News

Michigan Municipal League Board Names Three New Members

Press Release

Contact:

Matt Bach
Director of Communications
Michigan Municipal League
(734) 669-6317; C: (810) 874-1073
[email protected]; www.mml.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 5, 2020

Michigan Municipal League Board Names Three New Members

Officials from Holland, Muskegon and Ypsilanti Selected to Statewide Municipal Association

LANSING, Michigan – Officials from Holland, Muskegon and Ypsilanti were recently chosen to serve on the Michigan Municipal League Board of Trustees.

During the League’s board meeting on Jan. 24 in Lansing, the following were selected as new board members: Holland City Manager Keith Van Beek; Muskegon Mayor Stephen Gawron; and Ypsilanti City Manager Frances McMullan. In addition, Westland Mayor William Wild was named vice president. As vice president, Wild is in line to become the League president for the 2020-21 term.

New board member details:

  • Keith Van Beek has extensive experience in public administration. Hewas selected as the city manager of the City of Holland in February 2018. He currently provides leadership and direction for the community of more than 33,500 residents through the efforts of nearly 275 employees. Previously, Van Beek served as the Deputy County Administrator for the County of Ottawa, where he directed the Community Action Agency, equalization, facilities, legislative coordination at the Federal and State level, and Veterans Affairs. He also served as city administrator for the City of Kentwood for 12 years. Van Beek has been highly involved in professional associations. He is a credentialed manager in the International City/County Management Association; past president and former board member of the Michigan Municipal Executives and the West Michigan Municipal Executives; and member of the Michigan Association of County Administrative Officials.
  • Stephen Gawron was elected as the 66th mayor of Muskegon and sworn into office in January 2014. He was first elected to the Muskegon City Commission in November 2001, appointed as vice mayor in 2005, then elected as mayor in 2013. Gawron has focused on the preservation of key services and city finances as well as the restoration of the core business district in Muskegon’s downtown. Programs such as community policing and social justice have been expanded and are recognized nationally. Regional collaborations are also a key focus. Gawron was able to bridge divides resulting in bringing two new municipalities into the city’s water system. Additional partnerships are being expanded to position Muskegon as a multi-modal transportation hub, taking advantage of the city’s one-of-a-kind deep-water port. He is also active with the Urban Core Mayors Association of Michigan.
  • Frances McMullan currently serves as the city manager for the City of Ypsilanti.  She has over 28 years of municipal administrative experience. For the past 12 years, she served the City of Ypsilanti in a variety of capacities including deputy city clerk, city clerk, city clerk/deputy city treasurer, and three terms as interim city manager.  Previously, she worked for the City of Ann Arbor for 17 years. She also has the designations of Certified Municipal Clerk and Certified Municipal Treasurer. In 2018, McMullan was chosen as one of 25 women leaders for the Michigan Municipal League’s Women’s Municipal Leadership Program, where she trained to become a city manager.

The newly elected Trustees join President Brenda F. Moore, Saginaw Mayor Pro Tem; Vice President Wild, and the other volunteers who remain on the 2019-22 Board: Diane Brown Wilhelm, Midland City Commissioner; Marlon Brown, Mason Mayor Pro Tem; Michael Cain, City Manager of Boyne City; Brian Chapman, Sault Ste Marie City Manager; Peter Dame, Grosse Pointe City Manager; Carla Filkins, Cadillac Mayor; Monica Galloway, Flint Council President; Brian Hartwell, Madison Heights Mayor; Brenda Jones, Detroit Council President; Robert La Fave, L’Anse Village Manager; Jean Stegeman, Menominee Mayor; Patrick Sullivan, Northville City Manager; Dr. Deirdre Waterman, Pontiac Mayor; and Barbara Ziarko, Sterling Heights City Councilmember.

For photos of the League board members go to http://www.mml.org/about/mmlboard.htm.
For additional information, contact Matt Bach, Michigan Municipal League communications director, at [email protected] and (734) 669-6317.

About the League: Michigan Municipal League is dedicated to making Michigan’s communities better by thoughtfully innovating programs, energetically connecting ideas and people, actively serving members with resources and services, and passionately inspiring positive change for Michigan’s greatest centers of potential: its communities. The League advocates on behalf of its member communities in Lansing, Washington, D.C., and the courts; provides educational opportunities for elected and appointed municipal officials; and assists municipal leaders in administering services to their communities through League programs and services. Learn more at mml.org.

 

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