had an overwhelmingly positive experience in the program. She appreciated the real-world applicability of the coursework, the program’s structure and small class sizes, the engaged and supportive professors and the ability to immediately apply what she was learning to her job.

“I loved the fact that you couldn’t just jump into the Master of Management program right after your undergrad,” she explains. “They wanted you to have some real-life work experience. It was amazing because I could apply what I was learning in real time to my job. I appreciated that the professors were real-life and that some worked in other professional jobs too. Some were adjuncts, and others were faculty. I loved the difference in perspectives and the opportunity to apply what I was learning immediately. It wasn’t all theory.” 

She was especially grateful for Dr. Mike Schuler, who teaches Organizational Behavior and Culture the first class she took in her master’s program. She states, “I think him coming from being a Ph.D., he expected more of us than we expected of ourselves. While it was intimidating – looking back on it – I’m grateful that he was my first professor. It set me up for success for the rest of the program.” 

LeAnn recalled her classes extending into the parking lot after class, where she and the other students would continue asking questions about the material. “He jokes about how the students sort of stalked him after class in the parking lot,” she states. “I think he knew that we were invested and wanted to be successful and that he appreciated that we were interested and squeezing that out of the program.” 

Transition to Doctoral Studies

After completing her master’s, LeAnn decided to pursue a doctoral degree in Business Administration at Indiana Wesleyan University.  

LeAnn shares that Indiana Wesleyan seemed the perfect fit for her, coming out of Aquinas. “I think I liked Indiana Wesleyan because it seemed very similar to AQ. There's a smaller class size, and you work with research chairs. You got to know your instructors the way you did at Aquinas, and I was looking for that format because that led to my earlier success. I already had an understanding of the environment that was going to be best for my advanced learning.”

At first, she hesitated to pursue her doctorate right out of her master’s program, but she had a conversation with her mother that changed her mind. The advice: “There is never going to be a perfect time. If you’re waiting for the perfect time, you’re going to be waiting forever. Just do it.” 

LeAnn expresses that she is happy she did. She’s on track to graduate in December 2025. After that, she says, “no more school!” 

LeAnn’s Ongoing Connection to Aquinas

Throughout her educational and professional journey, LeAnn has maintained a strong connection to Aquinas College. 

 “I remember coming on campus for my STAR day, and Dr. McDaniel in the math department somehow knew my name and knew who I was. I was completely blown away by that,” LeAnn recalls. 

“The professors are genuine and engaged in your success. They're always willing to make the time when you need help, and they're willing to stay in touch and be resources even after you graduate from the program.”

LeAnn continues to be involved with the school as a beloved alum, donor and member of the Alumni Association Leadership Council.