Chair - James Buck, Mayor, City of Grandville

James Buck has served as a municipal official with the City of Grandville since 1971. He served as a councilmember from 1971-1984, and as Mayor from 1984 to present. James is a past chairman of the MML Workers' Compensation Fund, and former MML board member. He also served on the Michigan Association of Mayors board for four years and was awarded an MML Honorary Life Membership in 1998.

Vice Chair - Nancy Crandall, Mayor, City of Norton Shores

Nancy Crandall was elected to the Norton Shores City Council in 1981 and served until 1986 when she was elected as a state representative from the 97th district. In 1993, she returned to local government when she was elected mayor of Norton Shores until retirement in 2005. Nancy completed a three-year term on the League’s Board of Trustees in 1999 and served as President of the League from 1998-1999. She has graduated from Level III (the Governance Level) of the Elected Officials Academy and is still active within NLC. In 2002, she was elected to a three-year term on the Board of the MML Liability and Property Pool.

Treasurer - Myron Frasier, Council Member, City of Southfield

Myron Frasier was appointed to the Southfield city council in 1992 and 1996, then was elected in 1997. In 1994 he was appointed to the City of Southfield planning commission. He has served on the MML Board of Directors and ended his term as Vice President in 2003. Myron was also involved with the National League of Cities FAIR Steering Committee. He is highly involved with his community and participates in the Karmanos Cancer Institute, AARP, Common Ground Sanctuary, Goodfellows, Mitcham AME Church and others.

Board of Directors

Robert Bruner, City Manager, Ferndale

Robert Bruner’s local government management career began in 2001 when he became Assistant to the City Manager of Oak Park, MI.

While working in Oak Park, Bruner earned a Master’s of Public Administration at Wayne State University. He bought a home in Ferndale in 2002 and began volunteering with the Ferndale Downtown Development Authority as Chairman of the Economic Restructuring Committee.

Bruner became the Assistant City Manager of Ypsilanti in August 2004. In Ypsilanti, he directed the City’s Human Resources and Recreation Departments as well as the City’s public information and information technology functions.

Bruner became Ferndale’s City Manager on February 12, 2007. He and his wife reside in Ferndale with their daughter, Audrey.

Robert Collier, Council of Michigan Foundations

Robert S. Collier serves as President and CEO of the Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF), a 31 year-old nonprofit association with more than 400 independent, family, community and corporate foundations and corporate giving programs.

Rob serves on numerous boards, commissions and taskforces including the Michigan Nonprofit Association, Michigan Community Service Commission, Michigan Association of United Ways and the International Network for Strategic Philanthropy. His career in philanthropy includes service as a Program Officer with the C.S. Mott Foundation, Grants Director for the Gannett Foundation, Executive Director of Rotary Charities of Traverse City and founding Director of the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation.

William Costick, Orchard, Hiltz & McCliment

Bill Costick’s career in city management began as assistant to East Lansing’s city manager in 1966, followed by nine years as city manager in Flushing, two years deputy manager in Troy and 16 years with the City of Farmington Hills. In 1991 Bill served as President of the Michigan City Managers Association. He is a life member of ICMA.

Bill has been active with the MML for 30 years, past member and chair of the Transportation and Environmental Affairs Committee and has spoken at League conferences on several occasions. Bill is a graduate of MSU and has served on the MML Foundation Board since 2004.

Dan Gilmartin, Executive Director, Michigan Municipal League

Dan Gilmartin was appointed in March of 2005 as the seventh executive director of the Michigan Municipal League, the state’s association of communities since 1899. In this role, Gilmartin has authority over the League’s programming, policy development and member services. Prior to being appointed executive director, Gilmartin served as the League’s deputy director from 2000-2005, where he lead efforts to revitalize its membership programs and design new services for cities and villages. Gilmartin also served four years as the organization’s lead lobbyist in Lansing and in Washington, where he concentrated on a number of key issues including transportation, land use and urban redevelopment.

