Award-winning leader Rob VanDorin focuses on community connection

Ideology and vision are essential in the process of community improvement. Equally essential is action, without which ideology and vision would remain captive, intangible as thoughts. 

Beyond the intangible and the tangible, the difference between ideas and action is feasibility; generating ideas is simple compared to enacting them. 

Despite this, Rob VanDorin answers the call to action in his community—notably exemplified by receiving local awards this past year. His most recent award was the Charles E. Anthony Award on behalf of the Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards on Feb. 28. The Charles E. Anthony Award is presented to a Chamber board member who has been a model of volunteer service to the community, as well as to the Chamber itself. In Nov. 2025, VanDorin was announced as a 40 Under 40 Award recipient by the Middle Michigan Development Corporation and Greater Gratiot Development, Inc. 

The impetus for VanDorin’s receiving such awards is his unique brand of service to the Mt. Pleasant community that intertwines his job with Central Michigan University (CMU) with his passion for community improvement. 

In his position as the executive director of business and community outreach for CMU Innovation and Online, VanDorin is constantly exploring new and innovative ways to connect CMU with the Mt. Pleasant community. 

VanDorin’s passion for community improvement and innate ability to make connections amidst a whirlwind schedule are assets for both CMU and the Mt. Pleasant community.

“I’m bouncing around constantly, so I’m not in my office a lot. My boss likes to tell me that if I’m in my office too much, I’m probably not doing my job,” says VanDorin, on the roving requirements of his position. 

He speaks positively on those requirements, stating, “I get to be out [in the community] meeting people, learning about them and their organization, being a problem solver and asking, ‘What’s your organization struggling with right now? What are some of the things you’re struggling with that CMU could potentially help you with?’”

VanDorin’s passion for taking action to help the Mt. Pleasant community transcends his professional life and manifests in his personal life as well. 

“If you’re in a community and you want to see that community be prosperous and strengthened, then you have to be part of the solution. For me, I’ve done some of this stuff because I need to for my job, but I also enjoy looking for other things I can be involved in and that I should be doing,” he says. 

Part of VanDorin’s desire to improve the community stems from his commitment to his family and the opportunities he wants to see for his children. 

“If this is where we’re going to have our family and raise our children, we want it to be in a community that has certain things to offer, and that has opportunities for both young and old,” VaDorin says. “[If we want that], then we should be willing to roll up our sleeves and help out.”

Productive action demands intentionality. For VanDorin, that starts with making connections, through both his job at CMU and his personal life. To facilitate these connections, VanDorin’s advice is to “meet everyone. Anytime your organization gives you an opportunity to go to a conference or event, take it up. Even if you’re not comfortable walking into a room of 100 people and meeting the majority of them, try to meet just one person.” 

Over time, connections may develop into opportunities not just for personal improvement, but for the success of posterity.

“[Being involved now] is about being able to offer an opportunity to the next person,” VanDorin emphasizes. “That could be someone that’s new to the community, or it could be the next generation that’s coming through. To me, the most rewarding thing is knowing that there’s a positive impact on who’s coming next and being able to provide opportunities for them.”

VanDorin now works to provide opportunities for employment and self-improvement to residents of the Mt. Pleasant area, but when he was a recent graduate from Alma College and was looking for an opportunity himself, he was expecting to move to a larger city. In the end, his propensity to form connections and take action kept him in the area. 

“With smaller communities, it’s often easier to link arms because you have established relationships, and you get to know each other a little better than some of the bigger cities,” says VanDorin. “That’s part of what makes Mt. Pleasant a thriving community, the fact that there are enough people who are willing to roll up their sleeves, link arms, and say ‘this needs to happen, so we’re willing to do it.’”