Advancement & Alumni Staff

B.A. in Youth Ministry, Malone University; M.Div., ThM in Pedagogy, and Ph.D. in Biblical Studies: New Testament, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. As the Vice President of Advancement, Nathan leads all development, annual giving, and stewardship initiatives at Grace College and Seminary. Nathan is passionate about Christian philanthropy and communicating how the gospel of Jesus Christ transforms the way Christians view stewardship and generosity. Prior to serving at Grace College and Seminary, Nathan served at Cedarville University (Cedarville, OH) and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Kansas City, MO). Nathan has over a decade of experience in Christian higher education and local church ministry. Above all, his greatest joy is his family: his wife, Kelsey; two boys, Noah and Jude; and beloved goldendoodle, Charlie.

Elisa, a 2016 graduate of Grace College, received a B.S. in Marketing and Communication with a concentration in Public Relations. In her time at Grace, Elisa was a devoted member of the Freshmen Foundations student leadership team and the theatre department. A native of Ashland, OH, Elisa moved back to Warsaw/Winona Lake after graduating. Her career path led her to work in banking and human resources before serving as Development Director for Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts from 2018 to April 2023. Elisa credits her time at Grace as influential in setting her on a career path in the nonprofit sector and philanthropy. Elisa lives in Warsaw with her husband, Matt who is also a Grace Alum, and they attend Mission Point Community Church in Warsaw, IN.

John is a 2009 graduate from Grace College and a 2012 graduate from Grace Theological Seminary. He received his Bachelor’s in youth ministry and his Master of Divinity in exegetical studies. He also received his Master of Theology from Southern Seminary in 2014. He began working at Grace College and Seminary in 2014, first as a Resident Director, and then in 2018 transitioned to the Seminary where he was the Director of the Accelerated Program. John resides in Columbia City with his wife Andrea.

Carrie holds a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations from Purdue University. After graduating in 2005 her career path began in radio and newspaper, and later evolved into a Chief Marketing Officer role where she developed multiple businesses’ brands in both the corporate and non-profit sectors. She attends North Manchester First Brethren Church where she has served on the worship and outreach teams. She resides in North Manchester with her husband Ben, son Owen, and daughter Aria.

Collette, a 1990 graduate of Grace College, majored in business administration with a minor in behavioral science and was in the Chamber Singers her junior and senior years. A native of Warsaw IN, Collette is a member of Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church where she served in AWANA Cubbies for over 20 years, and is involved in Women of Grace for Missions Europe Circle, SPLASH children's ministry, and worship choir. She has been an active member of Grace Ladies' Organization (GLO) for 20+ years. In May 2019, she was honored for 25 years of service to Grace where she was hired in 1994 as an admissions counselor for Indiana and soon transitioned to assistant director and then to director in 2000. From 2004-2014, she served as human resources generalist and as payroll coordinator. In September 2014, Collette accepted the opportunity to serve in Grace Alumni Engagement and then transitioned to the advancement office in June 2016 where she serves as advancement assistant and supervises the campus switchboard services. Collette lives in Winona Lake with her husband, Ken, and their daughters, Sophie and Julianne.

Mary Polston (McNally ‘78) joined the Advancement team in 2005. Prior to joining Advancement, she worked in Academic Affairs at Grace for four years. Mary resides in Winona Lake.

Ashlee is a 2016 graduate of Grace College, with a bachelor's in educational ministries and biblical studies. She also holds a Master's degree in Nonprofit Management from Grace. In 2013, during her undergrad, Ashlee first joined Advancement as a switchboard operator. She continued working with the Advancement team, moving from switchboard to data entry to research coordinator, until she graduated with her bachelor's in May 2016. The tools, skills, and mentors she gained from working with the Advancement team, at Grace, started her on her career path in development and nonprofits. After graduating, she returned to her hometown and completed her Master's online. In December 2016, she joined Open Doors, a homeless shelter in Norwalk, CT, as the Fund Development and Database Coordinator. She transformed the donor database by adding researched information and developing simple ways for the whole team to access the information. Ashlee and her husband Sam were married in 2017 and welcomed their son, Hezekiah in 2019. Soon after, in February 2020, Ashlee left Open Doors. In September 2021, Ashlee accepted the opportunity to return to Grace College as the Research Coordinator in Advancement. Ashlee, Sam, and Hezekiah currently reside in Connecticut.

Olivia Kmieciak, a 2018 graduate of Grace College, received a B.A. in Facility & Event Management in her time as a student at Grace. A native of Chicago, IL, Olivia moved to Winona Lake after graduating to make her time in Indiana more permanent. After serving at the Kosciusko County Community Foundation for a short time, Olivia returned to Grace College to work as Coordinator of Alumni Engagement for 4 years, while earning her Master’s of Business Administration simultaneously. At the start of 2022, Olivia took a break from Grace College and the Winona Lake community to serve as Capital Campaign Director for the University of Pikeville in Pikeville, KY, while they began their $100 million campaign. Olivia currently serves at Grace College as the Director of Alumni Engagement and lives in Fort Wayne, IN with her golden retriever, Dutton, while she plans her wedding to her fiancé, Nathan.