Updates About Executive Office Announcements

On April 28, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced staffing updates to the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, & Energy (EGLE), as well as other executive office staff updates.

Aaron Keatley, who served as chief deputy director at EGLE, was selected to become the acting director of the department. Keatley was previously responsible for managing and coordinating Michigan’s environmental programs. Keatley will hold the position as acting director until Whitmer announces a permanent placement in the coming weeks. This comes after former director Dan Eichinger announced he was taking a new opportunity outside of the department.

In the executive office, a handful of individuals have new positions:

• Emily Paski is joining the governor’s legal team as the Tribal Liaison and Associate Counsel
• Dan Osher will join the legal team as Deputy Legal Counsel
• Alex Thibodeau will serve as the Director of Appointments
• Nate Engle was promoted to Director of the Office of Community Engagement
• Amanda Youssef was promoted to Director of Constituent Services

The Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities, which was established in April 2020 and created per Executive Order 2020-55, released its final report.

The report, which details efforts by the task force to respond to the disproportionate pandemic surges within disadvantaged communities, outlines investments and approaches made to improve health equity during the pandemic. It also discusses additional recommendations that the state can adopt moving forward to continue to improve health equity in Michigan.

Notable data in the report revealed that Michigan exceeded the national net drop in death rates of Black Americans. Black Michiganders fell from 15 deaths per 10,000 to 6.1 deaths in 2022. National averages revealed Black Americans saw 8.9 deaths per 10,000.

The full report can be found here.

On February 13, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, alongside Ford’s Executive Chair Bill Ford and CEO Jim Farley, announced Ford’s $3.5 billion investment into the state to build an electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility. This help contribute to Ford’s goal to produce two million electric vehicles annually by 2026.

Located in Marshall, the 2.5 million square foot plant is expected to create 2,500 jobs in the region. These jobs are estimated to create more than $29.7 billion in new personal income over the span of twenty years with the help of expected spin-off investment and redevelopment opportunities.

The Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) approved $210 million for the Critical Industry Program, $772 million for the MSF Designated Renaissance Zone, and $36 million for the Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance.