Escanaba man elected to MHC Board

LANSING— During its February 7 Board of Directors meeting in Lansing, the Michigan Humanities Council formally welcomed eight new members to its board, including Escanaba resident Kelvin Smyth.

“I look forward to again representing Upper Peninsula interests on the Humanities Council,” Smyth said. “The MHC, with great local partners, brings outstanding programs to many of our communities.”

Smyth, who served on the board from 2004-08, was one of four elected to serve by the current board, including Paul Chaffee (St. Charles), Sarah Jury (Saginaw), and Debra McKeon (Grand Haven). Four gubernatorial appointees also joined the board – Dean Bach (West Bloomfield), Jody Lynn Egen (Wyandotte), Brian Brunner (Mt. Pleasant), and Steve Wilson (Grand Rapids). The Michigan Humanities Council Board of Directors has 24 members throughout the state.

Smyth is recently retired from the NewPage Corporation coated paper mill in Escanaba. He served as the government and community affairs manager at the facility for 19 years and through three ownership changes. Prior to joining the paper mill, Smyth spent 14 years with Senator Carl Levin, six as regional director in the Upper Peninsula and the balance as state director in Detroit.

He is an active member, and past president, of the Rotary Club of Escanaba; and presently serves on the Michigan Works! Job Force Board, the board of the Community Foundation for Delta County, the Delta College Access Network, and the Escanaba Planning Commission. In addition, Smyth is past president of the William Bonifas Fine Arts Center in Escanaba.

Smyth earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, and did graduate work at Central Michigan University. He served in the U.S Army in 1970-71, including a year in the Republic of Vietnam.