Honoring the Foundation We Stand On
Please take a moment to learn more about the individuals who have played a vital role in shaping Platinum. The scholarships were created to honor their legacy and the foundation they built—one that continues to guide our future. We are proud and grateful to support the scholarships that carry their impact forward.
Doug Smith
Doug Smith was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and moved frequently during his childhood before his family settled in Holland, Michigan, where he graduated from high school. He went on to attend Michigan State University, earning a degree in math and science education. During college, he met his wife, Paula, and they married in 1977, beginning a lifelong partnership that supported every step of his journey.
Doug began his career as a teacher, but his path shifted after several life-changing experiences—and one truly pivotal moment. When his young son stopped breathing after choking, Doug used recently learned CPR skills to save his life. That experience sparked a lifelong passion for emergency medical services and a dedication to teaching others how to respond in critical moments.
He became a volunteer EMS provider, instructor, paramedic, and regional EMS coordinator, mentoring countless students and advancing EMS education at local, regional, and state levels. Over time, he recognized a critical need: instructors wanted better tools to educate and assess future healthcare providers.
This vision led Doug to found Platinum Educational Group, initially focused on helping instructors develop better exams and later on creating EMSTesting, a computer-based, adaptive testing platform. Under his guidance, Platinum grew into a leading educational resource for EMS, aiming to empower educators and prepare healthcare providers to perform with skill, confidence, and compassion.
The Doug Smith Scholarship honors his legacy of service, education, and leadership—rooted in a defining moment that inspired a lifelong mission: helping educators educate and saving lives. Doug is still active in his community as a volunteer paramedic.
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Tom Gottschalk
Thomas Gottschalk is known by colleagues, friends, and family as an “outside-the-box” thinker. A certified paramedic, licensed bus driver, food truck owner/operator, and church deacon, he is perhaps best known as co-founder of Platinum Educational Group.
Tom began his journey as a first responder in upstate New York in 1986, quickly discovering a passion for helping those in need. After early experience as a volunteer firefighter and EMT, he focused on emergency medicine and business. He moved to Michigan in 1991, became a nationally registered paramedic, and later served as a medical educator at Grand Rapids Medical Education and Research Center, where he specialized in adult and pediatric resuscitation and advanced trauma care.
In 2001, Tom co-founded Platinum Educational Group with mentor and friend Doug Smith, driven by a mission to “teach the teachers to teach.” He retired in 2020, proud of the organization’s impact and future.
Since then, Tom has remained active in his community—serving his church, becoming a licensed bus driver, and launching a successful food truck business in Grand Rapids. Through Collar Brass Solutions, he now helps individuals reenter the workforce after hardship, blending his lifelong commitment to service, teaching, and innovative thinking.
Sue L. Jensen, DNP, RN, CCM, MSCC
Sue Jensen was a distinguished nursing leader, educator, and certified case management expert with over 40 years of experience in clinical practice, higher education, and healthcare leadership. She held dual certifications as a Certified Case Manager (CCM) and Medicare Set-Aside Consultant Certified (MSCC), and had earned her doctorate from Western Michigan University.
She served nearly two decades as an Associate Professor at Grand Valley State University’s Kirkhof College of Nursing, contributing to innovative geriatric and community-based programs, with teaching experience that extended internationally to Ghana and Thailand.
A nationally recognized authority in case management, Sue served two terms as Chair of the Commission for Case Management Certification (2011–2017) and presented at conferences across the U.S. and globally. Her work was published in leading peer-reviewed nursing journals.
In addition to her academic career, she co-led ALARIS operations in Michigan and the Southwest and was honored with the AARP “Shining Star” Award for her leadership in caregiver education.