Northern Express Fascinating People 2026

20 people Up North you need to know

By Northern Express Staff & Contributors | Feb. 28, 2026

How well do you know your friends and neighbors? Would you be surprised to learn that one of them is a certified boat captain or a musician who’s shared the stage with Andrea Bocelli? What would you say if you noticed they were leading the charge to build a community pool or starting a nonprofit to save injured eagles? Would you expect the youngest person on the block to be a philanthropist and one of the older folks to be an activist trying to bridge the political divide?

Well, that’s northern Michigan for you! It’s our pleasure to introduce this year’s class of Fascinating People.

1. Sam Getsinger – The Lifelong Activist

Sam Getsinger was eight years old when she first got involved in activism, going door-to-door in her neighborhood trying to convince folks to adopt children after watching a documentary about orphanages. Now, at age 82, Getsinger—formerly one of the cofounders of Leelanau Indivisible—is carrying that torch forward with Common Ground, a Leelanau-based organization that seeks to bring people together across the political divide and “build a community together where we have hope and we can see each other despite differences.” Getsinger is a retired kindergarten teacher who taught downstate until she was 73 and spent the first part of her career at the University of Michigan and Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute working in their early childhood programs. “If I wouldn’t have been involved with local politics, I would have wanted to transform education,” she tells us, noting that she saw decades of kindergarteners come to school with “genius” and “passion,” only to have stringent classroom rules and social pressures change them dramatically by the third grade. Today, she’s committed to transforming the dialogue in her community. “I want us to know each other as neighbors. I don’t want to change everybody’s mind. I just want us to see each other as people.”

2. Coltrane Paryani – The Young Philanthropist

Last year, the Traverse Bay Children’s Advocacy Center received almost $7,000 to expand trauma-informed mental health services. That money didn’t come from glitzy galas or viral fundraising, but from northern Michigan students who’ve learned how to request and secure funding through their Youth Advisory Councils (YACs), including the one Coltrane Paryani joined at Kalkaska High School a few years ago. For his first two years with the council, Paryani says he was “simply content to be a member, making a difference in our community.” But by the time he hit his senior year this fall, Paryani was named a Leadership Team member of the council, plus a committee member of the Michigan Community Foundations’ Youth Project (MCFYP), and, most recently, a 2026 director of the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation. Philanthropy, says the future astrophysics major, isn’t just for the wealthy or for adults, and it’s a way for youth to advocate for themselves, for each other, and for their communities “whether they think they can or not.” Because, small or big, “That impact spreads, and when you make the world a better place, you’ll find that it becomes a world you want to live in.”

3. Kaitlyn Bohnet – The Raptor Rescuer

Last year, North Sky Raptor Sanctuary and its founder, Kaitlyn Bohnet, helped treat and rehabilitate roughly 115 injured hawks, eagles, and other birds of prey across 32 Michigan counties. This year, as winter gives way to the first waves of spring, Bohnet and North Sky are teaming up with Grand Traverse County to break ground on a multi-million-dollar raptor hospital and public center at Camp Greilick, where visitors will peek into the wild world of some of NoMi’s most elusive creatures. The center will also expand community educational opportunities, something that’s always been an important part of Bohnet’s mission as a conservationist. All of this though, wouldn’t exist if she hadn’t happened to catch an IPR segment about falconry years ago. “I was struck,” Bohnet recalls of learning that the ancient sport of humans hunting alongside birds of prey is still practiced today “and by the depth of human/raptor relationships it revealed.” It was the catalyst for Bohnet—whose husband and North Sky co-founder, Jeffrey, recently described her to the Record-Eagle as a “lifelong learner”—to begin studying these deeply intelligent birds and, eventually, launch the little sanctuary that started it all back in 2018. “Fascination turned into responsibility,” says Bohnet.

