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Belle Isle Park committee members
The advisory committee consists of three representatives appointed by the governor; one representative appointed by Detroit City Council; two representatives appointed by the mayor of the city; and one representative to serve as chair jointly appointed by the governor and mayor. As outlined in the lease that provides for state management of the park, at least three members of the advisory committee must be residents of the City of Detroit. The chair of the advisory committee, along with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, will provide an annual report about the park to Detroit's mayor and City Council. View Belle Isle Park Advisory Committee Roster.
Chairperson
Michele Hodges of Grosse Pointe Park, president of the Belle Isle Conservancy since Jan. 2013, will serve as committee chair. She is a joint-appointee of the governor and the mayor. Prior to her current position as the conservancy's first president, Hodges served as president of the Troy Chamber of Commerce for 11 years, held various executive positions within the Detroit Regional Economic Partnership and was executive director of downtown development authority and business development for the City of Southfield.
Governor-appointed committee members
Vacant
Michael Curis of Grosse Pointe Shores is president of Curis Enterprises based in Detroit. He develops grocery-anchored neighborhood shopping centers in and around Detroit. He is also president of Curis Big Boys, Inc., serving in the capacity of owner and operator of Big Boy Restaurants in Metro Detroit. Curis serves or has served on the board of trustees and board of directors of various community organizations including St. John Hospital in Detroit, The Coleman A. Young Foundation and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation.
Rev. Lonnie Peek, Jr. of Detroit is the president and CEO of eBusiness Strategies. He is also senior consultant to the chancellor of Wayne County Community College and has served as director of religious studies at the college. He serves on the executive committee of the Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit and Vicinity and is also the chair of their public relations committee. In addition to serving on the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy board of directors, he also serves on the board of directors of New Detroit, Inc., Detroit Economic Growth Corporation and the Board of Visitors School of Social Work at Wayne State University. Rev. Peek is an ordained minister and serves as assistant pastor at Greater Christ Baptist Church in Detroit.
Mayor-appointed committee members
Bud Denker of Bloomfield Hills is senior vice president of Penske Corporation and executive vice president of Penske Automotive Group and Penske Performance. Denker joined the Penske enterprise after many years with several Fortune 100 companies including Eastman Kodak Company where he served as vice president of brand and marketing development. Since 2006, he has served as chairman of the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix and is also active in many Detroit-based organizations including the Downtown Detroit Partnership and The Parade Company.
Brad Dick is the deputy director for the City of Detroit's General Services Department, which is tasked with centralizing governmental support functions. In 2016, Dick led the process to update the City of Detroit’s Parks & Recreation Master Plan and is currently working as part of the team to implement the $12 million phase 1 renovation of 40 neighborhood parks. Brad’s career spans private and public service and crosses cultures. He proudly served the United States Department of State as a foreign service Recruiter after spending two years in the Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania East Africa, where he taught agriculture business programs. Brad was raised on a dairy farm in Portland, IN and is now a proud resident of East English Village. He is a committed community leader in the great City of Detroit.