Distinguished Alumni

Over the years, Hoagland has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Trinity Christian College (Palos Heights, IL), a Master of Divinity degree from Calvin Theological Seminary, and a Master of Arts degree in psychology and counseling, with a specialty in marriage and family therapy, from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (Belton, TX). She is a certified pastoral counselor and clinical chaplain.

Currently, Hoagland is working on her doctoral degree in counselor education and supervision at Kansas State University. Hoagland is also working part time as a graduate research assistant at the National Academic Advising Association Center for Research at KSU. She owns her own private practice, specializing in marriage and family therapy, and loves to work with children’s mental health issues while she pursues her doctoral degree. Hoagland is a certified instructor for prevention and relationship enhancement in the military and also instructs a partner program for singles. Additionally, Hoagland is a licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed clinical marriage and family therapist, and a clinical fellow for the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy.

The Christian Reformed Church in North America endorses Chaplain Hoagland; Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church (Grand Rapids, MI) is Hoagland’s calling church. She is currently serving as a committee member of the Christian Reformed Church’s Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Committee and is also a chaplaincy and care advisory committee member.

Hoagland was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in April 1996 and entered the active Army chaplaincy in January 1998 at Fort Jackson, South Carolina while she was attending Calvin Theological Seminary. Her past assignments include: battalion chaplain, 2nd Field Artillery BN, Fort Sill, OK; 1-40th Field Artillery BN, Fort Sill OK (Jan 1999 – June 2001); 302nd Forward Support BN, Camp Casey, South Korea (June 2001 – June 2002); 1-4 Aviation Regiment, Fort Hood, TX (July 2002 – April 2004) and deployed to Iraq for 12 months (March 2003 – April 2004); Squadron Chaplain, 1-6th Aviation Squadron, Fort Hood, TX; battalion chaplain (2004 – 2005), 303rd Military Intelligence BN, West Fort Hood, TX (2005); the Chaplain Captain Career Course at Fort Jackson, SC; battalion chaplain (2006), 215th Combat Support Battalion, Fort Hood, TX and deployed to Iraq for 14 months (Oct 2006 – Nov 2007); Fort Hood, TX for Army Advanced Civilian schooling specializing in family life chaplaincy (May 2008 – Aug 2009); Division Family Life Chaplain, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Red Cloud, South Korea (Sep 2009 – May 2012); brigade chaplain, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), Camp Humphreys, South Korea (June 2012 – Aug 2014); Pastoral Care Coordinator/Chaplain Resource Manager, US Army Garrison (USAG) Fort Leavenworth, KS (Sep 2014 – Feb 2018).

All of this was interrupted by emigration to Canada. But my parents were very gracious in allowing two years of high school. My pastor, home missionary Adam Persenaire, opened in me a suppressed desire for college studies and preparation for bilingual pastoral leadership among post-war immigrant congregations. To seven years at Calvin College and Seminary, I added a year at Westminster – to further study Hebrew, Greek, and biblical theology.

After my ordination in 1958, my faithful and supportive wife Ellen (Ploegstra) and I, along with our two children, moved to Exeter, Ontario. Among many new Canadian congregations, we were moved to strengthen the growing congregations of Fort William (now Thunder Bay), First Calgary, and Kildonan Winnipeg, adding three more children along the way.

Following twenty years in local pastorate and outreach, I successfully applied to the Council of Christian Reformed Churches in Canada (CCRCC) to become the first executive secretary to develop this national body of Canada’s eleven classis in biennial assembly (each sending one elder, deacon, and pastor).