Michigan Women’s Commission Executive Director Susy Avery, left, and Chair Brook Thompson in Muskegon
LEGAL NEWS PHOTOS BY CYNTHIA PRICE
by Cynthia Price
Legal News
The Michigan Women's Commission (MWC) has had more than one reason to reinvent itself.
First, its long-time director, Judy Karandjeff, retired at the end of 2011. Because Karandjeff had shaped the organization since 2003, it was clear that changes were in the offing.
Second, Governor Rick Snyder’s administration has been clear that the role of the MWC is not to “lobby.” Since that had been one of MWC’s general directions under the Granholm administration, significant thought had to be put into what the new direction should be.
Though there may be additional factors more difficult to determine, a third clear reason is that newly appointed commission members tend to modulate an organization’s focus based on their own perceptions of what is most pressing under the umbrella of the mission. In the case of the MWC that mission is quite broad, summarized as “improving the lives of Michigan women.”
With Act 1 of 1968, the legislature created the commission, and Governor George Romney signed it into law.
The act is not very detailed in terms of what the MWC is required to accomplish. There is a list of general items the MWC “shall” do, but there are no specifics or time frames attached, so prioritization is up to the discretion of commission and staff.
These items include “stimulating and encouraging” study about the status of women; “strengthen[ing] home life;” making recommendations on how to overcome discrimination against women; promoting effective skill development, education and training of women; surveying and creating special advisory committees “in the fields of, but not limited to, education, social services, labor laws and employment policies, law enforcement, health, new and expanded services, legal rights, family relations and volunteer services;” and recognizing women’s accomplishments.
The MWC meets quarterly and moves its venues around the state. On Monday, the meeting was in Muskegon.
It was clear from that meeting that MWC is well on the way to meeting its challenges.
Susy Avery is firmly in place as the new Executive Director. Avery’s background is in government relations and public affairs, and she has worked as Director of State Government Relations for the Wayne County Airport Authority, where she received a number of awards; Senior Government Consultant for Strategic Federal Affairs, Director of Institutional Advancement for The Henry Ford-Greenfield Village; and Director of Public Affairs for Governor John Engler, among other positions.
The commission has a strong chair in LCDR Anne K. “Brook” Thompson, a retired U.S. Navy officer, who is currently an administrative supervisor and program manager with Michigan State University's College of Education, Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education Department.
Thompson has a stellar history of community service in the area of women and the armed forces, co-founding chapters of the Woman Officers Professional Association in Norfolk, Va., and San Diego, Calif., being a member of the Ingham County Veteran Affairs Committee, and serving as Commander of the only all-female American Legion post in Michigan.
Given that, it is not surprising that one of the three top priorities MWC is working on is the issue of women veterans. The other two are women in business and human trafficking.
That prioritization was an outcome of strategic planning the MWC has done all along, and continues to update.
Several of the commission members are very recent appointees who would not have had an opportunity to participate in strategic planning yet. Gov. Snyder has appointed many of the others as well, so there is a lot of fresh thinking on the commission.
A surprising number of commissioners are attorneys, including a Judge — Hon. Susan Dobrich of Cass County — and Krista Haroutunian of Haroutunian Licata Haroutunian, a member of the State Bar Representative Assembly whose father Ed served as the assembly’s chair in 2006-2007. Donna L. Budnick is the Legislative Services Attorney for the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. Sally Shaheen Joseph is not only an attorney, but also an elected office-holder in the Flint area.
Other members include community relations and marketing directors, consultants and business owners, a director of veterans services (one of the new appointees), an educator, and the director of the Women’s Resource Center at Michigan State University.
The Muskegon meeting kicked off with a presentation by Mary Anne Gale, a former plant manager and the first female vice president at Proctor and Gamble, and author of Running for Office: Getting Yourself Elected to the Career You Really Want. Her advice included a number of reflections on work-life balance, as well as on “glass-ceiling” issues women continue to face.
The heart of the meeting featured reports from the three groups moving forward the priority focus areas.
The human trafficking subcommittee reported that their recent discussions have centered on how to wrap their arms around such a broad subject, especially one that seems to be generating a lot of activity lately. According to the chair, Jayashree Kommareddi, “The sub-committee decided to narrow the scope by focusing on ‘raising awareness of the existence of sex trafficking of children.’” Recognizing that knowledge about U.S. child sex trafficking is limited in Michigan, they hope to create a speakers’ bureau and use social media to get the word out.
Brook Thompson reported out on behalf of the subcommittee working on veterans issues. They are working on three items: first, surveying female veterans throughout the state; second, strengthening support services for women vets with substance abuse problems; and third, on supporting Veterans Courts. On the last, Thompson noted that there is some movement in the legislature, but Judge Dobrich, who is the MWC expert on the subject, was not present to give additional information.
The representative speaking on behalf of the women in business subcommittee noted that they have been proceeding based on the great number of calls the MWC receives that ask about funding. They have secured an intern to explore funding sources.
In all three instances, commissioners struggled with what constitutes lobbying. The subject came up directly in the discussion about the Veterans Courts, where it is clear the commission as a whole would like to encourage them. However, Thompson said she is being very cautious: at this time the subcommittee is merely asking for a description of the proposed law.
Staff promised they will find out more about what role MWC can take in advocacy work.
One goal the MWC has no difficulty with is recognizing women’s accomplishments; MWC partners with the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame. Elizabeth Thompson, Depart-
ment Specialist, proudly announced at the meeting that former Executive Director Judy Karandjeff would be in the class to be inducted for 2012.
The committee asks that people who know of resources for any of the priority area contact the committee. There is already a comprehensive document at the commission’s current website, http://www.michigan.gov/mdcr/0,4613,7-138-4957-282033--,00.html, listing resources for women veterans.
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