DETROIT, July 25, 2013 – The Detroit Regional Chamber has announced the election of Joseph L. Welch, chairman, president and CEO of ITC Holdings Corp., as chairman of its Board of Directors for the 2013-2014 program year. Welch succeeds Nancy M. Schlichting, CEO, Henry Ford Health System, who remains on the Chamber’s Board as immediate past chair.
“I’m honored and humbled to be named chairman of this distinguished board and take great pride in the success of our region,” Welch said. “While there is a lot of work yet to do, there is great momentum under way. Like my colleagues on the Board, I’m excited to get to work positioning the Detroit region and Michigan for success.”
Most recently, Welch served as chairman of the Chamber’s 2013 Mackinac Policy Conference, the state’s premier public policy event, where approximately 1,600 top business, political and community leaders from across the state gathered to focus on creating a more globally and economically competitive Michigan. Under Welch, the Conference featured many prominent regional change-makers and national speakers including: Governor Jeb Bush, Michelle Rhee and “Morning Joe” co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. The 2013 Conference focused on cultural change, education and the 21st century global marketplace.
With the announcement, Henry “Hank” B. Cooney, president and CEO of Plunkett Cooney becomes the Chamber’s first vice chairman who will chair the 2014 Mackinac Policy Conference, which will be held from Wednesday, May 28 to Friday, May 30.
In addition to announcing the new chair and first vice chairman, the Chamber welcomes the following new directors to the Board:
Carla Bailo, Senior Vice President, Research and Development, Nissan Americas
Matthew Cullen, President and CEO, Rock Ventures, LLC
Matthew Elliott, Michigan President, Bank of America
Paul Glantz, President, Emagine Entertainment
Lydia Gutierrez, CEO, Hacienda Mexican Foods
Thomas Manganello, Partner, Warner Norcross & Judd LLP
Kenneth Marblestone, President, Ohio and Michigan, RBS Citizens
Virinder Moudgil, President and CEO, Lawrence Technological Institute
Daniel Ponder, CEO, Franco Public Relations Group
John Rakolta Jr., Chairman and CEO, Walbridge
Michael Ritchie, Executive Vice President, Comerica Bank
Andra Rush, Founder, President and CEO, Rush Group, LLC
Ramesh (Ray) Telang, Greater Michigan Market Managing Partner, PwC
Alan Young, CEO, Alan C. Young & Associates, PC
David Zilko, Vice Chairman, Garden Fresh Gourmet
“Our region certainly faces challenges, including managing our way through the bankruptcy of Detroit, but our assets and opportunities far outweigh our challenges,” said Chamber President and CEO Sandy K. Baruah. “I am pleased that many of Michigan’s top business leaders are actively supporting the Chamber’s work to drive more private sector investment and job creation.”
For a full listing of Chamber Board members, visit testportal.detroitchamber.com.
About the Detroit Regional Chamber
With over 20,000 members and affiliates, that employ over three quarters of a million workers, the Detroit Regional Chamber is one of the largest chambers of commerce in the country. The Chamber’s mission is carried out through business attraction efforts, advocacy, strategic partnerships and providing valuable benefits to members. For more information, please visit detroitchamber.com.
# # #
