Kellogg Community College is pleased to announce five recipients of the 2025 KCC Alumni Awards.
Awarded annually, the KCC Alumni Awards recognize the recipients’ achievements in their professional field, service or enrichment to their community and support for KCC while they were students and beyond. Recipients must have earned 12 or more credits from KCC and are chosen based on community nominations and an application process.
The five 2025 KCC Alumni Award recipients, listed below, were recognized during the College’s annual Outstanding Bruin Awards ceremony April 23 on campus in Battle Creek.
“On behalf of Kellogg Community College and the KCC Foundation, we congratulate the recipients of the 2025 KCC Alumni Awards,” Michelle Williamson, executive director of the KCC Foundation, said. “You have made your alma mater immensely proud, and we thank you for your advocacy, contributions, career achievements and service.”
This year’s Alumni Award recipients are Micheal Holcomb, Joseph Marah, Cody Newman, Avery Rose and Thomas Watson. For more information about the KCC Alumni Awards, visit kellogg.edu/alumni.
Micheal Holcomb
Micheal Holcomb, of Battle Creek, attended KCC in the early 1980s as a part of the first group at KCC to graduate with a degree in the Industrial Trades, along with a degree in General Studies.He went on to become a journeyman electrician and later achieved the status of Master Electrician.
For the past 45 years, Holcomb has proudly served as a Master Electrician with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).Holcomb retired from Kellogg’s after 25 years of service and has taught many generations of students as an adjunct instructor at KCC for more than 42 years.
Holcomb has also been an active member of the community and has volunteered his time with Metrocom Credit Union, Battle Creek Field of Flight & Balloon Festival and Pennfield Schools.
Joseph Marah
Joseph Marah, of Mount Pleasant, attended KCC from 2013 to 2015 and earned anAssociate in Arts, Associate in General Studies and Associate in Global and International Studies. He is currently attending Central Michigan University as a quadruple major, working toward bachelor’s degrees in Economics, Entrepreneurship, Political Science, and Public and Nonprofit Administration, while also enrolled in an accelerated MBA program in Entrepreneurship.
Since his time at KCC, Marah has continued to make a meaningful global impact. He is the founder of Joemana, a company that began in 2019 as a produce-selling initiative in Sierra Leone and has since grown into a dual-location agritourism and organic farming enterprise. The business is incorporated as Jomana, LTD in Sierra Leone and Joemana, LLC in the United States. With operations in both countries, Joemana is dedicated to addressing food insecurity, economic inequality and youth unemployment through regenerative agriculture, sustainable tourism and entrepreneurial education.
Marah continues to stay involved at Central Michigan University, serving as a chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee and president of the International Student Organization during the 2023-24 academic year and currently as president of the Refugee Outreach Collective.
Cody Newman
Cody Newman, of Battle Creek, attended KCC from 2010 to 2012, focusing on Computer-Aided Drafting and Design courses and general transfer courses. He then transferred to the University of Michigan to pursue his goal of becoming an architect. He received his Bachelor of Science in Architecture in 2014 and then his Master of Architecture degree in 2016, becoming a licensed architect at age 24.
Newman cofounded Restore (269) in 2017 with his wife Caitlynn to focus on community building development and restoration. He then started Driven Design Studio in 2018, which is an architecture and interior design firm developing community spaces that feature a mix of retail, office and residential development. The couple has owned and restored multiple historic buildings in downtown Battle Creek.
Newman has partnered with Battle Creek Area Math and Science Center and hosted students with an interest in architecture. He’s also participated in the high school Sophomore Future Track program with the Battle Creek Community Foundation, through which several businesses in the community host groups of students to explore and experience their fields of interest. He also serves on KCC’s CAD Advisory Committee.
Avery Rose
Avery Rose, of Grand Rapids, attended KCC from 2005 to 2008 and earned an Associate in Political Science and Associate in Arts. After KCC, Rose completed a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations at Michigan State University. He then completed a Master of Library and Information Science at Wayne State University and a Juris Doctor at Wayne State University Law School.
Currently Rose is serving as chief probate judge at the Kent County Probate Court in Grand Rapids. Judge Rose is a published author and shares his knowledge of probate and law as a speaker with fellow attorneys and judges. He is also an active member of several local and state bar associations and serves as current president of the Southwest Michigan Probate Judges Association.
Thomas Watson
The late Thomas Watson, of Hastings, attended KCC from 1979 to 1982, completing classes and an apprenticeship in Machining. For decades, Watson was a passionate advocate for educating Barry County youth in the skilled trades. He started his career as an outstanding KCC dual enrolled student at the College’s Regional Manufacturing Technology Center, and within a few years of graduation founded his own business, TNR Machine Inc.
Over the last 31 years, the business has grown from five employees in a 768-square-foot building to more than 30 employees in a 12,000-square-foot building. As time passed and Watson found local high schools were no longer offering many of the basic skilled trades, Watson took the lead in running a class out of his own shop. Watson had a tremendous local impact by working with approximately 30 other shops and businesses to place these trainees after they graduate.
Over the past year, Watson partnered with KCC to offer courses via Hastings High School’s dual enrollment program. He was passionate that young people have the same opportunities for success that he had. Watson has also presented on Barry County skilled trades at the Michigan Economic Developers Association in Lansing.
Pictured above, from left to right, are 2025 KCC Alumni Award winners Cody Newman, Micheal Holcomb, Joseph Marah, Avery Rose and Rodney Dye, who accepted the award on behalf of his late friend Thomas Watson.
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