4. Gerry Shiffman – The Captain (and Then Some)

Certified boat captain, musician, teacher, trainer—is there anything Gerry Shiffman doesn’t do? Born missing the fingers on one hand and a joint on the fingers on the other, with a mother who frequently hurt him, he left home and school at 16. His first check from a construction job paid his rent; with his second, he bought a guitar, which he still plays. Shiffman started his own construction firm, eventually selling to his employees to travel with his wife, Charol. They settled in Empire, where he founded the Empire Area Community Center Emergency Fund, which provides support for those in emergency situations. “We do concerts once a month” to raise funds, he says (and yes, he’s occasionally among the performers). Captain Ger—“I’ve been sailing since I was 13,” he says—also provides time on his 32-foot Catalina Impulse for under-privileged and at-risk youth. Tuesday through Thursday he takes care of two of his grandkids in Grand Rapids while his daughter works; as they’re homeschooled, Grandpa Ger, aka Papa Nanny, becomes Teacher Ger. One day a week he trains a small group of friends in his garage workout room, which boasts more equipment than some gyms. Now we just want to know what Ger will do next!

5. Cristian Viveros Brummitt – The Comunidad Creator

When Cristian Viveros Brummitt moved to Traverse City four years ago, she soon realized she was missing something: the familiar sound of people speaking Spanish. Viveros Brummitt was born in Mexico and lived in both California and Chicago, where it was always easy to converse with someone in her first language. So she decided to create Mi Comunidad, a “monthly Spanish language and cultural gathering” for Spanish speakers and learners. “I didn’t begin with a big plan,” Viveros Brummitt says. “I just wanted to recreate a space that feels like home.” The group gets together monthly, with food and holidays (like Día de los Muertos) at the center of the experience. “As an immigrant, you build home once, when you leave, and then you build it again where you land,” she explains. “Mi Comunidad is my way of building that second home and inviting others into it.” When not creating community, Viveros Brummitt is busy with an old film club, advocating for mental health services, and attending yoga classes around town. She also serves on the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Fund Advisory Committee for the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation. “That role allows me to support inclusion at a structural level,” she says of the advisory committee, “while Mi Comunidad creates that at a personal, relational level.”

6. Kyle Kiel – The Race Pacer

If you’ve never run a marathon, you might not know that there’s a critical runner traveling with each pack: a race pacer. Pacers carry a sign with their designated pace on it and encourage the group of runners they are running with throughout the 26.2 miles until the finish line. Traverse City Track Club member Kyle Kiel is a staple in the scene; he’s run over 100 marathons, many of them as a pacer, including both local races and other major marathons like the Boston Marathon, the Detroit Marathon, and more. “I think pacing is a lot more fun; you get to talk to everyone and encourage them the whole time,” Kiel says. “If you ever done a peloton workout where the instructor’s always talking, that’s kind of what the pacer is,” he explains. Sometimes Kiel will work with individuals to help them reach their goals when a race doesn’t offer pacers (including, recently, a 73-year-old friend!), but often he has never met the people he will be cheering on before race day. Kiel runs alongside them, encouraging them to keep going, regardless of the conditions, strain, or other hurdles in their way.

7. Ruby Williams – The Nashville-NoMi Musician

When you think about having a career in music, you might expect to have to move away from northern Michigan. Fourth-generation Boyne City native Ruby Williams begs to differ. A part of the music industry since she was born, Williams works for a talent agency in Nashville. She works remotely and travels frequently, seeing shows and working to get people in the audience. When she’s home, she’s often supporting her parents at their Boyne City business, Freshwater Art Gallery & Concert Venue. “I was born into this family of legends, and I’ve always been trying to live up to that and keep up with them,” she reflects. (That goes beyond music—Williams laughs when she professes to have “stolen” all her family’s hobbies, from maple syrup making to morel hunting and ice boating.) At Freshwater, Williams brings in musical acts from across the country to play in Up North throughout the winter. During a season where many locals hibernate, Freshwater’s shows are frequently sold out. “Northern Michigan is a great place for music,” she says. “I want there to be an opportunity to go see music every night of the week, and it could happen.”

8. Nathan Wright – The Herbalist Teacher

Nathan Wright is an Anishinaabe activist and herbalist whose environmental advocacy has grown and shifted throughout his life. As a child he experienced The Longest Walk, a pilgrimage of Native American activists to Washington, D.C., with his father. This spirit of advocacy followed him ever since. (He was at Standing Rock twice!) Wright’s advocacy is now rooted in teaching. He founded Herbal Lodge and frequently teaches classes on herbalism, herbal remedies, mushrooms, and permaculture. In his classes, he is able to share more about sustainability and the importance of water. He travels around the state to teach and organizes the Northwoods Nature Fest in Wolverine (held in May). “I always try to promote indigenous culture, not only because I am indigenous, but because there are a lot of good teachings in our culture about protecting our environment and growing without pesticides,” he says. “We need everything right now with what we are facing in the world. It’s not a time to be hoarding knowledge; it’s a time to be sharing it.”

