U.P. represented on state board

LANSING, Mich. – Gov. Rick Snyder today announced 16 appointments to the Michigan Council for Rehabilitation Services and seven to the Commission for Blind Persons, both redesigned by Executive Order 2012-10.

Housed within the Michigan Department of Human Services, the 17-member Michigan Council for Rehabilitation Services reviews and evaluates Michigan’s rehabilitation programs and services, and advises the department director and governor. This is in partnership with Michigan Rehabilitation Services and the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs’ Bureau of Services for Blind Persons. Sixteen of the 17 members are appointed by the governor and one appointment is made by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The seven-member Commission for Blind Persons, housed within LARA, advises the department director and governor on the coordination and administration of programs and policies concerning the state’s blind community.

“These individuals bring vital experiences to their posts, and I am confident they will effectively work to ensure Michiganders with disabilities have access to the resources and opportunities they need to achieve independence and employment,” said Snyder.

Michigan Council for Rehabilitation Services appointees:

Sheila Ashcraft, of Pontiac, is retired after working more than 30 years in the consulting, legal and newspaper industries. She is a member of the Statewide Independent Living Council, and will represent that council for a term that expires Dec. 31, 2013.

Carol Bergquist, of Escanaba, is director of vocational rehabilitation services for the Hannahville Indian Community. She will represent the director of a project carried out under Section 121 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, providing vocational rehabilitation services grants to the governing bodies of an Indian tribe or to a consortium of tribal governing bodies for a term that expires Dec. 31, 2014.

Mark Eastburg, of Grand Rapids, is president and CEO of Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services in Grand Rapids. He will represent business, industry or labor for a term that expires Dec. 31, 2014.

Trina Edmondson, of Wyoming, is the veteran support coordinator for the Disability Advocates of Kent County. She will represent disability advocacy groups for a term that expires Dec. 31, 2013.

Mary Ann Greenawalt, of Bloomfield Hills, is owner and president of B&B Specialty Foods Inc. She has worked with United Cerebral Palsy on local and national levels, and currently serves as the Metropolitan Detroit chapter’s treasurer. Greenawalt will represent disability advocacy groups for a term that expires Dec. 31, 2013.

Caryn Pack Ivey, of Detroit, is the Region One project director for the Michigan Alliance for Families’ Parent Training and Information Center. She will represent parent training and information centers established under Section 671 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for a term that expires Dec. 31, 2014.

Adam Kaplan, of Huntington Woods, is founder and CEO of Southfield-based Big Tent Jobs LLC, a recruiting company that matches ready-to-work citizens with disabilities with leading companies. He will represent business, industry or labor for a term that expires Dec. 31, 2015.

Albert Kresta, of Ann Arbor, is president and CEO of Ann Arbor-based Ave Maria Communications. He will represent business, industry or labor for a term that expires Dec. 31, 2013.

Deanna Middlebrooks, of Detroit, is an independent contractor and counselor with Royal Oak-based Krans Integrative Cognitive Rehabilitation Services. She will represent vocational rehabilitation counselors for a term that expires Dec. 31, 2013.

David Nicholson, of Grosse Pointe Farms, is vice president of PVS Chemicals Inc. He will represent the Governor’s Talent Investment Board for a term that expires Dec. 31, 2015.

Michael Poyma, of Williamston, is the employment coordinator for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Division in East Lansing. He will represent disability advocacy groups for a term that expires Dec. 31, 2015.

Anne Riddering, of Novi, is a rehabilitation supervisor and staff occupational therapist at Henry Ford Health System’s Center for Vision Rehabilitation and Research. She will represent business, industry or labor for a term that expires Dec. 31, 2015.

Brian Sabourin, of Midland, is the employment team director for Michigan Protection and Advocacy Services Inc. He will represent the client assistance program described under Section 112 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 for a term that expires Dec. 31, 2015.

Dennis Stanford, of Ypsilanti, previously served as a U.S. Census Bureau field operations supervisor. He is a disabled military veteran. Stanford will represent disability advocacy groups for a term that expires Dec. 31, 2013.

Mitch Tomlinson, of East Lansing, is president and CEO of Peckham Inc., where he has worked for 36 years. He will represent community rehabilitation program service providers for a term that expires Dec. 31, 2014.

Matthew Weaver, of Caledonia, has been a Michigan Rehabilitation Services client for five years. He is a founding member of the National Society of Leadership and Success, Davenport University chapter and serves as a Michigan Disability Sports Alliance board member. Weaver will represent current or former applicants for, or recipients of, vocational rehabilitation services for a term that expires Dec. 31, 2014.

Appointments are not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.

Commission for Blind Persons appointees:

LeeAnn Buckingham, of DeWitt, is owner and president of Okemos-based Framer’s Edge, a small business she opened in 1998. She began losing her vision in 2001. Although now legally blind, Buckingham continues to manage business operations.

Marianne Dunn, of Grand Rapids, is a clinical psychologist and owner of an independent practice, where she has worked since 1993. She has two blind children, and serves as a Michigan Parents of Children with Visual Impairments board member.

Gary Gaynor, of Livonia, is founder and president of the Visually Impaired Information Center Inc., which publishes the only comprehensive directory of services for the visually impaired in the state. Gaynor is legally blind.

Michael Hudson, of East Lansing, is director of Michigan State University’s Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities, where he provides programs and services for more than 1,200 students, faculty and staff with disabilities. Hudson is legally blind.

Lylas Mogk, of Grosse Pointe, is director of the Henry Ford Center for Vision Rehabilitation and Research, a position she has held since 1997. Mogk serves as a National Accreditation Council for Blind and Low Vision Services board member and is former chair of the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Vision Rehabilitation Committee.

Josie Barnes Parker, of Ann Arbor, is director of the Ann Arbor District Library and Washtenaw Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled. Under her leadership, the Ann Arbor District Library and Washtenaw Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled have received local and national recognition for adopting new technologies which provide special services to a broader population, including K-12 students.

Joseph Sibley, of Wyoming, is owner of Sibley Media Services LLC, where he transcribes documents to Braille, large print or audio for the blind or visually impaired. He is serving his second term as president of the Michigan Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Michigan affiliate of the American Council of the Blind. Sibley is legally blind.

Appointees will serve a term at the pleasure of the governor, and their appointments are not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.