Southwestern Michigan College announces the appointment of Eileen Toney as its development director.

The announcement was made during the April 11 Board of Trustees meeting Monday evening.

Toney, a lifelong Cass County resident, will begin her duties at SMC April 25.

Currently, she is vice president of commercial lending at Chemical Bank in Niles.

She has been with Chemical Bank since 1994.

Among her duties as director of development at the college, Toney will head up the recognition and memorial brick sale for the new Alumni Plaza on the college’s Dowagiac campus.

She will also head the long-term planned giving program at SMC.

“We are delighted to get someone with Eileen’s business experience and commitment to the college and the community,” said SMC President Dr. David Mathews.

“In addition to her immediate duties of heading up the financing of the alumni plaza, Eileen will also lead the planned giving program, which is critical to the college’s ongoing scholarship and enrichment programs.”

Toney, who is a Dowagiac Union High School graduate, has an associate in applied science in business from Southwestern Michigan College; and a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Business Administration, both from Bethel College in Mishawaka, Ind.

She also attended the University of Wisconsin’s Graduate School of Banking.

Some of her business achievements include being named the 2008 Banker of Year by South Bend’s (Ind.) Business Development Corp. (BDC); receiving the Thomas Edwards Distinguished Leadership Award in 2005 from the Edwardsburg Chamber of Commerce; and the Volunteerism Award in 2003 from Chemical Bank.

Toney is the finance chair and board member of the Edwardsburg Sports Complex; co-chair of Cass County Economic Development; and founding member, past president and treasurer of the Four Flags Toastmasters Club in Niles.

In addition to being an SMC graduate, Toney has continued to participate in the college’s health and fitness and enrichment classes, serves on a business advisory board for the college and works as a community business volunteer providing mock interviews to School of Business students to help prepare them for the workforce.

Toney and her husband, Jerry, reside in Cassopolis.

The couple have two children, Kristen, who will graduate from college in May, and Matthew, 17, a junior at Edwardsburg High School.