Through his work on behalf of municipalities, Gilmartin is recognized as a statewide leader in the fields of urban revitalization, local government reform and transportation policy.

Prior to joining the MML in 1996, Gilmartin served as executive director of the Conference of Western Wayne for seven years, where he worked directly with cities and townships on a number of critical issues confronting local governments.

Carla Gribbs, Detroit Edison Company

Carla Gribbs is a Regional Manager for DTE Energy (the parent company of Detroit Edison and MichCon). Responsible for local government and community relations, she has worked with DTE Energy for 23 years. Carla has a degree in public administration from Michigan State University and a master of business administration from the University of Detroit Mercy.

She is active in many non-profit organizations including on the board of Leadership Oakland, the Eight Mile Boulevard Association and the Rochester Community Schools Foundation. She, along with her husband and 3 children, reside in the City of Rochester.

Alan Israel, Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office

Alan Israel is currently the Chief of Staff, Washtenaw County Prosecutors Office. He was first elected as the Township Clerk of Superior Township in 1974. Alan served as the mayor of the City of Milan for 8 years. He completed a three-year term on the League’s Board of Trustees in 1993 and served as President of the League from 1993-1994. Alan served on the board of directors for the Michigan Association of Mayors. He has served on local planning commissions, board of appeals and National League of Cities committees and was awarded an MML Honorary Life Membership in 1998.

Jeff Jenks, City Commission, City of Huntington Woods

has served on the Huntington Woods City Commission since 1999, adding to his 36 years experience working in the public sector. Jenks serves on MSU’s Michigan Political Leadership Program Advisory board, MML’s EOA board, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments Executive Committee, SEMCOG’s Regional Review Committee, and he chairs the Data Advisory Committee.  In 2007 Jenks was awarded a competitive Taubman Fellowship and completed a three-week intensive Senior Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.  Jenks believes that we must protect local control and our rights-of-way, and we must reach out to all corners of Michigan by visiting and working with the communities that make up our membership.  His term expires in 2009.

George Korthauer, Former City Manager, City of Petoskey

George Korthauer was appointed Petoskey's City Manager in 1983 after having served for six years as Administrative Assistant and Assistant Village Manager at Glencoe, Illinois, and for three years as Assistant Park District Director for the Bensenville Park District in Illinois.

He has served as a regional officer; as a member of the League's former Transportation and Environmental Affairs Committee and its Legislative and Urban Committee; as Chairman of the Michigan Municipal League Liability and Property Pool Board of Directors; and as a member of the Michigan Municipal League's Board of Trustees.

Kate Lawrence, Mayor, City of Brighton

Kate Lawrence has served as a municipal official with the City of Brighton since 1993. She served as Mayor Pro Tem from 1995-1999, as Mayor from 1999-2005 and as councilmember from 2005 to present. Kate is the current chairman of the MML Liability & Property Pool. She completed a three-year term on the League’s Board of Trustees in 2003 and served as President of the League from 2002-2003. She serves on the Brighton Area Fire Authority and is involved in the community as a rotarian and optimist club member.

Patricia Lockwood, State Emerald Ash Borer Policy Director

Pat Lockwood was appointed in 2004 by Governor Granholm to the position of Policy Director - Emerald Ash Borer Program, she also served as the Michigan Department of Transportation's Commission Advisor. Her municipal experience includes serving as Mayor of the City of Fenton for 11 years, followed by State Representative for the 51st District. She completed a three-year term on the League’s Board of Trustees in 1992 and served as President of the League from 1994-1995. She is a Board member of the National League of Cities, Past President of Michigan Women in Municipal Government and Former President of Genesee County Cities/Villages Association. She is currently serving on the Board of Keep Michigan Beautiful and the Fenton Community Foundation and was awarded an MML Honorary Life Membership in 1999.

