Board of Trustees welcomes new chair and four new members

Baker alumna Brenda (Tuller) Stasiulis, ’88, was recently named chair of the Baker University Board of trustees, and four new members began their terms.

As a leader and trusted business partner in two private equity ventures in logistics and a key contributor in a Fortune 500 transportation company, Stasiulis is an experienced executive and brings a wealth of financial knowledge to Baker University and to the Board of Trustees through her experience in financial roles for Ernst & Young, LLP; YRC Worldwide, Inc.; MIQ Logistics, Inc.; and currently as the chief financial officer for Logistics Dynamics.

As a chief financial officer, Stasiulis has had responsibility for all financial aspects of progressive companies, including oversight of accounting, treasury, tax, and the financial planning process. Stasiulis also led the human resources function, including benefits and people management.

Stasuilis earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, graduating magna cum laude, and was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha. She has served on the Board since 2017 and been involved on several committees: academic and student affairs, finance, and executive.

“Brenda’s passion and loyalty to Baker will serve us all well, and I am confident her professional background and leadership skills will make her an incredible board chair,” said Skip Kalb, ’73, former chairman of the Board of Trustees.

The Baker University Board of Trustees also welcomed four new members.

“These new members bring a breadth of educational and professional experience that will enrich the Board of Trustees so that we can continue to serve and guide the university and ensure its strength and growth,” Kalb said.

Dustin Baker is a founding member and managing partner for Alcove Development in Baldwin City, where he manages real estate development projects from conception to construction and stabilization. He is responsible for sourcing and managing new development projects. Baker is involved in all aspects of Alcove; his areas of expertise are deal flow development, debt and equity capital deployment and reporting, overseeing accounting functions, project management, and tax and exit strategy. His projects consist of residential subdivisions, commercial land development, medical offices, and senior housing.

Before starting Alcove Development, Baker served as director of business development and human resource director for R.D. Johnson Excavating and chief financial officer for Pine Landscape Center. During a 10-year career in commercial banking, he served as a commercial real estate lender. Baker earned a Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness from Kansas State University and graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado.

Eddie King, ’89, serves as the manager of the JSC Engineering Directorate Integration Office for NASA. During an astronomy class at Baker he became interested in space and later decided to pursue a career in the space industry. Shortly after graduating from Baker, he began supporting NASA’s Space Shuttle Program at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, working first as a technical writer at the Rockwell Space Operations Co., later known as United Space Alliance, LLC.

While a student at Baker, he majored in physics, participated in band, was a disc jockey for KNBU, and was a member of Zeta Chi.

The Rev. Dr. Nanette Roberts has served as senior pastor at Grace United Methodist Church in Olathe, Kansas, since 2003 and returns to the Board after serving from July 2012 to December 2020. She attended Baker for one year before transferring to Kansas State University, where she graduated cum laude with dual degrees in English and history. She earned a Master of Divinity degree with honors from Saint Paul School of Theology, and a Doctor of Ministry with highest distinction from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

As an educator and preacher, Roberts has provided leadership for training events for church staff and corporate boards, regularly leads spiritual life retreats, and has taught Preaching and Public Speaking and Course of Study classes at Saint Paul School of Theology. With a passion for hands-on direct mission service, Roberts has led medical and dental volunteer mission teams to Costa Rica, Jamaica, Mexico, and Russia. Her most recent mission was leading a team from United Methodist churches in Missouri and Kansas to Liberia, West Africa,

John Warne, ’86, serves as the CEO of RIE Coatings, a specialty manufacturing company serving customers across a wide range of industries. Headquartered in Minnesota, RIE was recently acquired by PNC, and Warne’s role now focuses on platform acquisitions to RIE. He has been with the company since 2018. Before that he served in executive leadership roles with three other manufacturing companies across North America and has been in manufacturing nearly his entire career, and as he says, “proving that philosophy and political science majors can coexist and contribute in the real world.”

While a student at Baker, Warne majored in political science and philosophy and was a member of Kappa Sigma. He enjoys outdoor activities and is an avid traveler. He and his wife, Jayma, look forward to traveling to visit their three grown children and other relatives and friends living across the globe.

View the full list of Baker University Board of Trustees.