City, Tribe officials appointed to Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance board
Two prominent Mount Pleasant-area officials have been named to the Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance board of directors.
Mount Pleasant City Manager Nancy Ridley and Frank Cloutier, public relations director for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, have joined the board along with four other new members. The board consists of 46 members.
The Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance is designed to "encourage, support and celebrate regional collaboration and initiatives that will improve the economic vitality and quality of life in the Great Lakes Bay Region," according to the group's mission statement. They work closely with the Central Michigan University Research Corporation to develop business talent in both Mount Pleasant and Isabella County.
“We are excited to add an incredible slate of new members to our Board of Directors,” said Matthew Felan, President & CEO of the Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance. “Their leadership will help us move forward on our regional priorities of Talent Development through STEM Education, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Economic Development/Attraction.”
Ridley said the group expanded its reach to western Isabella County in 2012. The group originally served just Midland, Saginaw and Bay counties.
"I'm excited to be a part of the board, and to see how the alliance can help Mount Pleasant and the area in its goals," she said.
Cloutier's inclusion on the board marks a first for the Alliance and for the Tribe.
"This is the one of the first times that the Tribe has been asked to a decision making table with mid-Michigan implications," Cloutier said. "This the best of the best of the business world looking out for a regional approach, and this shows they see value in the Tribal community with implementing that regional approach, which is highly commendable."
Both Cloutier and Ridley will serve two-year terms on the Alliance board.
Other members include JoAnn Crary, president of Saginaw Future,Bob Rathbun, regional president of Chemical Bank, Jenee Velasquez, the executive director of The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation, and Rich Wells, vice president of Canada/U.S, North operations and site director for Michigan operations at Dow Chemical.
