Contact:
Matt Bach
Michigan Municipal League
[email protected], 734.669.6317

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 18, 2023

23 Future Leaders Across Michigan Complete Training

LANSING, Mich. – Twenty-three future women leaders from throughout Michigan were recently honored for successfully completing the Women’s Municipal Leadership Program presented by the 16/50 Project.

Women continue to be under-represented in the municipal governance profession. At the start of the 16/50 Project in 2018, women made up 50 percent of the state’s workforce, but only 16 percent of local government managers in cities, villages, and townships were women.

Now, thanks in part to this program, that number has risen to more than 20 percent. The Michigan Municipal League honored the 2022 graduating class and held a press conference about the success of this program during its Capital Conference in Lansing on April 18.

“Now completing its fifth year, graduates of the Women’s Municipal Leadership Program have been able to advance their careers into municipal executive roles,” said Emily Kieliszewski, member programs manager for the Michigan Municipal League. “This program is actively eliminating barriers and increasing the number of women ready to lead Michigan communities. The 2022 class was exceptional, and we’re excited to see how they help lead our communities forward.”

Through this program, participants are given transformational training opportunities to empower them to become exemplary candidates to serve Michigan’s communities. The 16/50 Project seeks to give women leaders access to vital education and executive development through this transformative training opportunity—the Women’s Municipal Leadership Program.

This year’s class includes future leaders from throughout the state—spanning from Detroit to the Upper Peninsula.

The Women’s Municipal Leadership Program is a five-part training initiative that offers aspiring women community leaders an opportunity to advance their skills and leadership abilities on the path to becoming strong local government managers. The 2022 graduating class began the program in August 2022 and concluded in December.

• This year’s graduating class are:
• Kaitlyn Aldrich – Village Manager, Kingsle
• Stephanie Baar – Assistant to the City Manager, St. Ignace
• Macy Barcheski – Director of Finance for Kent County Road Commission
• Susan Barkman – Assistant to the City Manager, Royal Oak
• Casey Clear – Executive Assistant to the City Manager, Cheboygan
• Gretchen Gomolka – City Manager, Brighton
• Elle Jansen – Community and Economic Development Specialist, Lake Superior Community Partnership
• Tyra Jonas – Social Media Business Strategist, Lakeshore Collective
• Michelle King – City Manager, Flushing
• Jessica Manley – Deputy Manager, Lake Isabella
• Krashawn Martin – Director of Parks & Recreation, Wyoming
• Sarah Mistretta – Assistant City Manager/Finance Director, Fraser
• Karen Mondora – Director of Public Service, Farmington Hills
• Colleen Niedzwiecki – Human Resource Manager, Grand Blanc Township
• Tara Peltoma – Clerk/Treasurer, Crystal Falls
• Jennifer Rosser-Nesbit, Village Clerk, St. Charles
• Jessica Schisser – City Clerk, Manton
• Meg Schubert – Assistant to the City Manager, Troy
• Megan C. Sellers – Operations Supervisor, Oakland County Board of Commissioners
• LaTarro Traylor – Project Manager, Detroit Police Department
• Shontae Williams, Deputy Finance Director, Plymouth
• Rachel Witherspoon – Management Assistant, Milford
• Mary Worland – Assistant to the Township Manager, Delta Charter Township

The training brings together lectures, panels, and interactive experiences. Participants explore multiple topics, including municipal budgeting and finance, economic development, council-manager relations, and interviewing and negotiating. The training also involves dialogue with experts and veterans in the field of municipal management; executive coaching; and participating in a mock interview experience with immediate feedback from seasoned managers. This year’s training sessions were a hybrid of virtual and in-person events.

This complimentary program is open to Michigan women with a demonstrated interest in serving as local government chief administrative officials. To learn more, including about upcoming trainings, go to http://1650project.org/ and http://1650project.org/womens-municipal-leadership-program/.

Photos of the graduates getting their certificates will soon be posted online here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAxNaR.

For additional information, contact the League’s Matt Bach, assistant director of communications and media, at (810) 874-1073 (cell) and [email protected].

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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