Meet Jim Rinck

While in high school, he was a National Merit Finalist, an Eagle Scout, and the winner of six varsity letters. In college, he served on the Student Senate and the college newspaper. During law school, Jim served two years as an elected graduate student representative on the University of Illinois student government.

A practicing attorney since 1982, Jim currently works as a self-employed attorney in the fields of personal injury, workers' compensation, and Social Security. In his career as an appellate lawyer, he has appeared before the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Michigan Supreme Court, and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2004, he received the Michael Barnes Award from Western Michigan Legal Servies (Legal Aid) for his outstanding pro bono work.

Jim was first elected to the Grand Rapids Board of Education in 1993. In the course of his tenure, he has served as President, Treasurer, and Secretary of the Board. He has also served as the chairperson of the Board's Legislative Committee for several years. In addition, Jim has served as the Board's representative to the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) for 7.5 years and was elected as Vice Chair for a number of years.

Jim's other activities include being a devoted father to his two sons Levi and Abraham and daughter Charlotte. Jim is Scoutmaster of Troop 225, which meets at the former Riverside Elementary School. Jim and his wife Debra are members of Westminster Presbyterian Church.

Currently, Jim serves on the Board of Education’s Legislative Committee.