Michigan Civil Rights Commission Votes to Delay Decision on Next E.D. for the Michigan Department of Civil Rights

March 10, 2020

DETROIT--At a special meeting in Detroit on Monday, March 9, the Michigan Civil Rights Commission voted to delay until their March 23 meeting a vote on which of two candidates will serve as the next Executive Director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.

At the March 9 meeting, two finalists interviewed for the position: Harvey Hollins III, Principal and Founder of Hollins Consulting LLC; and Conrad Mallett, Jr., Chief Administrative Officer of the Detroit Medical Center. Both candidates had been selected at the Commission’s Feb. 29 special meeting in Detroit.

Commissioners cited a number of reasons for deciding on the delay, including:

• To allow the Commission’s counsel time to research possible legal conflicts regarding the candidates’ service on boards,
• To determine when a candidate would need to resign any board positions that create a conflict in order to accept the E.D. position,
• To determine if the salary range is negotiable,
• To provide additional time for the Commission to check the candidates’ references,
• To allow the Attorney General’s Office to opine on the status of pending/ongoing investigations.

The March 23 Commission meeting will be held at 3 pm in the Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation, 1530 Madison Ave SE, Grand Rapids 49507. The Commission will announce and post to the Department’s website a detailed agenda during the week before the meeting.

The Michigan Civil Rights Commission was created by the Michigan Constitution to safeguard constitutional and legal guarantees against discrimination. The Commission is charged with investigating alleged discrimination against any person because of religion, race, color or national origin, sex, age, marital status, height, weight, arrest record, and physical and mental disability. The Michigan Department of Civil Rights serves as the operational arm of the Commission.

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