We are excited to announce the addition of a new member to Michigan Capital Network’s Angel Association Board. Calvin Vanderwal, a Senior Venture Associate with Michigan Rise and Red Cedar Ventures, was appointed to the board in May 2026.
Calvin is the first non-MCN affiliated member to hold a position on the Angel Association Board. However he has had many engagements with the MCN leadership over the years and has become a trusted business partner. Prior to joining Michigan Rise and Red Cedar Ventures, he worked in the tax division of the Plante Moran office in East Lansing.
Calvin joins a list of esteemed business and investment professionals on the board. They include:
Emily Sarata is the President of the Angel Association and holds a position on the Board. She oversees the operations and member involvement of the five active angel investing groups around the state that make up the MCN Angel Association. She joined MCN in 2023.
Meagan Malm, a Partner at MCN, serves as Chair of the Board. Meagan is an essential part of the MCN team, demonstrating exceptional strategic instincts, leadership, and extraordinary organizational skills. She was actively involved in the establishment of our fifth venture capital fund (Fund V), and played a key role in several exits in 2025. She joined MCN in 2020.
They are joined on the Board by two longtime angel investors.
Joerg Picard serves as Treasurer of the Board. He has been a member of Grand Angels since 2009. He also is an Associate Professor of Finance at Grand Valley State University.
Leland Richards also holds a seat on the Board. He served for nearly five years as the Director of BlueWater Angels. He has more than three decades of experience in manufacturing and product-driven industries.
He currently holds the position of CEO with Personal Positioning Technologies.
Please join us in thanking the entire board for its service, and giving a warm welcome to Calvin.
