Tim was born on April 16th, 1984.  His father, Rob Nendorf, was born and raised in Kalamazoo.  After he graduated from Comstock High School, Rob enlisted in the Marines and joined the fight in Vietnam.  After serving our country and earning a purple heart, Rob attended Western Michigan University on the G.I. Bill, and has worked as a civil servant in the Department of Defense for the past 26 years.

Tim’s mother, Faith Nendorf, grew up in southwest Michigan and graduated from Kalamazoo’s Loy Norrix High School.  Her father was a Methodist minister who served in the Southwest Michigan Conference for over 40 years.  Most notably to Battle Creek, Tim’s grandfather helped to plan and organize the building of the current Trinity United Methodist Church.

Tim grew up in Battle Creek, where he attended Lakeview High School.  Remembering the values of empathy and service that his parents taught him, Tim’s years as a youth in Battle Creek were used to better his community.  Tim was the charter president of the Kiwanis Key Club which helped to establish a Kid’s Café after-school mentoring program.  He was also a member of the Battle Creek Community Foundation’s Youth Alliance Committee, which still assists in empowering youth in the community though providing funds for youth programming.

After high school, Tim attended Western Michigan University as a Medallion Scholar.  While attending school, Tim stayed involved in the Battle Creek community through serving on the Battle Creek Community Foundation’s Finance and Investment Committee.  Joining the committee in 2001, Tim played a role in the strategic planning that led the nonprofit from assets of $42 million to over $100 million today.

It was through the community foundation that Tim realized that in order to truly improve the lives of people in our community and other communities, it would take not just a change through philanthropy at the local level, but a change in state and federal politics and laws.

While attending Western Michigan, Tim took the initiative to serve our community by working an internship in Lansing with Senator Mark Schauer. Tim contributed hundreds of unpaid hours assisting people in our community with their unemployment claims, tax issues, and home-heating tax credits.  After realizing the impact that a legislative office could have on a community, Tim went to Washington D.C. to assist the needs of our state.

Again, Tim served our community and state with an unpaid internship in a senator’s office, but this time it was with United States Senator Carl Levin.  After serving in Senator Levin’s Office, Tim stayed in Washington, taking a position as a Policy Fellow at Preston Gates Ellis and Rouvelas Meeds LLP.  It was at Preston Gates that Tim learned the intricate relationship between lobbyists and legislators through his work regarding the revision of the United States Energy Policy and the solicitation of Department of Defense funds for Michigan based businesses.

Tim brought the lessons he had learned in Lansing and in Washington back to Battle Creek, where he acquired a position in Kellogg’s Government Relations Department.  While serving the interests of Battle Creek’s most distinguished employer, Tim graduated from Western with a Bachelor of Business Administration.  Tim’s passion and understanding of law making and community building led him to Michigan State University College of Law.

After successfully completing his first year of law school, Tim spent this past summer in Lansing working as a legal assistant to the Speaker of the House’s Legislative Counsel.  His summer was spent researching and determining the constitutionality of many of the House’s initiatives encompassing government reform, election reform, education law, and interstate commerce.

Tim has dedicated himself to building a stronger community through uniting the resources of local businesses, community service organizations, nonprofits, and government.  Our community will thrive by working together and leveraging the vast resources at our disposal.  Tim will motivate that unity as your State Representative by speaking with one voice, for one cause – building a stronger community.