The Michigan Municipal League’s Herasanna Richards was recently named among the 2019 Twenty in Their 20s outstanding young leaders by Crain’s Detroit Business.

This is a special honor and the League is very proud to see Herasanna selected.

Here’s a description of the honor by Crain’s: “Meet the 2019 Twenty in their 20s: outstanding young leaders who are stepping up and making a difference in metro Detroit. Photographer Jacob Lewkow took this year’s portraits at the historic Detroit Club, founded in 1882 by 10 Detroit businessmen and moved to its current Wilson Eyre-designed clubhouse at Cass and Fort streets in 1892. The Detroit Club was renovated and reopened in 2018. Honorees were selected from nominees by Crain’s editorial staff. They were selected based on professional accomplishments and nonprofit and civic involvement with the aim of recognizing a diverse range of people and industries.”

Herasanna Richards

Herasanna joined the League’s state affairs team last month. She is a legislative associate advocating on behalf of communities with a concentration on energy, environment, municipal services, and elections.

The Crain’s article by Chad Livengood highlights Herasanna’s work in Detroit and how she previously served as executive director of the Detroit Restaurant & Lodging Association (DRLA). The Nashville, Tenn. native and Michigan State University graduate decided to stay in Michigan and make a difference here after being inspired by something former Governor Rick Snyder said while she worked in the governor’s office as a college intern.

“You can be a small fish in New York. But you can be a big fish in Michigan,” the governor told interns at a lunch on the last day of her college internship in the Snyder’s office in the summer of 2014.

“That is so true,” Richards said. “We’re really in a place where there’s so much opportunity.”

Here’s an additional excerpt from the Crain’s article about Herasanna and her work with the League:

Richards has parlayed her two years at DRLA into a new job as a lobbyist for the Michigan Municipal League, the Lansing-based advocacy organization that represents cities and villages. She remains based in Detroit, focused on energy and environmental policy issues and municipal services.

“As easy as it would be to live in some place where everything’s picture perfect and great, if I know I can contribute something and I know I can bring a new idea, a fresh perspective, a new kind of energy and do something that can really make this a better community for all of us, then why wouldn’t I?” she said. “There’s so much opportunity.”

View our recent press release about Herasanna. Watch and hear from Herasanna in our recent Monday Morning Live podcast and Facebook Live stream.