Dan Matson, City Attorney, City of DeWitt

Dan Matson is a municipal attorney for the communities of DeWitt and Fowlerville and serves as a municipal charter consultant throughout Michigan. He has served on the board of the Michigan Association of Municipal Attorneys and is a past president. He also served on the Michigan Municipal League Legal Defense Fund as a past chair and board member. Currently, he is a councilmember for the Public Corporation Law Section, State Bar of Michigan.

William Rustem, President & CEO,
Public Sector Consultants

William Rustem is president and CEO of Public Sector Consultants. Before joining the firm, he was Gov. William G. Milliken’s chief staff advisor on environmental matters and interim director of the Toxic Substances Control Commission. Following his service with the State of Michigan, he became the first executive director of the newly established Center for the Great Lakes in Chicago. He acquired special expertise in issue campaigns, coordinated the petition drive and campaign in 1976 for the Michigan “bottle bill,” and coordinated the 1984 statewide campaign for the constitutional amendment creating a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund.

Since joining Public Sector Consultants, he has directed studies on the status of Michigan cities, wastewater treatment needs, recycling, and land use. He holds special expertise in public policy relating to land use, urban development, and water policy, is an adjunct professor in three colleges at Michigan State University, and has chaired or been the principal staff for statewide task forces on Department of Natural Resources organization, the MSU Museum, wetland protection, and the Michigan Land Use Leadership Council. He is also the program director for the People and Land Project, a grant-making program at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Florence Schrader, Treasurer, Ubly

Florence Schrader has been treasurer for the Village of Ubly since 1975. Florence chaired the Ubly Mayor Exchange program for eight years and worked on Ubly's 75th and 100th birthday celebrations. She was instrumental in establishing the Bingham Township Ambulance Service in 1979, was honored by the Bingham Township Board in 1992 and was named the EMT of the Year in 1993. Florence volunteers at the Huron Medical Center in Bad Axe and received a certificate of appreciation from the village of Ubly for her community service. Florence has served as secretary, vice chair and chair of MML's Region V, and is the League's legislative director for the village. She also completed a three-year term on the League’s Board of Trustees in 2006.

Sam Singh, Senior Policy Consultant, Public Policy Associates

Sam Singh is a senior policy consultant with the research and evaluation firm, Public Policy Associates.  Sam’s consulting work focuses on strategic planning, nonprofit management and economic development.  He has been actively involved in politics in the city of East Lansing, Michigan; serving one term as mayor and three terms on the city council.  Sam also has extensive community experience having served on over twenty nonprofit boards throughout his career.  He has served on the boards of such organizations as the National Council of Nonprofit Associations, Capital Region Community Foundation, Points of Light Foundation, Capital Area Transportation Authority, and Michigan Association of United Ways.  Sam recently completed a self-funded sabbatical that had him travel to all seven continents and forty-six countries over a seventeen-month period.

Maria F. Ward, Consultant

Maria F. Ward began her professional career with the City of Southfield as a research analyst and during her last year with Southfield, she created the Southfield Community Foundation and served as the first executive director. Next, Maria served as the director of community relations for Farmer Jack Food Market.

In 1991, Maria was recognized by the Michigan Women in Municipal Government with the "Distinguished Woman in Government" award. She is also a member of PRSA (Public Relations Society of America), past president of the Michigan Community Development Directors Association and is listed in Strathmore’s Who's Who of American Women.

Jenee L. Velasquez, Executive Director, The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation

Jenee L. Velasquez began as the first Executive Director for The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation in October of 2005. She served as Chief Executive Officer of Midland County’s economic development corporation, Midland Tomorrow, beginning in 1999. For two years prior to that, she served as Midland Tomorrow’s Manager of Economic Development Services. She was Midland’s first Downtown Development Authority Coordinator and served in that capacity for five years.Prior to living in Midland, Mrs. Velasquez worked for the Manhattan, Kansas Convention and Visitors Bureau. She earned a B.S. in business administration from Kansas State University and her M.B.A. from Michigan State University.