Oak Hill Place

Kathryn V. Den Houter, Ph.D., President of the Board
Kathryn Den Houter was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, raised in Luverne, Minnesota, and graduated from Southwest Christian High School in Edgerton, Minnesota. After graduation, she attended Calvin College and graduated in 1969. She had a teaching career from 1969 to 1989. During that time she trained in the Montessori Method with Dr. Urban Fleege at Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois, and pursued a M.A.and Ph.D. degree in Counseling/Educational Psychology. She graduated from Michigan State University with a Ph.D. on June of 1988. After obtaining her Ph.D., she began a private practice as a psychologist at Human Resource Associates in Grand Rapids in January of 1989. She had a practice there until June of 2008. She then moved her practice to Christian Counseling Center and to a home office to serve the Lowell area. The business is named Oak Hill Counseling.

Oak Hill Place, the nonprofit is the result of 31 years of dialogue with her late husband Leonard Den Houter. So much of their dialogue revolved around spiritual wellness, mental health, and how to raise enlightened children in a dysfunctional world. Len and Kathy had four children: Jonathan, who is a pastor at the First Christian Church of Dowagiac, Michigan, Jenna, who is finishing her training in Veterinarian Medicine, Jessica who is finishing her MSW at University of Michigan, and Benjamin who is on the pre-sem track at Calvin College. Their support and encouragement has been the catalyst for this endeavor.

Armand Aronson, 1st Vice President of the Board
In his "second career" Armand Aronson has been the Pastor of Ionia First Christian Church (DOC) since August of 2004. Prior to that Armand worked in marketing primarily focused on research, strategy and advertising for large retail organizations for many years. His wife Jane is the Manager of the Englehardt Library which is the Lowell Branch, of the Kent District Library System.

Armand has been active on the boards of other faith based organizations including De Colores Ministries, The Ionia Ministerial Association, the Michigan Region of the Christian Church (DOC), in the capacities of Commission Co-Chairperson, Administrative Committee, Search Committee, Treasurer, Vice President, President, and Past President.

Couples counseling for married and premarital couples has become an area of focus for Armand based on the idea that a marriage just can't be "too good." In other words there is always room for growth and improvement in relationships. This fits nicely with the overall concepts of wellness, spiritual growth and transformation that Oak Hill Place has been created to serve. Current interests in counseling include "Violent Partners," especially as it applies to seeking new ways to sustain and enjoy peace in relationships; and the amazing role of exercise in brain function, especially as it applies to mood, focus and anti-depression.

Laura Walters was raised near Chicago, Illinois and lived in Salt Lake City, Utah for 11 years before moving to West Michigan in 2000. Her experience includes Production Management, Real Estate and Hospitality. She completed Cosmetology, Esthiology ad Instructor training at the Douglas J Aveda Institute in East Lansing, Michigan in 2003. Laura is also a Certified Massage Therapist. Her interests include gardening, natural healing and ballet. She is married to Chris and resides in Clarksville, Michigan.

Aaron Medema, Treasurer of the Board
Aaron Medema is a business intelligence analyst specializing in visual presentation and predictive analytics. He is passionate about creating space for community and inviting others into community. He frequently serves on support teams for ACCD (Association for Christian Character Development) events and first met the Den Houter family through ACCD. Aaron holds a bachelor of arts in business from Calvin College. His hobbies include listening to and playing music, coaching and playing soccer, and working on his home and gardens. His men’s small group serves as his personal “board of directors.”

Holly Longcore, Secretary of the Board
Holly Longcore is a Cornerstone University Grad with a B.A. in Psychology. She coordinates weddings, is interested in naturopathic medicine, yoga, and Hebrew roots. Organizing, reading, spending time with friends and being near the water are her favorite activities. Holly and her husband Keith live in Wyoming, MI.

Oak Hill Place seeks to manifest Christ’s love by facilitating transformation of body, mind, and spirit through marriage workshops, ministerial retreats, wellness activities, and Breakthrough Training scholarships.