Michael DeWilde, Director

Michael DeWilde is the Koeze Business Ethics Initiative Director and Professor of Management at the Seidman College of Business, Grand Valley State University (Michigan). He teaches in the MBA and Executive MBA programs, with a focus on courses in ethics and leadership.  He also taught in GVSU’s Philosophy department, offering courses on human nature, eastern philosophy, and service-learning.  His Community Working Classics seminar received a national award for "Excellence in Philosophy Programs" from the American Philosophical Association and was the recipient of a major grant from the Kellogg Foundation.  DeWilde was a winner of a Pew "Teaching Excellence" award, as well as a "Graduate Teaching Excellence Award" given by GVSU grad students. He has been a featured speaker at universities and businesses in North America, India, and France, giving talks on moral psychology, business ethics, and the pedagogy of teaching ethics. He has a chapter on the importance of introspection for developing leaders in the book Social Responsibility, Entrepreneurship and the Common Good, published by Pelgrave Press.

He was, for a year, a Research Affiliate professor with the ESC Rennes School of Business in Rennes, France, and has for many years consulted with West Michigan businesses and organizations as an executive coach. For the past eight years he has been affiliated with Corewell Health, the largest integrated health care system in Michigan, where his work focuses on the culture of the OR and the development of leaders.

His work has been featured in the New York Times and Inc. Magazine, among other places, and he has published widely. His essay on neuroscience and the teaching of business ethics was published in BizEd magazine, and his most recent piece, “A Business Ethics Center Rethinks Its Role,” is in the journal Teaching Ethics. He holds degrees from Harvard University and Grand Valley State University.

Valerie Palmer, Office Coordinator

Valerie is the Office Coordinator for the Seidman College of Business Outreach Centers. While supporting the directors for the Richard M. Helen DeVos Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, the Family-Owned Business Institute, and the Koeze Ethics Business Initiative, she provides support to the daily operations of CEI, including working closely with student employees, scheduling, event planning, and handling financial and budget-related matters.

She has been employed with GVSU for 10+ years. Formerly, Valerie was the Student Life Assistant in the Office of Student Life where she assisted the director, provided support to the daily operations of the OSL, which included working closely with student organizations on their events, supervising student employees, supporting large student events, and handling financial and budget transactions. Prior to the OSL, she served as the Officer Coordinator in the Seidman College of Business Dean’s Office where her work included event planning, graphic design, social media management, website development, and a variety of other tasks.

Valerie received her bachelor’s degree in advertising and public relations with a business minor in 2008 followed by a master’s degree in communications in 2015 from GVSU. In her spare time, Valerie loves reading, writing reviews, and managing social media outlets for her book-related blog and podcast. She also enjoys gardening, crafting, baking, cooking, and spending time with her husband and three sons.

Victoria Airo, Intern

Victoria is a third year student at Grand Valley State University studying Behavioral Neuroscience and Spanish. She is currently working with Dr. Michael DeWilde as a research assistant. In her free time, Victoria is a part of the Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy as well as the rock climbing club. She loves to paint, hike, and read when not involved in academic activities. Victoria hopes to attend graduate school for a PhD program upon graduating and plans to continue in research.

Noah Meyerson, Research Assistant

Noah Meyerson is an adjunct professor with the GVSU Philosophy Department. He is currently teaching PHI 202: Philosophy and Ethics of Health. The course examines the concept of health and ethical issues surrounding healthcare. Students will examine historical texts and theories regarding health, learn contemporary principles of bioethics, and examine those principles within different historical periods to understand the ethical; and often times unethical, treatment of those within the world of healthcare.  

Noah is a former Laker, receiving his bachelor's in criminal justice, with a minor in philosophy from GVSU. He then completed his master's in bioethics from The Ohio State University. Current research interests lie in futile care and non-beneficial and futile treatment policy and surrogate decision-making. He is excited to be apart of the Koeze Business Ethics Initiative and tackle different and emerging challenges in business and medicine.