Paul Dorset has been an active member at St. Dunstan’s Theatre Guild of Cranbrook since 2007. He has served on multiple committees chairing props, play reading & casting, designing lights, stage managing, and was President of the Guild from 2012-13. St. Dunstan’s was founded in 1932 by the Booth family and is nestled into the landscape of Cranbrook’s grounds in Bloomfield Hills. They are a fully volunteer-supported 501(c)3 non-profit performing 4 mainstage shows each year: three in the indoor pavilion and one show in June in the 105 year-old outdoor Greek Theatre. Public performances have also served as fundraisers for local charities such as Toys For Tots and The Welcome Inn Homeless Shelter.
Carroll DeWeese, a former Birmingham City Commissioner, is an Official and Administrator for Youth, Open,College, Masters, and Para Athletics at National, International, and World Levels. "Athletics" refers to track and field, combined events, crosscountry, race walk, and all the various forms of long distance running.
Carroll is a member of the United States Track and Field Officials Hall of
Fame, along with other national and international honors. He plans to give
an overview of what he is currently doing and then looks forward to
answering questions."
Jen has held prominent roles at Crisis Text Line, including creating the volunteer curriculum & training, hiring & training the original supervision team, and serving as the voice of the community. Currently Jen is the Volunteer Experience Engagement Specialist. Bottomline: Jen is the heart of Crisis Text Line and the spine of its philosophy. Prior to her role as Founding Supervisor of Crisis Text Line, Jen created the first Chat and Text Crisis service available in Michigan.
Her areas of expertise include community engagement, as well as Public Speaking regarding crisis intervention and suicide prevention. She's able to connect with teens and young adults with her authentic approach in starting those tough conversations.
Thomas M. Markus is the City Manager for Birmingham, Michigan. He previously served as Birmingham City Manager from May 1989 through November 2010, and is currently serving a term that began on January 1, 2021 and will conclude on June 30, 2023. Markus has more than four decades of City Manager experience, serving in seven cities in five different states. He has extensive experience in land-use planning, budgeting, advancing strategic plans, project administration, community goals, infrastructure replacement and repair, and more. Markus holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Urban Studies and Business Administration/Finance from Mankato State University (now known as Minnesota State University), and a Master of Public Administration degree from Roosevelt University in Chicago.
Kady is the Founder and Executive Director of Raising Awareness with Students and a member of the Detroit Rotary Club. She is also a graduate of Michigan State University where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies specializing in Community Governance and Advocacy with a cognate in Political Science.
Lori believes so strongly in the power of community building to change lives, organizations, and the world itself that she spent 3 years researching and writing a book about it; Sounding the Drum: Community Building in the Digital Age.
She is the CEO of Kalliergo Community Building Corporation, a company she founded to fulfil her mission is to spread community consciousness around the globe.
In her talks, Lori introduces the power of Community building to make leaders of organizations more effective and successful, and to support the mental health and retention of employees. Community building (not team building – they are not the same) is relationship building and relationships form the foundation of any successful collaborative endeavour.
Don was a Research Scientist working in the rubber industry for almost 40 years, having retired in 2016.
He has been an avid birder since he was a young boy (started off on his own without assistance).
He has birded on all 7 continents and 40 countries and all 50 states.
Statistically, he has seen: 5470 species in the world (over 50% of all species), 774 species in the ABA area (815 including Hawaii) and 352 species in Michigan.
He is President of Oakland Audubon Society (has been for the last 13 years) and was a board member at Seven Ponds Nature Center (6 years). He is an ABA member and member of National Audubon. He supports Sierra Club, Greenpeace and other environmental groups.
He loves to bird and travel and is also very active in helping others learn about birding and the environment.
Tom Harvey has been a pilot since 1956. He has a passion for sailing, flying, and his family. Tom is a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association. The local chapter is based at the Oakland Pontiace Airport. The Chapter hosts flights for youth called Young Eagles.
