Michigan Suburns Alliance    Michigan Suburbs Alliance

About Us

Board of Directors

 

 

Mark Wollenweber
City Administrator of Grosse Pointe Woods
President

Mark Wollenweber has dedicated his career to public service and local government in southeastern Michigan. Prior to taking on his current role as City Administrator of Grosse Pointe Woods, he served as City Manager of St. Clair Shores for almost 15 years. He has held positions in city administration in Huntington Woods, Plymouth and Westland.

Mr. Wollenweber's other professional affiliations include serving on the Southeast Michigan Council of Government's (SEMCOG) Environmental Policy Advisory Council. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) from the American Planning Association (APA), and previously served as a Board Member and State President of the Michigan Local Government Management Association.

Mr. Wollenweber earned bachelor's and master's degrees in urban affairs from the University of Detroit Mercy. He also completed the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at Harvard University on a fellowship from the Taubman Company.

 

 

Ed Klobucher
City Manager of Hazel Park

Vice President

Prior to his appointment as City Manager in February of 2002, Ed Klobucher served Hazel Park as Assistant City Manager, Acting City Clerk and Special Projects Coordinator. He began working for the city’s Recreation Department as a program supervisor while in college. Prior to returning to work for the city in 2000, Mr. Klobucher served as a Deputy Sheriff with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department Parks Division, taught “Introduction to Future Studies” at Madonna University, and worked as a senior therapist for the Department of Behavioral Neurosciences at the Detroit Medical Center.

Mr. Klobucher holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and history and a master’s of arts in Clinical Psychology. He has completed extensive graduate work in public policy and administration and currently serves as the chair of the public policy committee of the Michigan Suburbs Alliance and coordinator for the Southeast Michigan Chapter of the World Future Society.

 

Steve Truman
City Manager of Roseville

Secretary

Steve Truman's career with the City of Roseville began in 1979 as the Executive Director for the Roseville Housing Commission. In 1983 he was appointed as the Director of Building and Inspections. Steve has served as the City Manager of Roseville since March of 2005. Prior to his city employment, he worked in the private sector as a city planning consultant.

Steve holds a master's degree in Urban Planning from Wayne State University and a bachelor's of science in secondary education from Eastern Michigan University. He has maintained his interest in public education as a member of Utica Community Schools Board of Education since 1995. In addition, he is a charter member of the Roseville Optimist Club and the Utica Community Schools Foundation for Educational Excellence.

Steve and his wife, Pam, reside in Sterling Heights and have four children.

 

 

Jim Townsend
Executive Director, Tourism Economic Development Council

Treasurer

Prior to leading the Tourism Economic Development Council, Mr. Townsend was the founding Executive Director of the Michigan Suburbs Alliance. Before helping the Suburbs Alliance to a successful launch, he spent five years in Washington, D.C. as a professional staff member in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. His experience included serving as Legislative Director in the Office of U.S. Representative Nita M. Lowey and as an associate staff member of the House Appropriations Committee. He also worked as the Windstar Brand Manager at Ford Motor Company, where he was responsible for national marketing and sales of Ford's $4 billion minivan business.

Mr. Townsend earned a B.A. with highest honors in history from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and graduate degrees in business administration and public policy from the University of Michigan. He lives with his wife and two children in Huntington Woods, Michigan.

 

 

Sherry Ball
City Manager of Pleasant Ridge

Ball has celebrated more than 20 years working with the City of Pleasant Ridge.  While serving as city clerk, acting city manager, and in other roles, Ball also managed to earn a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration.  She is active in the Michigan Municipal League, the International City Managers Association, the Michigan Local Government Management Association, the Woodward Avenue Action Association and the Woodward Dream Cruise, Inc. 

Ball and her husband have lived in Oak Park for 34 years and have three sons, all of whom live in the metro Detroit area.

 

 

Maxine Berman
Director of Special Projects, Office of the Governor

Maxine Berman has served as Governor Granholm’s Director of Special Projects since 2003. She runs the Governor’s Centers for Regional Excellence program, which provides grants to regions throughout the state that participate in collaborative projects. Ms. Berman has been involved with the Suburbs Alliance since 2002 as a member of the Redevelopment Ready Communities® steering committee.. She also serves on the board of the Institute for Local Government at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Prior to service with the Governor, Ms. Berman served fourteen years in the Michigan House of Representatives, the last six on the House Appropriations Committee, where she chaired the subcommittees on Public Heath and K-12 Education and was instrumental in creating a new system for funding Michigan’s public schools. She was also known for her work on campaign finance and voter registration reforms, chairing both the House Elections Committee and the House Committee on Legislative Reapportionment. In 1997, Crain’s Detroit Business named her one of Detroit’s One Hundred Most Influential Women.

 

 

Dr. Robin Boyle
Professor, Wayne State University

Dr. Robin Boyle is professor of urban planning and chair of the Department of Geography and Urban Planning (GUP) at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Prior to assuming chairmanship of GUP, he spent ten years as Associate Dean in the College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs at WSU. Dr. Boyle’s research interests include local economic development, trends in retail investment, urban education, local planning, and urban policy. This final interest led him to secure funding from the Land Policy Program at Michigan State University and to collaborate with the Michigan Suburbs Alliance, serving as a member of the Redevelopment Ready Communities® steering committee.

