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Michigan Advisory Council on Environmental Justice

Michigan Advisory Council on Environmental Justice (MAC-EJ)
Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy

Michigan Advisory Council on Environmental Justice

The Michigan Advisory Council on Environmental Justice (MAC-EJ) is the state’s first Environmental Justice advisory council. Members represent an intentional combination of frontline activists, advocacy organizations, academia, tribal representation, local governments, business and industry, public health, and labor. The MAC-EJ is an advisory body for Environmental Justice actions spearheaded by the Interagency Environmental Justice Response Team and the Office of Environmental Justice Public Advocate. Launching in the midst of an emerging pandemic, the MAC-EJ worked diligently to advocate for immediate relief to frontline communities while simultaneously supporting development of long-term, sustainable Environmental Justice solutions.

Governor Whitmer announces the creation of the MAC-EJ on January 23, 2020

Contact

Regina Strong
StrongR@Michigan.gov
517-249-0906

Members

Communities Concerned with Environmental Justice

  • Salah Ali, of Dearborn, is an active member of the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition Clean Air Council, the American Human Rights Council of Michigan, and the Engineering Society of Detroit. Ali is a global core engineer for Ford Motor Company, and he holds a master's degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Michigan.  
  • Theresa Landrum, of Detroit, is a community activist with the 48217 Community Monitoring Group and a retired master mechanic for General Motors Co. Landrum is a member of the Michigan Environmental Justice Council, the Marathon Oil Corporation Community Advisory panel, and a volunteer for Sierra Club. She is also a board member with the Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision nonprofit organization.  
  • Mona Munroe-Younis, of Flint, is the executive director of the Environmental Transformation Movement of Flint and a neighborhood planner for the Flint Planning and Development Department. Munroe-Younis holds a Master of Science in Environmental Justice and Policy from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Planning from the University of Michigan-Flint.  

Community-Based Organizations

  • Monica Lewis-Patrick, of Detroit, is the president and CEO of the We the People of Detroit non-profit organization and a former adjunct professor in the Social Justice Department at Marygrove College. Lewis-Patrick holds a master's degree in sociology and criminal justice from East Tennessee State University.  
  • Bryan Lewis, of Detroit, is the executive director of EcoWorks in Detroit. Lewis holds a master's degree in energy science, technology, and policy from Carnegie Melon University.
  • Lynn Williams, of Flint, is the community engagement officer for the Community Foundation of Greater Flint and a board member on the Richard Allen Battle Foundation. Williams holds a bachelor's degree in sociology and social work from the University of Michigan-Flint.  

Business and Industry

  • Kierra Riser, of Northville, is the Director of Implementation Strategy at Walker-Miller Energy Services. She holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan, a master's degree in alternative energy technology from Wayne State University and a master's of business administration from the University of Phoenix. 
  • Fadi Mourad, of Farmington Hills, is the director of environmental strategy at DTE Energy. Mr. Mourad is a member of the Michigan Environmental Rules Review Committee and co-chair of the Detroit Regional Chamber Energy and Environment Committee. He holds a master's degree in chemical engineering from Wayne State University.  

Environmental Organizations

  • Justin Onwenu, of Detroit, is a health communities and Environmental Justice program organizer for the Sierra Club in Detroit and a former community outreach coordinator for the Children's Environmental Health Initiative. Onwenu holds a bachelor's degree in international health and policy from Rice University.  
  • Nick Leonard, of Detroit, is the executive director of the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center (GLELC). Leonard is a board member for the Soulardarity and the Storehouse of Hope non-profit organizations that promote housing and energy justice. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School.  
  • Sylvia Orduño, of Detroit, has been a community organizer for 22 years with the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization and serves as co-chair of the Environmental Protection Agency's National Environmental Justice Advisory Council. Orduño is currently a program manager for the Greater Detroit Agency for the Blind and Visually Impaired. She holds a master's degree in sociology from the University of Michigan.  

Local Government

  • Joel Howrani Heeres, of Detroit, is the director of sustainability for the City of Detroit and a former principal supervisor for DTE Energy. Howrani Heeres holds Master of Urban Planning in Economic Development and Land Use Planning and a Master of Science in Environmental Policy and Planning from the University of Michigan.  
  • Alison Sutter, of Grand Rapids, is the sustainability and performance management officer for the City of Grand Rapids and a former environmental law attorney. Sutter earned her Juris Doctor degree from Indiana University.  

Public Health

  • Nicole Britten, of Saint Joseph, is the health officer for the Berrien County Health Department and previously served as an epidemiologist for the county. Britten is a member of the Be Healthy Berrien Steering Committee and Michigan's Great Southwest Strategic Leadership Council Health Subcommittee. She earned her Master of Public Health from Yale University.  

Academia

  • Paul Mohai, Ph.D., of Ann Arbor, is a professor and the Environmental Justice field coordinator at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability. Dr. Mohai earned his Ph.D. in Environmental Sociology and Environmental/Natural Resource Policy from Pennsylvania State University.  

Tribal

  • Whitney Gravelle, of Brimley, is the President of the Bay Mills Indian Community. She is the former tribal attorney for the Bay Mills Indian Community and the former chief judge of the Bay Mills Tribal Court. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from the Michigan State University College of Law.
  • John Petoskey, of Northport, is a member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. Petoskey is currently pursuing his Juris Doctor degree and Master of Science in Environmental Justice and Policy at the University of Michigan.  

Labor Organizations

  • Frank Houston, of Royal Oak, is the regional program manager and spokesperson for the BlueGreen Alliance and a former senior associate for Aquantum Solar. Houston is a member of the United Steelworkers. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science and history from Eastern Michigan University.  
  • Donavan McKinney, of Detroit, is the state director and political coordinator for Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Michigan. Mr. McKinney is the director of Young Minds In Transition (YMIT) School Tour and is a member of the Bridging Communities Inc. Board of Directors. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy from the University of Michigan.  

At Large

  • Keith Cooley, of Detroit, is the president and CEO of Principia, LLC, a consultancy focusing on economic competitiveness, talent creation, and a green economy. Cooley previously served as the president and CEO of NextEnergy and as the director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth. He holds a Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Michigan.