2007 Alumni Celebration Recap

Michigan Works! Honors 25 Outstanding Participants

On a windy, snowy, and very, very cold afternoon, alumni, their family, their employers, their legislators, and Michigan Works! staff filed into the warm Senate Hearing Room located in the Boji Tower in downtown Lansing on Tuesday, February 6, 2007 for the annual Alumni Celebration and Reception. The hugely successful and popular event honored 25 outstanding participants of Michigan Works! programs.

Michigan Works! Association President J. Michael Zelley opened the event by welcoming all in attendance. Zelley spoke how the Alumni Celebration provides an opportunity to see firsthand how the programs run through the Michigan Works! system improves the lives of Michigan citizens each year.

Department of Labor and Economic Growth’s (DLEG) Director Bob Swanson joined Zelley in extolling the virtues of the system and how successful the partnership between DLEG and Michigan Works! continues to be.

Along with the alumni being honored, State Senator Valde Garcia was recognized with an engraved pen and clock set for all of his efforts to ensure the successful codification of the Michigan Works! system.

The following is a list of our outstanding alumni, their Michigan Works! Agency, their employer, and their legislators:

James Hunter
Area Community Services Employment and Training (ACSET) Council
Disability Connection
Sen. Bill Hardiman
Rep. Robert Dean

Cristobal Barajas
Michigan Works! Berrien-Cass-Van Buren
Lakeshore Dining
Sen. Ron Jelenik
Rep. Tonya Schuitmaker

Denise Weeks
Calhoun Intermediate School District
Glenn Valley Dentistry
Sen. Patty Birholz
Rep. Brian Calley

Annia Alvarez Nodarse
Capital Area Michigan Works!
Ledy Design
Sen. Patty Birholz
Rep. Rick Jones

Hollis Rawls
Career Alliance, Inc.
Zito Construction
Sen. John Gleason
Rep. Brenda Clack

Shanda Christiansen
Central Area Michigan Works! Consortium
Spectrum Health
Sen. Alan Cropsey
Rep. Judy Emmons
Wesley Stewart, Jr.
Detroit Workforce Development Department, A Michigan Works! Agency
Marygrove College
Sen. Irma Clark-Coleman
Rep. Virgil Smith, III

Larry Warner
Eastern Upper Peninsula Michigan Works!
Pickford Public Schools
Sen. Jason Allen
Rep. Gary McDowell

Stefain Holmes
Kalamazoo-St. Joseph Michigan Works!
Wal-Mart
Sen. Cameron Brown
Rep. Rick Shaffer

Shelly Kuehl
Michigan Works! The Job Force Board/Six County Employment Alliance
OSF St. Francis Hospital
Sen. Mike Prusi
Rep. Tom Casperson

Greg Bowling
Livingston County Michigan Works!
Cateraid
Sen. Valde Garcia
Rep. Joe Hune

Mary Trenda
Macomb/St. Clair Michigan Works!
We The People
Sen. Mike Switalski
Rep. Fred Miller

Carlos Piggee
Muskegon/Oceana Consortium
BBI Enterprises
Sen. Gerald Van Woerkom
Rep. Doug Bennett

David O. Meyers
Northeast Michigan Consortium
Northwest Hardwoods
Sen. Tony Stamas
Rep. Matthew Gillard

Dorrine Wilson
Northwest Michigan Council of Governments
Kalkaska Memorial
Sen. Michelle McManus
Rep. Howard Walker

Yvette Gage
Oakland County Michigan Works! Workforce Development Division
Reliable Personnel
Sen. Michael Bishop
Rep. Tim Melton

Maria del Carmen Martinez-Zachery
Ottawa County Michigan Works!/Community Action Agency
Telamon Corporation
Sen. Wayne Kuipers
Rep. Bill Huizenga

Timothy Fenior
Michigan Works! Region 7B Employment and Training Consortium
Vantage Plastics
Sen. Jim Barcia
Rep. Tim Moore

Rodney Klingler
Saginaw-Midland-Bay Michigan Works!
Bay Regional Medical Center
Sen. Tony Stamas
Rep. John Moolenaar

Amanda Green
South Central Michigan Works!
Coldwater Hospital
Sen. Cameron Brown
Rep. Bruce Caswell

William Koenecke
Southeast Michigan Community Alliance (SEMCA) Michigan Works!
Spartan Steel
Sen. Randy Richardville
Rep. Kate Ebli

Eugene Mauch
Thumb Area Michigan Works! Employment Training Consortium
Covenant Health
Sen. Jim Barcia
Rep. Terry Brown

Konekca Woods
Washtenaw County Michigan Works!/Employment Training and Community Services Group
University of Michigan Health System
Sen. Liz Brater
Rep. Alma Wheeler-Smith

Gilbert Houston
Michigan Works! West Central
Executive Flooring
Sen. Michelle McManus
Rep. Darwin Booher

Jorge Cruz
Western Upper Peninsula Michigan Works!
Gogebic County Sheriff Department
Sen. Mike Prusi
Rep. Mike Lahti