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Members

Members appointed to the Task Force have been charged with identifying root causes of gun violence, compiling and reporting relevant data, maximizing existing resources, soliciting perspectives from diverse community partners and recommending policies to save lives across the state.

Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian

Chief Medical Executive for the State of Michigan, will serve as an ex officio member and Chair of the Task Force.

Moses Bingham, Flint

The director of strategic initiatives at the Community Foundation of Greater Flint.

Shawn Borowicz, Saint Ignace 

A member of the Sault tribe of Chippewa Indians Board of directors. Borowicz is licensed to practice as a Paramedic and Firefighter.

Dr. Daveda Colbert, Farmington Hills

The superintendent of Wayne Regional Education Service Agency.

Richard Fuller, Mattawan

Currently serving his fourth term as the elected sheriff of Kalamazoo County.

Danielle Hagaman-Clark, Brighton

The Criminal Bureau Chief at the Department of Attorney General.

Alia Harvey-Quinn, Detroit

The founder of FORCE Detroit.

Marianne Huff, Holland

The President and CEO of Mental Health Association in Michigan.

Michael McKissic, Lansing

The owner and project manager of McKissic Construction.

Kym Worthy, Detroit

The Wayne County prosecutor at the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.

Dr. April Zeoli, Ann Arbor

An associate professor at the University of Michigan and was previously a professor at Michigan State University.

Advisors

Dylan Morris, Lake Orion

Serves as an advisor to the Task Force. Morris is a gun violence prevention advocate and a student at Harvard College.

Buzz Thomas, Detroit

Serves as a senior advisor to the Task Force. He has spent 14 years in the Michigan Legislature, and served as the Democratic floor leader in the Michigan Senate and the Democratic leader in the Michigan House of Representatives.

Other ex officio members

Other ex officio members of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force include:  

  • Dr. Juli Liebler, the designee from the Michigan Department of State Police.
  • Jennifer DeLaCruz, Director of the Office of Community Violence Intervention within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).
  • Nina Bowser, Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Control within MDHHS.
  • Katherine Commey, Behavioral and Physical Health and Aging Services Administration within MDHHS.
  • Gail Krieger, Division of Victim Services within MDHHS. 
  • Nancy Becker Bennett (Interim), the Michigan State Police’s designated representative from within the Office of School Safety. 
  • Aimee Alaniz, the superintendent’s designated representative from the Michigan Department of Education. 
  • Emily Laidlaw, the director’s designated representative from the Department of Lifelong Learning, Education, and Advancement. 
  • Anthony Lewis, the director’s designated representative from the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.  
  • Jonathan Garvey, the Director’s designated representative from the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. 
Members graphic

Admin Staff Support

Jared Welehodsky, State Assistant Administrator, the Office of the Chief Medical Executive

Staff of University of Michigan Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention, who provide administrative, research, and programmatic support for the Task Force:

  • Marie-Elena Bitar
  • Michael Holtz
  • Jessica Roche
  • Emily Torres
  • Cindi Thronson
  • Mildred Wallace

Acknowledgement

This work was supported, in part, by general state funds awarded to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Office of Community Violence Intervention Services, and the Joyce Foundation. The Joyce Foundation is a nonpartisan, private foundation that invests in evidence-informed public policies and strategies to reduce gun violence and help make communities safer.