Active in professional organizations, Dr. Boyle presently serves on the steering committee of the Detroit division of the Urban Land Institute and as the midwestern representative for the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning. In 2004, he was nominated to the planning board for the City of Birmingham, and became chair in 2006.

 

 

Steve Duchane
City Manager of Lincoln Park


Steve Duchane's career spans 25 years of local government management experience and 29 years of public service in the State of Michigan and California. Prior to becoming Lincoln Park's first city manager, he held city management positions in Sterling Heights, Marysville (California), Corunna and Howell. Mr. Duchane has been involved with the Michigan Municipal League serving on the Board of Directors, a Regional Officer and an Employee Relations Committee member. Mr. Duchane is presently a member of the Lincoln Park Chamber Board of Directors and is also a member of the American Society of Public Administration.

Mr. Duchane earned a bachelor's degree in community development and public administration cum laude from Central Michigan University and is a graduate student of Central's M.P.A. program. He also completed the University of Virginia Senior Executive Institute for Local Government Managers, Harvard University's Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government, and the Southeast Michigan Regional Criminal Justice Training Academy.

 

 

The Honorable Ron Gillham
Mayor of Huntington Woods

Mayor Ron Gillham was born, raised, and educated in Missouri. After graduation from the Missouri School of Mines in 1956, he joined General Motors at the Tech Center in Warren. He served in a variety of interesting and challenging positions, eventually retiring from Advanced Product Engineering in 1992.

In his "second career," Mayor Gillham has served the citizens of Huntington Woods continuously since 1975, first as a Zoning Board of Appeals member and Commissioner, then taking on the position of Mayor in 1981. He is active in the Michigan Municipal League where he formerly served on the Board of Trustees as Vice President. Currently, Mayor Gillham is chair of the South Oakland County Mayor's Association.

Mayor Gillham and his wife, Shirley, have lived in Huntington Woods since 1959. They have three children and seven grandchildren, all of whom reside in Huntington Woods.

 

 

John S. Howell
Director, Regional Relations, DTE Energy

John S. Howell is director of regional relations for DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE), a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Howell is responsible for managing relationships with local officials throughout the company’s service territory.

Howell most recently served as assistant to the chairman,of employee issues; and director of compliance. In this role he assisted employees in resolving work-related issues informing of dispute resolution alternatives and ensuring company compliance with state and federal regulations. 

Howell joined Detroit Edison, a subsidiary of DTE Energy, as a meter reader in 1970.  He served in several assistant general supervisor and general supervisor positions, with responsibilities for meter reading, customer and marketing services and division services.  Howell also served as Detroit Edison's director of sales and services in the Thumb Division; director of the North Area Energy Center in Cass City; regional manager for regional relations in Macomb County; and director of compliance administration in human resources.

Howell attended St. Clair County Community College.

 

 

The Honorable Brenda Lawrence
Mayor of Southfield

Elected Mayor in November 2001, Mayor Brenda Lawrence is the first African American and female mayor of Southfield. It's the culmination of years of community advocacy, including her time on the Southfield City Council, where she was elected President, and on the Southfield Public School Board of Education, where she served as President, Vice President and Secretary.

Because of her commitment to diversity, Mayor Lawrence has received numerous awards, including the “2004 Wand Award” for breaking new frontiers for women and minorities, the Jewish War Veterans-State of Michigan “Brotherhood Award,” the Leadership Detroit “Challenging the Process” Award, the American Business Women’s Association Millennium Chapter “Woman of the Year Award,” the Detroit Historical Society’s “Enterprising Women” Award and Leadership Oakland’s 2004 “Distinguished Women Achiever Award.”

Mayor Lawrence and her husband McArthur have been married for over 30 years, have two children and are longtime residents of Southfield. She received a bachelor's degree in public administration from Central Michigan University.

 

 

Greg Pitoniak
Deputy Treasurer of the State of Michigan

A lifelong resident of Taylor, Michigan, Greg Pitoniak served as Mayor of the city from 1997 to 2005. Before that, he represented the area in the Michigan House of Representatives. He has long believed that quality public investment stimulates quality private investment. This philosophy, combined with his background in economic development, allowed him to provide strong leadership and renew private developer interest in Taylor during his tenure as mayor. He became Deputy Treasurer of the State of Michigan in late 2005. Today, Greg Pitoniak is the executive director of Southeast Michigan Community Alliance (SEMCA).

Mayor Pitoniak received a bachelor's degree in urban studies and political science from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and a master's degree in public administration from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

 

 

The Honorable Thomas Tafelski
Council President, Dearborn City Council

Thomas Tafelski became President of the Dearborn City Council in January 2007. He had served as Council President Pro Tem since November 2005 but was first elected to the Council in 2001. Prior to this election, Mr. Tafelski served on the City Plan Commission from 1999 to 2001 and the City Beautiful Commission from 1998 to 1999. He is a lifelong Dearborn resident and attended the University of Michigan where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in 1992.

Council President Tafelski is also a member of the Dearborn Polish Legion, Dearborn Elks and the Fordson Varsity Alumni Club. He and his wife Deanna have three young sons.

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