LANSING, MI – Mayor-elect Virg Bernero announced a diverse group of twelve community leaders who will serve as the Chairs and Vice Chairs of his Transition Team Task Forces. The Task Forces will lead a community dialogue on the challenges and opportunities that face Lansing in the areas of economic development and job creation, education, neighborhoods, arts and culture, public safety, youth development and the environment.
”I am very proud to be able to bring so many of the Lansing community’s best and brightest leaders to the table as we work together to ensure a smooth and seamless transition from one administration to the next,” said Mayor-elect Bernero. “From public safety to economic development to arts and culture and everything in between, the leaders of my Transition Team Task Forces are a diverse and inclusive group of community leaders who will help me develop policy recommendations to build upon Lansing’s strengths and address its challenges as I establish my administration.”
The mission of each Transition Team Task Force is to develop short-term and long-term policy recommendations for Mayor-elect Bernero, all of which will be reported in mid-January and will help guide the development of Bernero’s first State of the City Address in late January. Each Task Force also will hold public hearings to obtain input from Lansing residents. A schedule of public hearings will be announced at a later date. Residents can also participate in the transition process via the transition website at LansingsFuture.com.
“Listening to the people of Lansing was a key component of my campaign, and it is a commitment I will keep throughout the transition process,” said Bernero. “I want input from Lansing residents every step of the way as we work together to chart a course for Lansing’s future.”
Chairs and Vice Chairs of each of the six Transition Team Task Forces are:
Economic Growth and Job Creation
* Chair, Dr. Adesoji Adelaja, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor in Land Use Policy, Michigan State University
* Vice Chair, Mary Ellen Sheets, Chief Executive Officer, Two Men and a Truck
Neighborhoods, Youth Development and Recreation
* Chair, Joan Nelson, Executive Director, Allen Neighborhood Center
* Vice Chair, Sharon Claytor Peters, President and Chief Executive Officer, Michigan’s Children, and Past President of the Lansing School District Board of Education
Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Tourism
* Chair, Robert Busby, Owner, Creole Gallery
* Vice Chair, Susan Mills, Executive Director, Arts Council of Greater Lansing
Public Safety and Homeland Security
* Chair, Paul Teszlewicz, Sergeant at Arms of the Michigan Senate, and former Lansing Chief of Police
* Vice Chair, Dr. Carl Taylor, Professor of Family and Child Ecology, Institute for Children, Youth and Families, Michigan State University
Human Capital, Infrastructure and Community Services
* Chair, Lynne Martinez, former Michigan Children’s Ombudsman
* Vice Chair, Ray Tadgerson, Chief Executive Officer, Capital Consultants, Inc.
Regionalism, Land Use and Environment
* Chair, Patrick Lindemann, Ingham County Drain Commissioner and Past President of the Lansing City Council
* Vice Chair, Bo Garcia, Regional Director, Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center, Lansing Community College