9. Carolyn Greenman – The Inclusive Body Advocate

In downtown Traverse City there’s a boutique that’s raising the bar for inclusivity by offering products and guidance for all bodies. Welcome to Intimi, where owner Carolyn Greenman will often be the one to greet you. Greenman, who also is a hand poke tattoo artist, describes Intimi as her ultimate passion project when she talks about how it’s grown beyond her original vision. “Through tattooing, I gave myself the audacity to move forward with a business like Intimi,” Greenman reflects. At Intimi, people of all genders and body types are able to shop comfortably for intimate apparel and products. Greenman is committed to employing locals and giving back to the community. “We’re giving people the opportunity to realign with their body, to feel good and feel like they have something that works for them,” she explains. She is committed to meeting the needs of her customers, both stocking products that the community has requested like smooth bras and providing sexual wellness education. “This is a huge underserved area for bras, good underwear that fit your body, and sexual wellness,” she says. “There isn’t anything like Intimi, so I’m excited to tell people.”

10. Gary Gatzke – The Bassman

Gary Gatzke first encountered a bass in third grade, courtesy of music teacher Bill Hayes. “He asked me to hold it and pluck the strings,” Gatzke recalls. He started on violin before switching to double bass in junior high. However, it was a tough time as his mother battled cancer. “She was very sick. When I was in ninth grade, she died. It was such a hard time in my life,” he says. “My escape was to go to the junior high and practice every morning.” Gatzke attended Interlochen Arts Camp, eventually graduating from Interlochen Arts Academy. He spent nearly a decade in the Big Apple, earning his Bachelor of Music and his Master of Music degrees at the Juilliard School, working there in administration. “Eight years in New York City was enough,” he decided, and when he got a job offer at Interlochen, he returned home. Gatzke is now the associate director of continuing and community education, overseeing the Interlochen College of Creative Arts. He is also principal double bass with the Traverse City Philharmonic, while still doing freelance gigs. That includes playing at Little Caesar’s Arena with the famed Andrea Bocelli, which Gatzke calls “an incredible experience.”

11. Kimmee Miller – The Hedgehog Wrangler

Kimmee Miller wears many hats. She’s a nonprofit director, a hedgehog wrangler, and is becoming a pro when it comes to outer space thanks to an inflatable dome planetarium. Miller is one half of the founding team of COGNiTiON in Beulah, a “science playground” that is geared toward curious learners of all ages and abilities. She and her mom, Laura Stanwick, began their journey after a trip to the Imagination Station in Toledo, which sparked the idea for an affordable and inspiring museum-style center in Benzie County. Today, the center houses everything from a virtual reality simulator to animal ambassadors to the aforementioned planetarium, in addition to other exhibits and activities. Miller says she’s “always learning” with COGNiTiON’s guests, who range from infants to kiddos to parents and grandparents to special needs adults. Her two favorite parts of working at COGNiTiON are the hedgehogs and the building kits that get even the older and more reluctant kids to think outside the box. Fast-forward nine years, and big things are happening. “We’re outgrowing our space and planning and preparing for an expansion,” Miller tells us, though she can’t give away more. (She does note that community members, who have “over the years, carved out the experiences that we have,” can fill out a survey on their website to help them plan their “next adventures.”)

12. Greg Thompson – The Prescription for Success

Greg Thompson, 84, of Thompson Pharmacy, loves people, and it’s been a hallmark of his business. He’s been described as thoughtful, kind, “always jolly,” and ever ready to help anyone who walks into the pharmacy. The profession has been his life—literally. Thompson’s grandfather and father were in the business, his son and daughter are both pharmacists, and he married into a pharmacy family. Since 1975, he has guided Thompson Pharmacy—now with three locations—to keep growing as the only locally-owned and family-owned independent pharmacy left in the Traverse City area. His secret? “For one thing, we treat our [employees] really, really well,” he explains, which carries over into customer relations. It’s not unusual for patrons to stop to thank him for going above and beyond, his professional care, and the excellence of the staff. Today, Thompson runs the business with son Mark, and is still working four days a week. “I love working,” he says, “and I love people.”