Born and raised in Royal Oak Michigan, Reid is currently a branch manager and wealth advisor for Raymond James Financial Services. He is an active volunteer in the community and has served as board president for the Metro Detroit Youth Clubs, formerly The Boys and Girls Club, and is still a very active board member. Past President and Current treasurer for the Royal Oak Optimist Club and longest standing member of the Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce Ambassador Committee. When not in the office I love to travel the world, fish on Lake St Clair and I spend most of my mornings at my local CrossFit Gym Stars and Stripes.
Birmingham Public Schools welcomes Dr. Embekka Roberson to her new role as the BPS Superintendent. The BPS Board of Education recommended Dr. Embekka Roberson to serve as the District’s Superintendent on June 8, 2021. Roberson has been with BPS since 2008, having served as Harlan Elementary Principal from 2008 to 2017 and Groves High School Principal from 2017 to 2020. Prior to her position as superintendent, Dr. Roberson served as the Birmingham Public Schools Assistant Superintendent for Student Learning and Inclusion. She has experience at the elementary, middle and high school levels and holds a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Wayne State University.
Kathleen McBroom, a lifelong resident of Beverly Hills, is a librarian, educator, and most recently, docent at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Kathleen conducts tours - both on-site and virtual - for visitors, families, and special groups, which can range from wedding parties to corporate functions to Cub Scouts. When she's not at the museum, Kathleen teaches at Wayne State and fills in occasionally as a substitute librarian at the Baldwin Public Library.
Executive Director of the Birmingham Shopping District
Aug. 16, 2021 12:00 p.m.
Sean Kammer is the new Executive Director of the Birmingham Shopping District. Prior to this, he served as Downtown Manager of the city of Royal Oak for four years, where he won a national Main Street Forward award for his recovery and relief efforts for downtown businesses during the covid-19 pandemic. Mr. Kammer has also served as Assistant City Administrator for the City of Lathrup Village, Executive Director of its Downtown Development Authority, and had worked in the City of Flint's Mayor's Office. Mr. Kammer possesses two master's degrees in political science and public administration from Wayne State University and a graduate certificate in economic development.
Local author and professor in the MSU School of Journalism
Aug. 23, 2021 12:00 p.m.
Joe Grimm has been visiting editor in residence in the Journalism School at Michigan State University since 2008. Before that, he worked at the Detroit Free Press for 25 years. He has written or co-authored about 30 books. They include “Windjammers: Songs of the Great Lakes Sailors,” “Michigan Voices,” “The Faygo Book” and “Coney Detroit.” He has self-published books for journalism job hunters and has helped students at Michigan State publish more than 20 books. Most are in the Bias Busters series, which answers 100 common questions about different ethnic, racial, religious, gender, cultural or occupational groups.
Cathleen Russ has been the director of the West Bloomfield Township Public Library since December 2020. Prior to that, she was Director of the Troy Public Library from 2007-2020, during which she led the Library through several contentious millage campaigns. She also taught Library Administration and Management as an Adjunct Professor at Wayne State University from 2010-2014.
Cathy holds a Master of Library and Information Science from Wayne State University and a Bachelor of Arts, Honors, Communications from Loyola University Chicago. She served on the Michigan Library Association Board of Directors from 2017-2020, and was recently re-elected to another 4 year term. The Michigan Library Association honored Cathy as the Michigan Librarian of the Year in 2019.
Cathy is also the President of the Metro Detroit Book and Author Society, and has led the Village Club of Bloomfield Hills book discussion group for over 20 years.
Cynthia Tupper has been a member of the Farmington Players since 1980, when she moved back to the Midwest from New York City. Her first role was in "Guys and Dolls," dancing in the chorus as a Hot Box Girl. Since that time she has designed costumes for 75 shows, acted in 31 shows, directed 16 shows, and been on the Board of Directors for many terms. She is currently serving her 9th term as President. In real life, she is a retired fashion designer.