Our Team

As President and CEO of The Right Place, Randy Thelen leads the economic development strategy for the Greater Grand Rapids Region. To achieve the region’s vision of being one of the leading growth economies in the nation, Randy collaborates with business and community leaders to focus efforts on strengthening three strategic pillars: People, Place, and Prosperity.

As Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Brad leads The Right Place’s efforts in strategic projects, business intelligence, fundraising, public policy, marketing, and events. He engages with various business, community and education leaders to lead projects that closely align with The Right Place's 2023-2025 Strategic Plan.

TaRita is the Senior Vice President of Talent and Diversity at The Right Place Inc. She works to collaborate with workforce development organizations, employers, and investors to lead strategies to ensure West Michigan attracts, develops, and retains diverse talent.

As Senior Vice President of Community Development for The Right Place, Tim is responsible for leading The Right Place’s place-based strategy and work. His focus areas include community development pillars such as smart growth planning, infrastructure & transportation, community leadership & engagement, placemaking, transformational site redevelopment and more.

Andria leads The Right Place’s Prosperity team, which consists of our business development, technology and MMTC-West teams, driving growth and economic vitality throughout the region. She also leads Tech Week Grand Rapids, a community-wide event that brings 16,000+ people together to celebrate innovation and inspire collaboration in the region’s tech community.

Jane provides accurate and timely financial information to The Right Place’s leadership team while ensuring effective internal controls and financial safeguards.

Brent works to recruit new business investment and jobs to the region. He also assists West Michigan companies during the decision-making portion of the expansion process to outline the benefits of growing locally as opposed to out-of-state.

Jennifer provides retention and expansion assistance to Right Place clients in Kent County and site location assistance to national and international IT and tech companies. She also serves as the Director for the Technology Council of West Michigan.

Julie serves as the Senior Economic Development Director for the Newaygo County Economic Development Partnership. In this role, she provides business support services to companies in Newaygo County.

As the Executive Director for Hello West Michigan, Rachel leads the organization’s strategy, operations, and membership. She helps educate employers and prospective candidates about the region.

Jackie provides accounting support as well as oversight of all project tracking, collections and records management. She is responsible for processing accounts payable and accounts receivable transactions. Jackie also manages grant reporting for MMTC-West, and is responsible for investor billing and record maintenance.

Kristine assists in leading strategic efforts under The Right Place’s “Place” pillar, which focuses on making the Greater Grand Rapids region a location of choice for businesses, residents, and visitors. She leads initiatives related to placemaking, infrastructure, site readiness, and transformational community development projects across Greater Grand Rapids.

René Booker is program manager for the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center-West, providing support for events, marketing, and internal continuous improvement efforts. She also supports The Right Place/MMTC-West Manufacturers and Supply Chain Management Councils.

Lauren is studying Advertising and Public Relations at Grand Valley State University and is graduating Fall 2025. She is the Marketing and Communications Intern for The Right Place and assists the team with social media, website, blog, and digital marketing efforts.

Curtis serves as the Economic Development Director for the Oceana County Economic Alliance. In this role, he provides business support services to companies in Oceana County.

Shawna performs a wide variety of duties to help with the accounting department and running of the daily administrative operations of the company.

Jillian is the Manager of Conferences and Events. In her role, she leads the planning and management of events for The Right Place and MMTC-West.

Donna provides executive assistance to the President & CEO of The Right Place and provides administrative support to The Right Place Board of Directors and the Executive Committee.

Brandon supports the Technology and Medical Device Councils while fostering innovation across West Michigan. He partners with community leaders to design and implement strategic initiatives that strengthen the region's economic landscape. He also provides executive support to the SVP of Talent & Diversity.

Eric provides graphic and layout support for all printed communication needs of The Right Place, and he works with local printers to see production through to the final printed materials.

Eric provides retention and expansion assistance to Right Place clients. He provides site location assistance to national and international life sciences firms. He also serves as the facilitator for the MiDevice group.

As Talent Program Manager for The Right Place, Victor works on establishing collaborative relationships between businesses, colleges, universities, and organizations dedicated to the flourishing of communities in West Michigan.

Doug Landman is a Manufacturing Solutions Specialist for the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center-West, primarily serving small and mid-sized manufacturers. In this role, he works with manufacturers to provide benchmarking and assessment services, helping them to better understand their current state and potential improvement paths.

Steven Lopez is our Director of Manufacturing Solutions with the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center – West, affiliated with The Right Place. Specializing in plant and production management, Steven has a deep passion for operational excellence and lean processes.

Kristi serves as the Economic Development Director of the Chamber Alliance of Mason County. In this role, she provides business support services to prospective and existing companies. She works to improve the overall economic state of Mason County through business retention, expansion, and attraction. Additionally, Kristi facilitates community development and is currently working on housing and trails initiatives for Mason County.

As Investor Relations Manager, Emily focuses on creating and implementing a comprehensive fundraising strategy for The Right Place. This includes managing the necessary administrative infrastructure and building relationships with current and future investors.

Rafael works as a Business Intelligence & Research Manager for The Right Place. In this role, he provides business intelligence and economic research for the organization, and to investors and other stakeholders.

As the Marketing and Communications Manager, Allyssa manages the website, social media channels, blog, email and digital marketing campaigns for The Right Place and the MMTC-West team.

Dayna serves as the Executive Director of the Montcalm Economic Alliance in Montcalm County. In this role, she provides business support services to companies in Montcalm County, focusing on workforce development, business attraction, retention and expansion.

Jodi serves as the Executive Director of the Lake County Economic Development Alliance. In this role, she provides business support services to prospective and existing employers and leads critical community development initiatives to improve the overall state of the county and community’s quality of life.

Katrina leads The Right Place’s marketing team and brings over a decade of marketing, consulting, and economic development experience to this role. She is responsible for overseeing RPI’s marketing, communications, and events strategy and ensuring alignment with the organization’s goal to drive economic growth and prosperity in the Greater Grand Rapids region.

Elise is the Engagement Coordinator for Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center-West, supporting the client proposals, relationships, events, and marketing efforts for the organization.

Tristan is a Business Development Coordinator at The Right Place. He works with companies in Kent County on expansion and retention projects, while additionally providing site selection services to companies looking to come to West Michigan.

As Human Resources Manager, Angela handles the day-to-day Human Resources functions for the organization. She is a resource for team members and the organization as she works to improve the employee experience. Angela handles team member onboarding and orientation, benefits administration, management of organizational policies, and compliance matters.

As Business Research & Intelligence Manager for The Right Place, John provides business intelligence and economic research for the organization, investors and other stakeholders.

Ryan provides leadership in the development and implementation of economic development initiatives focused on People, Place, and Prosperity and in alignment with both local needs and regional strategies.