January/February Message

Dear MAA Membership,

I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday season! I am Stephanie Boerman, and I am honored and excited to be your 2026 MAA President. For those of you that do not know me, I would like to take a moment and introduce myself. I have been in the Assessing profession for the last 15 years, after spending most of my career in the Clerk’s world of local government. I started my assessing career by obtaining my MCAO with the intent of wanting something different. My first opportunity came with Delta Township as a Residential Appraiser, where I learned the fundamentals of field work. Needing to be closer to home, I then took a position as a Residential Appraiser for the City of Kentwood, where I quickly moved up to Senior Appraiser. 

After doing that for a few years while working on obtaining my MAAO I learned there was so much more to assessing that I did not have the time to explore in my current role. So that led me to take a position as the Deputy Assessor with the City of Zeeland, where I worked for many years and had the opportunity to get involved with many assessing organizations. I was appointed to the Mid-Michigan Association of Assessing Officers Board, joined the Ottawa County Assessors Organization and became involved with the Michigan Assessors Association. I started to learn the importance of networking and creating relationships with colleagues in this profession. Currently, I am the Assessor for Ada Township in Kent County, where I have been for the last 8 years. In addition to my Assessor role, I am also the Membership Services Coordinator for the MAA and the Treasurer for MMAAO. 

This year, my focus is going to be on assisting our Affiliate Organizations by providing monetary support and creating incentives for participation. Supporting our Education Committee with the development of their MAA Summit classes. Working closely with our Legislative Committee to continue to monitor AXMITAX and bills proposed to change taxable value threshold in the Property Tax Law. 

Lastly, I want to continue to focus on excellent communication between members by re-engaging our MAA Message Boards to become a more valuable resource for our members. I encourage everyone to get involved with the Michigan Assessors Association by first becoming a member and then by becoming involved with committees, attending educational opportunities and increasing your networking presence. Another great way to get involved is by attending our Annual Conference. Our committee has already been working hard and started the planning process for the 2026 Conference. Please mark your calendar for August 23-26, 2026, and plan on attending for excellent education, networking and professional development.

Finally, I would like to thank Elizabeth Tobias for her outstanding leadership over the past year. I witnessed her pour her heart and soul into this association and profession, and I look forward to supporting her prior goals and objectives.

Good luck to all with completing your Assessment Roll and hopes for a successful March Board of Review!

Best Regards,

Stephanie Boerman, MAAO (3)
2026 President, Michigan Assessors Association