Lansing City Councilperson
68th District Candidate
Most of Joan Bauer’s adult life has been dedicated to public service, as a teacher, volunteer director at Ingham Regional Medical Center for 20 years, member of the Lansing City Council for 10 years, and as an active volunteer in our community for the past 30 years.
Joan has a Bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University. She is a former high school teacher, taught adult education for 15 years, worked for the YWCA in the Chicago area and in Lansing, and served as the Director of the Lansing Community College Foundation. Joan gained extensive experience in healthcare and volunteer management through her 21 years at Ingham Regional Medical Center where she served as Director of Volunteer Services and also was responsible for managing the hospital’s McRee Guest House and the Lifeline program which served elderly and disabled persons.
Many Lansing residents know Joan through her work on the Lansing City Council. She was first elected to the City Council in November 1995 and was re-elected in 1999 and 2003 as an At-Large member. Her current City Council committee assignments include serving as Chairperson of both the Public Service Committee and the Ad Hoc Committee on Housing as well as the Vice Chair of the Planning and Development Committee and the Intergovernmental Relations Committee. During her ten years on the City Council, Joan has served as President (2003-04) and Vice President as well as on every City
Council committee.
During her service on the City Council, Joan is very proud of the role she played in keeping General Motors in our community, forming the Capital Area District Library, strengthening Lansing’s neighborhoods, promoting public safety, and making strides in economic development. She recently worked with representatives from the NAACP and One United Michigan to sponsor a City Council resolution to oppose the proposed “Michigan Civil Rights Amendment” which would ed opportunities for women and minorities in Michigan.
Joan has a long history of community involvement and has been actively involved with numerous civic and professional organizations in Lansing for the past thirty years. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Lansing Rotary Club Foundation, the Capital Region Community Foundation, the Capital Area United Way, and the Dart Bank. She also sits on the advisory boards of the Lansing Safety Council and the Lansing Community College Women’s Resource Center and is currently chairing the American Red Cross HERO campaign and the Greater Lansing Housing Coalition’s Home Tour Committee.
Joan’s volunteer work over the years has been extensive with an emphasis on serving women and girls. She is the past president of the Michigan Capital Girl Scout Council, Friends of the Michigan Women’s Historical Center and Hall of Fame, the Ingham County Women’s Commission, and Michigan Women in Municipal Government. She is very proud to be one of the founders of the Council Against Domestic Assault, Ballentines Stepping Stone, the Capital Area Women’s Network, and the Tri-County Women’s Coalition. Joan’s past community involvement also includes her work for Debbie Stabenow’s Magic Ride for Kids, Ronald McDonald House of Mid-Michigan, the Volunteer Center of Mid-Michigan, Friends of the Lansing Public Library, and the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Joan received Woman of Distinction Award from the Michigan Capital Girl Scout Council, the Athena Award from the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce, The Diana Award for Community Service from the YWCA, and the Belen Management Award from Ingham Regional Medical Center.
Joan’s parents are both retired teachers. Her father, Ted Bauer, was a teacher and coach at Lansing Everett High School for thirty years. Joan is married to Doug Langham who recently retired from the State of Michigan.
Joan considers it an honor and privilege to have served the people of Lansing over the past 30 years and is ready to put her experience and leadership to work as the State Representative for the 68th. District. Her vision for Michigan is that it is a state where people want to work, live, and raise their families. To accomplish this, Michigan must focus on the three critical challenges: attracting jobs, providing affordable and accessible healthcare, and strengthening our schools.
