{"id":4976,"date":"2025-02-16T18:43:18","date_gmt":"2025-02-16T23:43:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/miwf.org\/?post_type=womanup-honoree&#038;p=4976"},"modified":"2025-05-14T12:59:43","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T16:59:43","slug":"emily-leestma-phd","status":"publish","type":"womanup-honoree","link":"https:\/\/miwf.org\/celebrating-women\/award-winners\/emily-leestma-phd\/","title":{"rendered":"Emily Leestma, PhD. | Women to Watch Honoree"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-owner-of-ibex-hospitality\">Owner of <a href=\"https:\/\/ibexhospitality.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ibex Hospitality<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-women-to-watch-honoree\">Women to Watch Honoree<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Emily Leestma is a leader and entrepreneur based in Muskegon. She earned her PhD in cell and molecular genetics from Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids and did her postdoctoral work at the University of Central Florida, studying therapeutics for rare neurodegenerative diseases and working to help connect patients with available resources.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Emily went on to found Ibex Hospitality, purchasing the beloved community restaurant Bear Lake Tavern as well as re-opening Muskegon Brewing Company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She has been recognized for her achievements locally, being nominated for both a Grand Rapids and Lakeshore ATHENA Young Professional Award as well as being recognized as one of West Michigan\u2019s top 200 Business Leaders. Beyond her professional work, Emily is active in her community, coaching volleyball, volunteering at local sporting events, and sponsoring multiple initiatives for community advancement.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Owner of Ibex Hospitality Women to Watch Honoree Emily Leestma is a leader and entrepreneur based in Muskegon. She earned her PhD in cell and molecular genetics from Van Andel [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":4956,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4976","womanup-honoree","type-womanup-honoree","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.2 (Yoast SEO v26.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Emily Leestma, PhD. | Women to Watch Honoree - Michigan Women Forward<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Emily Leestma, Ph.D. is the owner of Ibex Hospitality and managing partner of Adelaide Pointe. 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