13. Diane Tracy – The Pool Warrior

Diane Tracy’s father was a trailblazing swim coach at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois, reaching generations of children. Soon, Tracy hopes to do the same with the Benzie Wellness and Aquatic Center. The $25 million project, currently in pre-construction, will include two pools, fitness center, gym, locker rooms, two studios, and a meeting room. It’s a huge project for Michigan’s smallest county, but there’s a good reason: feasibility. Because Tracy knows, from her long career as a fundraiser for nonprofits across the country, to do your homework. A 2017 study indicated that a stand-alone public pool was not viable and unlikely to break even, but a larger project, pulling users from within a 25-mile radius and offering a wealth of year-round programs and activities, would be a hub for all residents, seasonal visitors, students, children and parents. Borrowing the YMCA model of a sliding scale, the BWAC will be available to all, furthering Tracy’s goals of encouraging a healthy lifestyle, decreasing social isolation, and promoting her first love: learn-to-swim programs for area youth. Tracy is quick to share credit with the “[huge] team effort,” adding, “this is not a sprint, [and] there is a lot of passing the baton. It takes a community to raise the BWAC.”

14. Ralph Schweigert – The Conductor

When Ralph Schweigert retired from the music program at Gaylord Community Schools, he didn’t put away his baton for long. Instead, he struck up the Northern Michigan Brass Band. Decades earlier, Schweigert had fallen in love with music at Petoskey High School. After a year of studying pre-law at the University of Michigan, he thought better of that idea and transferred to Central Michigan, majoring in trumpet. That led to his leading the music program at Gaylord Community Schools. He was approached by the Salvation Army in Alpena, asking if he had experience or interest in the organization’s brass band tradition. Next thing you know, he was up on the podium. “I was still teaching when I started the group. I retired the next year,” says Schweigert. The onetime trumpeter now serves exclusively as band director after a stroke left him unable to form his embouchure to play. The 30-piece band includes cornets, trombones, euphoniums, flugelhorn, two different tubas, and more. They typically perform two concerts each season, with the now-80-year-old Schweigert at the helm. “It’s really fun. They’re all really fine musicians,” Schweigert says of the ensemble.

15. Callie Barr – The Second-Chance Politician

If you don’t already know Callie Barr’s name, you’ll soon see it everywhere as the Traverse City/Cheboygan-raised lawyer makes her second run to represent Michigan’s 1st Congressional District. “It was not a decision that was taken lightly,” Barr says of running again, but 2026 “felt much more urgent. It felt like a calling, how important it is to give people hope.” This time around, Barr is focused on pushing back against the tech oligarchy and uber-rich who are “exploiting us” and exacerbating the affordability crisis in our state. “To me, this is not a left and right issue. This is up and down,” she says, adding that “this is a tipping-point moment for us as common, everyday people, to decide if we matter, to decide if we want to have a voice.” Barr’s life isn’t all politics; she says she’s taking great pride in seeing her daughters navigating junior high and high school and that she’s dipping back into poetry (the former English major wrote a poetry book years ago). She also continues to “consult on veteran benefit cases. That was always really close to my heart.” Barr concludes our call with one simple statement that’s guiding her work, family, and political aspirations: “We can’t give up on each other, because we’ll rise or fall together.”

16. Ron Harig – The Champion of Play

The more time kids spend playing outside, the greater their academic outcomes—science says so, and Ron Harig’s got his own proof. The founder of Pathfinder’s forest kindergarten, Harig helps students excel at reading and math despite spending close to 70 percent of their school day in unstructured outdoor exploration, even on the frigid days that send adults scrambling to the thermostat. “Not a single complaint about it,” Harig says of his cohort. “The kids seem more at peace to me in the winter.” Harig’s more at peace now too, having created an environment he says he would’ve benefited from. Diagnosed with dyslexia in first grade, he navigated “years of embarrassment and tough struggles” in classrooms where he couldn’t keep pace with his peers or the curriculum. Now 64 and on the other side of the desk, Harig lets imagination rule while assisting students who need a little extra support. Extolling the power of play and nature as the best foundation for students of all abilities, he hopes to bring the forest kindergarten model into more northern Michigan schools. “When kids are in the classroom” full-time, he says, “where is the time to make connections?”

