I am pleased and humbled to greet you today as the newly appointed Interim Executive Director for the department. I, like you, am shocked at how this all happened. But, I thank the Commission for having the faith to allow me to step into a role that I have desired for several years. I am looking forward to working with each of you, and appreciate the warm welcomes received thus far. I am also very eager to continue the momentum set forth by Director White.
The Personnel Committee of the Commission has yet to establish their procedure for selecting the permanent director. I, once again, will be a candidate. In the interim (pun intended), I would like to continue looking at our policies and processes.
If selected as your permanent director, I, too, intend to have individual meetings with everyone in the department, so I can personally hear your thoughts, and learn about what you do and your vital role in serving the public. In the meantime, I know that I will still have the pleasure of meeting several of you, and will use those opportunities to learn more about your work and the department. One of those initial opportunities will be to discuss the concerns (and plans) about returning to the office this summer.
But, above all, please know that I am proud to work with a group of people who are passionate about the enforcement of Michigan's civil rights laws, and spend at least 1/3 of their waking hours engaged in the struggle. Given today's environment, it's obvious that there is still a lot of work to do. I am glad that we are in the forefront and helping to lead the way!
Finally, I also want to share information about the following promotions that have recently occurred within our department . Please know that we will continue to evaluate the organization and structuring of our department and share news with you as it is available.
Internal Promotions:
Please join me in congratulating JJ and Valerie on their new positions within MDCR.
John
