Updates About People

On December 2, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced new leadership in state departments and agencies for the next four years. Entering her second term as governor, she commented that new opportunities and challenges are ahead, and the appointments and promotions will build on the work of the last four years.

Dan Eichinger will serve as acting director of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). Eichinger is currently the director at the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), where he has served since 2019. He replaces Liesl Clark.

Michelle Lange will serve as director of the Department of Technology, Management, and Budget (DTMB). Lange has held leadership positions within DTMB, including chief deputy officer, director of executive direction and operations, chief of staff to the director, and the legislative department liaison. She has worked under Governor Whitmer as well as former governor Rick Snyder.

Senator Adam Hollier (D-Detroit) was chosen as the new director of the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA). He is currently serving his second term in the Michigan Senate and will term out at the end of the year. Hollier served as a volunteer firefighter before enlisting in the U.S. Army and graduating with distinction from officer candidate school, where he earned the commission of 2nd Lieutenant.

Brian Hanna was selected as executive director of the Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA). He will move from acting executive director to executive director. Hanna spent five years with the CRA as field operations, inspections, and investigations manager and served under former director Andrew Brisbo.

Brade Wieferich will assume the role of acting director of the Department of Transportation (MDOT). He is currently the chief operations officer of MDOT, overseeing their seven regions, the Bureau of Development, the Bureau of Field Services, and the Bureau of Bridges and Structures. He replaces Director Paul Ajegba, who is planning to retire from MDOT at the end of the year.

Kathy Angerer was selected as acting director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), where she is currently the deputy director. She replaces Director Gary McDowell, who is planning to retire at the end of the year.

Shannon Lott will serve as acting director of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Lott has worked for over 25 years at the DNR and most recently held the role of natural resources deputy.

In addition to new leadership across state departments, Governor Whitmer announced staff changes in the executive office. Senior Advisor Shaquila Myers will be chief of staff to Speaker-elect Joe Tate (D-Detroit). Deputy Chief of Staff Melanie Brown will serve as executive ombudsman and senior partnerships advisor at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). Chief Legal Counsel Nick Bagley will return to his position as a law professor at the University of Michigan. Maria Martinez will act as chief legal counsel while maintaining her duties as chief compliance officer.

Following the passage of Senate Concurrent Resolution 23, sponsored by Senator Adam Hollier (D-Detroit), National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol will replace the statue of former Michigan Governor Lewis Cass with former Detroit Mayor Coleman Young.

Lewis Cass served as Governor from 1813-1831. Cass supported slavery and implemented policies to support the forced removal of Native tribes. Young was the first African American mayor of Detroit who oversaw major development projects in the City of Detroit and the auto industry. He is also a veteran, serving with Tuskegee Airmen in World War II.

In 2020, Governor Gretchen Whitmer took steps to rename downtown Lansing’s Lewis Cass building to the Elliott-Larsen Building to honor Representatives Daisy Elliott and Melvin Larsen who sponsored Michigan’s landmark civil rights act.

On Monday, September 12, Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget McCormack announced that she would be retiring from the bench at the end of the year after 10 years of service.

Michigan Supreme Court justices are listed on the ballot under the non-partisan section, but they are nominated by the parties. As they serve eight-year terms, McCormack was two years into her second term, with six years remaining.

Democrat-nominated justices currently hold a 4 to 3 majority. McCormack’s retirement paves the way for Governor Gretchen Whitmer to appoint her first justice since taking office and allows Democrats to retain the majority on the court regardless of the outcome of the November election.