17. Kat Byers – The Volunteer Paying It Forward

In 2019, as a young mother with few resources, Kat Byers took advantage of Kalkaska’s Head Start program for her children and soon began volunteering for its Parent Policy Council. “I’ve always been a helper,” she explains. Indeed: Over the last five years, she has contributed more than 300 volunteer hours while also serving in leadership roles with the Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency (NMCAA), a non-profit tasked with reducing poverty, promoting economic self-sufficiency, and improving quality of life in the 10-county area. Her efforts were recognized this year with the Volunteer Community Action Award from the NMCAA, for “extraordinary commitment and service…[through]…family engagement and parent empowerment.” Byers speaks honestly—and poetically—about her early struggles: “There was a point in my life when I was alone and I didn’t have help, so I became the person I needed.” Today, Byers lives her beliefs: She “took turns” with her husband as the stay-at-home parent while the children were young. “Family is very important to us,” she says, and she credits Head Start’s “social/emotional factor” with helping her develop as a parent while also helping her children. The program inspired her to pursue a degree in one of the “helping professions,” a BS in Human Services. She is now the Community Health Coordinator for District Health Department #10 in Kalkaska.

18. Jim Brouwer – The Shoe Collector

Jim Brouwer, fourth-generation shoe business owner, has a barn stocked with thousands of pairs of new, in-the-original-box vintage shoes from the 1930s through the 1970s. The collection is part of a 6,000-piece inventory of a shuttered Frankfort shoe store. Today, he and his wife welcome by-appointment customers at A Vintage Sole who spend hours in this remote property adjoining the Pere Marquette State Forest. “Well designed, well-made shoes are fascinating,” Brouwer says, noting that “vintage shoes…[form] to your foot for long-term comfort.” Don’t just take his word for it: “There was one style from the late ’30s that surprised even me. Four women actually wore them out of the barn because they were so comfortable.” The shoes are made of all kinds of materials from kidskin (young goat) to kipskin (older goat), with exotic finds like cobra skin pumps ($528), rubber galoshes with rabbit fur trim, and even peacock leather soles. Brouwer has fielded requests from Hollywood and Broadway, and he has shipped worldwide: a pair of original Go-Go Boots went to a woman in England who wore them for her wedding. (Brouwer was invited but couldn’t make it.) Another pair went to Germany and adorns a woman’s fireplace mantel. (They aren’t her size, but she just always wanted a pair.)

19. Anne-Marie Oomen – The Cold-Dip Author

Growing up surrounded by the shifting moods of Lake Michigan will instill both a healthy respect and curiosity for it. Anne-Marie Oomen feels all of it and then some before plunging beneath its frosty surface. “I’m always scared before I go in,” says the born-and-raised northern Michigan writer who’s been practicing cold-dipping since taking it up two winters ago as a hail-mary for her aching back, something a friend suggested might help. “Sometimes I have to talk myself into it,” admits Oomen. Yet, “afterwards, I’m always thrilled that I did it, and I feel better for hours.” Maybe it’s the adrenaline or the sense of community—she dips from October through March with a group of women who meet along the shoreline in Empire. Regardless, it’s become another way for Oomen to commune with the Great Lakes, which in turn inspires her writing (like 2018’s The Lake Michigan Mermaid: A Tale of Poems co-authored with Linda Foster) and which she’s advocated for through her involvement with Flow Water Advocates. As for the dipping, Oomen has three rules: “We never go in really high wind or waves, and we never go alone in those [cold-weather] temps.”

20. Ryan Deering – The Protector-Turned-Teacher

Ryan Deering always wanted to follow in his father Phil’s footsteps, so he started by working at the family grocery store in Empire alongside his dad and grandfather. Like dad, Ryan then joined the U.S. Army. “He was decorated for his service, including two Bronze Stars and Three Silver Stars,” Ryan says. “That’s why I joined Special Operations.” Seriously injured due to a parachute malfunction, he had to leave the service, becoming a firefighter and EMT—as had Phil. Breaking with tradition, Ryan briefly moved to Florida; that ended when his dad asked him to return to help run the store. He eventually decided it wasn’t what he wanted and returned to EMS, this time with North Flight. Ryan also enrolled in the marine tech program at Northwestern Michigan College. When he took a welding course, he fell in love with it, becoming a welding instructor. After serving as recruiter for NMC’s surveying program, he was only too happy to move back to oversee the welding program. “You have to have a passion for it,” Ryan says of teaching, and passion is one thing he’s never lacked.