About Us

About Us

Our Mission

Uniting technology professionals and nonprofits to better serve our community.

Our Vision

Empowering community through technology and design.

Our Values

Excellence

Accessibility

Collaboration

Respect

Equity

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Our Board

Headshot of Bethany Paquette, a white woman in her twenties with long wavy blond hair

Bethany Paquette

President

In her work life, Bethany Paquette is a bubbly Digital Design Lead. At Code for Good, she is the bubbly President. Her expertise extends to custom software and digital transformation consulting for many clients, including Fortune 100 enterprises, universities, and the Department of Defense. (Wow!) Bethany guides the Board by surfacing ideas, innovations, and capabilities, bringing a refined and human-centric approach that encourages Code for Good to innovate and thrive. And she’s just a lot of fun, too. Check out her other work at www.bethanypaquette.com.

A headshot of Laurence Blackledge. Laurence is taller than average, standard-looking white man with brown hair and stubble. He is against a pale background, smiling lopsidedly, and looks late thirties.

Laurence Blackledge

Vice President

Laurence Blackledge has worked with Code for Good since 2011, first as a volunteer developer, then Nonprofit Coordinator, and now Vice-President. He has worked in the software development space for nearly 20 years and is passionate about making sure that Code for Good continues to bring developers and nonprofits together, help people new to the industry make connections, and showcase what an involved community can do. He’s also a big Star Wars fan and can sometimes be seen around Grand Rapids dressed as the mighty Chewbacca.

Headshot of Tom Bennets, a white man with black hair and a short salt and pepper beard.

Tom Bennetts

Secretary

Tom Bennetts is brand new to the Code for Good family, but with nearly a decade of work around project management and servant leadership, he is always eager to contribute value however he can. Occasionally though, his contribution is a joke barely worth the groans that follow it. Fortunately, in a true testament to his character, that doesn’t deter him in the least.

In addition to starting this new chapter with Code for Good, the things that bring Tom the most joy are that he is a nurse’s husband, a #teambandit dad, and an avid golfer who can regularly be found on a golf course either here in West Michigan, or up in Leelanau County where he’s from. 

Headshot of Jonathon Webster, a white man with brown hair and a full beard.

Jonathon Webster

Treasurer

Jonathon Webster is a born entrepreneur and recent West Michigan resident, looking to support the local community. He has a passion for building teams and solutions, and is all about the data.

He brings that analytical expertise to Code for Good as keeper of the books and funds.

headshot of Edward Kerns

edward Kerns

Sponsorship Coordinator

Improving the lives of others sparks joy in Edward Kerns, who began his path toward software engineering by scripting away colleagues’ boring, repetitive work. These simple automations allowed his team to focus more on mission-critical tasks. In 2019, Edward began volunteering with Code For Good by helping nonprofits automate mundane tasks, allowing them to focus on meeting their mission. His contributions grew as Project Lead, and then as Sponsorship Coordinator. He hopes to broaden Code For Good’s influence across our community, the tech industry, and especially the important, difference-making nonprofits. His endeavor begins by developing and deepening relationships among those stakeholders.

headshot of Sarah LaFleur

Sarah LaFleur

Nonprofit Project Coordinator

Sarah LaFleur believes that business owners have a fundamental responsibility to contribute positively to their communities. Her commitment to community engagement is deeply rooted in Grand Rapids’ rich tradition of civic engagement. At LaFleur Marketing, Sarah advocates for progressive community involvement, aiming to set a precedent that inspires others throughout West Michigan and beyond.

With a robust background in digital marketing, client management, brand development and website design, Sarah champions a client-centered approach to brand building. She focuses on delivering high-quality, impactful results that cut through the digital noise, ensuring her clients not only shine but also genuinely connect with their audiences.

headshot of Csaba Skultety

csaba Skultety

Volunteer Coordinator

Csaba Skultety has been on the board of Code for Good since 2020, first as a Team Lead Coordinator and most recently as Volunteer Coordinator. In his day job Csaba works as a senior team lead for an international group of developers, which translates well to his responsibilities on the board. He’s always eager to introduce new volunteers to Code for Good’s mission: Empowerment through tech.

Headshot of Ellen Mason. Ellen is a white woman in her mid-thirties with wavy brown hair and glasses. She is outside in the woods, smiling.

Ellen Mason

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Coordinator

Ellen Mason leads our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility efforts. Ellen is a Senior Accessibility Consultant at Level Access, and helps organizations of all sizes practice digital accessibility. She specializes in web, mobile, document, and multimedia accessibility. As DEI Coordinator, Ellen serves on the Project Committee and promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion in Code for Good’s culture and programming. Blending activism, education, and technology is Ellen’s way of expressing love.

Pamela Patton

Outreach & Social Media Coordinator

A long-time copywriter, content creator, and wordsmith, Pamela is an award-winning communications specialist skilled in marketing, advertising and public relations. Her company, Paragraph, LLC, is a certified woman-owned business with an extensive portfolio in creating and managing content for business-to-consumer, business-to-business, corporate and non-profit communications.

For 10 years she has also volunteered as the sole copywriter during the Weekend for Good, helping all the nonprofits improve their content. She is also a past president of the West Michigan Chapter of the American Advertising Federation. She works on a Mac, speaks fluent Microsoft Office, proselytizes the Oxford comma, and knows the proper usage and keystrokes for a hyphen, en dash, and em dash.

Headshot of Amber Darsch. Amber is a white woman in her mid-thirties with wavy blonde/brown hair. She is seated smiling with a plant in the background.

Amber Darsch

Design & Content Coordinator

As Digital Designer for the last 10 years, Amber has experience working with data visualization, web design, social media, branding, print design, apparel design, UI design and SEO.

She also has been running her own print and design business, Color Me Well Graphics, for the last 7 years and enjoys creating printed and digital goods for her clients. Amber also has been working with nonprofits exclusively for many years, so her love for nonprofits is the perfect reason for joining the board in 2023. She loves that she gets to support the community this way and see real change happen! Amber volunteered with Code for Good as a Team Lead in 2015.

She currently resides in Holland, where she enjoys rock climbing, kayaking and many other outdoor adventures with her two kids and one husband.

headshot of Chloe Groves

Chloe Groves

Associate Member

Chloe Groves has volunteered at Code for Good in the past and wanted to help out more. She will lend a helping hand wherever needed and use this opportunity to learn the back end of a nonprofit to create her own in the future.

Chloe is currently dual enrolled at GVSU in Biomedical Technology and Research. She will be a Detroit Mercy Titan in the fall of 2024 beginning her journey to become an oral surgeon. She strives to found a nonprofit to provide pro bono care to those in need around the world.