Updates About Executive Office Announcements

Recently, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that the Department of Technology, Management, and Budget (DTMB) and the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) will be under new leadership.

Now serving as acting director for the DTMB is Kyle Guerrant, replacing Michelle Lange. Guerrant left his position as deputy state budget director to accept the new job. He previously served as deputy superintendent of finance and operations for the Michigan Department of Education, interim director of state school reform in 2018, director of the Office of School Support Services at the department as well as acting manager of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program at the Michigan Department of Community Health.

Former State Representative Terry Sabo (D-Muskegon) was promoted from deputy director to director of the MVAA following the dismissal of Brian Love. Sabo served as State Rep. from 2017 to 2022. Prior to his election he served as Muskegon County Commissioner, and Muskegon County Road Commissioner. Before entering politics, Sabo was a police officer and fire fighter for over 25 years, and also served in the Air Force. He also volunteers with the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

A few of Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s latest appointments to state boards and commissions include:

9-1-1 Committee

• Steven Berenbaum – Reappointed
• Timothy McKee Sr. – Reappointed

Certificate of Need Commission

• Patricia Anderson – Succeeds Daniel Velez

Citizen-Community Emergency Response Coordinating Council

• Jeffrey Parsons – Reappointed

Developmental Disabilities Council

• Kristen Morningstar – Succeeds Belinda Hawks

Health Information Technology Commission

• Todd Belding – Succeeds Hana Alawy
• Charles Hong – Succeeds Alison Arnold

Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee

• Rachael Prusi – Reappointed

As we prepare for the upcoming cold and flu season, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has taken steps to expand access to the COVID-19 vaccine through instructions in a recently-signed executive directive. Within the directive, Whitmer advised departments to give clear public and provider guidance on COVID-19 vaccine safety, ensure providers promote and administer the vaccines, remove barriers to access, and require coverage by all health plans under the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS), including Medicaid and private insurers.

Michigan’s Chief Medical Executive, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, also stressed the importance of vaccine accessibility in her Standing Recommendation issued shortly after the executive directive. According to the FDA’s vaccine administration guidelines, the vaccine is approved for individuals over the age of 65 and for those between age 5 and 64 with conditions that place them in a high risk category. Dr. Bagdasarian noted, however, that the FDA did not define which pre-existing conditions qualify an individual as high risk. As such, Dr. Bagdasarian’s recommendation designates that any individual age 6 months or older without contraindications may be eligible to receive the vaccine since any pre-existing or latent condition, including not previously being vaccinated against COVID-19, may qualify someone as high-risk.