Gov. Rick Snyder has appointed Hilmer Kenty, of Detroit; Jeff Styers, of Northville, and Jason Hanselman, of DeWitt, to the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission. Dr. Stuart Kirschenbaum, of Franklin, has also been named to a new non-voting position of adviser to the governor on boxing issues.
Housed within the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, the 11-member commission regulates professional boxing and mixed martial arts events.
?I thank these appointees for their willingness to serve on the commission to represent unarmed combat sports in Michigan,? said Snyder.
Kenty replaces Douglas Maskin and will represent people with experience in boxing on the commission. He is a former boxing champion, having won the 1980 WBA Lightweight title. He turned pro in 1977 after getting his start at Detroit?s famed Kronk Gym, where he was a teammate of Tommy ?The Hitman? Hearns. The duo earned the nickname the ?Motor City Cobras? and were trained by legendary Emanuel Steward. Kenty is now an account engagement manager at Strategic Staffing Solutions in Detroit.
Styers will also represent people with experience in boxing and replaces Charles McNinch. He is a former professional and amateur boxer with 112 bouts under his belt. Styers is currently the president and CEO of Arrow Strategies, a staffing company he founded in 2002. It has been recognized as the third-largest Native American-owned company in southeast Michigan by Crain?s Detroit Business. He previously worked at several other staffing companies, including serving as president at Computer and Engineering Services Inc. in Rochester Hills, president at NuTechs, Inc. in Bloomfield Hills, and as senior vice president for the Midwest region at AJILON. Styers is a former U.S. Marine, and has a degree in business management from the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Hanselman will represent the general public and replaces Charles Zurawski. He is an attorney and member of the Lansing-based Dykema law firm, where he practices in the areas of government policy, administrative and regulatory law. He previously worked in the Michigan Supreme Court, the State Court Administrative Office, the federal Internal Revenue Service, and in the Michigan House of Representatives. Hanselman has a bachelor?s in public administration from Michigan State University and a degree from the University of Miami School of Law. He was admitted to the state bar in 2000.
Appointees will serve four-year terms that expire June 5, 2017, and their appointments are subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
Kirschenbaum will serve as an adviser to the governor on boxing issues and is not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate in his non-voting role of boxing commissioner emeritus. He previously served as Michigan boxing commissioner from 1981-1992, and has been a longtime proponent of the sport in the state. Kirschenbaum is often referred to as the ?Patron Saint of Detroit Boxing,? and was instrumental in getting the famous monument to Joe Louis, ?The Fist,? located in the city. Kirschenbaum is a podiatrist in private practice.
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