GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) will honor three community leaders at the 18th Annual Jay & Betty Van Andel Legacy Awards Gala on Thursday, November 12. The 2026 event’s theme is “The Depths of Discovery,” a nod to the current visiting exhibit, Unseen Oceans from the American Museum of Natural History.
The Jay & Betty Van Andel Legacy Awards Gala is the Museum’s largest fundraiser and supports educational programs, exhibits, and the Museum’s vast Collections. Each year, the Museum honors outstanding leaders who have inspired others through their personal and professional investments in the Grand Rapids and West Michigan community, past, present, and future. These honorees help to continue the vision Jay & Betty Van Andel had for the Museum: to be a vital cornerstone of the Grand Rapids Community.
The awards include the Jay & Betty Van Andel Lifetime Achievement Award, the Dave & Carol Van Andel Leadership Award, and “The Casey” Award. They will be presented formally to the honorees at the 18th Annual Jay & Betty Van Andel Legacy Awards Gala on Thursday, November 12, at the JW Marriott Grand Rapids. Full event details can be found by visiting grpm.org/gala.
The 2026 Honorees
The recipient of the 2026 “The Casey” Award is Bill Templin. This award honors public service and volunteerism. Bill is a realtor and owner of Templin Homes through Compass Realty and longtime supporter of the Grand Rapids Public Museum. For over a decade, he has donated regularly and served on the Museum’s Donor Development Committee, where he helps connect new donors to the Museum’s work, and strategizes new approaches to philanthropy in our community. He also currently serves as an Expanding Curiosity Cabinet Member. He assisted with the creation of the Museum’s fundraising Luncheon event in 2019, helping the Development Team members pull together a successful first year event in under three months. Numerous monthly donors and younger donors to the Museum credit Bill for their introduction to the Museum. Bill is a community connector, and is involved in many other community cultural institutions and organizations like the John Ball Zoo, the Grand Rapids Art Museum, and more.
The recipient of the 2026 Dave & Carol Van Andel Leadership Award is Gina Bivins. This award is given to individuals who demonstrate a commitment to the greater West Michigan region, supporting philanthropic organizations, and contributing to the cultural, educational, and economic health of the community. Gina has been a part of the GRPM community for 30 years, beginning as a volunteer in 1981. She then began working as an employee in the 1990s, serving in a variety of roles. During Gina’s time at the GRPM as an employee, she served on teams creating new exhibits at the Van Andel Museum Center, including the Streets of Old Grand Rapids and the City Hall tile layout in the first-floor gallery. She was deeply involved in developing the Newcomers: The People of this Place exhibit. Her tour of Newcomers is legendary among the GRPM staff members for its depth and guest connections. As a current volunteer, she is a member of “Team Photo” at the Museum Archives, working to digitize photos from the Museum’s Collection and catalog them online.
Gina is also deeply involved in the larger Grand Rapids community. She spent over 45 years volunteering at the Festival of the Arts in numerous capacities, including chairing the event in 1991. Additionally, Gina sits on the board of the Grand Rapids Historical Society and served as President of the board until 2026. In 2026, Gina was honored by the Grand Valley State University’s Kutsche Office of Local History with the Gordon Olson Contribution to Local History Award.
The recipient of the 2026 Jay & Betty Van Andel Lifetime Achievement Award is Dale Robertson. This award recognizes individuals who have dedicated their lives to the betterment of the community. As a Board member for eight years and Chair for three, Dale led the GRPM’s transition effort from city department to non-profit entity. He chaired the blue ribbon task force that defined the vision for the new organization and assumed the role of President + CEO in 2008. Dale was a co-founder of the Grand Rapids Public Museum School, which opened in 2016. The school, a GRPS school and partnership between the Museum, the GVSU College of Education, and Kendall College of Art & Design, was an inaugural winner of the XQ Super School Rethinking High School competition and a recipient of a $10 million prize. He also led the successful passage of the Kent County Zoo/Museum millage in 2016. Through an emphasis on “knowledge for all,” Dale has championed a Museum where everyone is welcome and can leave empowered to ask the next best question to continue on a path of lifelong learning.
Prior to his work at the Public Museum, Dale began his professional career as a legislative aide in the State Senate for Senator Jim DeSana, Chair of the Appropriations Committee. Dale served as Director of State Legislative Relations for the Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce, where he advocated on behalf of the Detroit area business community at the State Capitol. He then spent 19 years at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM), serving as Vice President for West Michigan, and then Vice President of Governmental Affairs. With responsibilities in Lansing, MI, and Washington, D.C., Dale regularly testified on behalf of BCBSM before legislative policy-making committees.
He has spent many years on the GRPM Board of Trustees and has held board positions with the Grand Rapids Economic Club, Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, Metro YMCA, Alliance for Health, Pine Rest Foundation, Thomas M. Cooley Law School, and Concordia University of Wisconsin/Ann Arbor. He was also a member of the River Corridor Plan Steering Committee and currently serves on the Michigan Future, Inc. Board of Directors. In 2019, Dale was appointed to the Michigan Travel Commission by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Online Silent Auction
The community can support the GRPM by bidding on experiences, memorabilia, spa treatments, gift cards, and more in the 2026 Gala online silent auction. The auction will open at noon on November 12. Bidding will be accessible at grpm.org/auction. Funds raised through the auction will help support the Museum as a vital community resource that offers learners of all ages educational exhibits and programs, and cares for more than 250,000 artifacts and specimens. You do not have to attend the event to participate in the online silent auction.
The 2026 Jay and Betty Van Andel Legacy Awards Gala is co-chaired by Dave & Carol Van Andel and Linsey Gleason. Sponsors include The David & Carol Van Andel Family Foundation, The Steve & Amy Van Andel Foundation, JW Marriott Grand Rapids, Varnum LLP, Comcast, Etheridge Group, Jandernoa Foundation, John Ball Zoo, Meijer, and Vicinity Energy. For a full list of sponsors, please visit grpm.org/gala.
