The Center for Michigan is a “think-and-do” tank founded by Phil Power in early 2006. A 501(c)3 tax exempt nonprofit organization, The Center’s objective is to cure our unhealthy hyper-partisan political culture and reinvigorate our broken policy apparatus by calling forth a bottom-up, common ground citizens’ agenda for Michigan’s transformation. This was developed through the Michigan’s Defining Moment public engagement project, which held small group community conversations throughout Michigan from 2007-10. Ultimately, more than 10,000 people participated, possibly making MDM the largest public engagement program in Michigan history. A copy of the report, “10,000 Voices for Michigan’s Transformation” is available on this web site.
The Center’s five-year work plan (2011-2016) work falls into three main categories:
Engage: Our interactive, small group community conversations, large town-hall-styled Action Group meetings, polling programs and other public engagement tools will provide opportunities for thousands of citizens each year to better understand state and public policy issues, deliberate those issues with fellow citizens and develop common ground positions. The Center intends to amplify and transmit citizen voices to elected leaders.
Inform: The Center will continue providing an independent, nonprofit, high quality credible public affairs journalism in an era when in-depth journalism by mainstream print and broadcast news outlets is rapidly eroding. The Center’s free, weekly newsletter – with 11,000 subscribers as of the end of 2010 – will be the major focus of our work, but we will continue our popular Michigan Truth Squad examination of political advertising and develop other vehicles to insure that an informed citizenry remains the iron core of a democratic society.
Achieve: We will serve as an independent, nonpartisan, citizen-led provider of leadership programs and coalition building for improved public policy leading to an improved environment for Michigan’s future prosperity.
Engage. Inform. Achieve. Each element combines with the others to form a virtuous circle. Each activity aggregates with and reinforces the others.
The Center believes that the Michigan political system has in large part failed to live up to its responsibilities because it has tended to be excessively partisan and largely driven by ideologies of the left and right, as well as by powerful single-interest groups. One result has been that most people, who naturally are in the middle of the road, feel disconnected and left out in the cold. The Center encourages citizen-based work to reform our broken public life and provide a common ground vision for Michigan’s best future.
Why a “think-and-do” tank? Because thinking without doing is pointless, while doing without thinking is folly.
Organization and Officers
Founded in 2006, The Center has been incorporated in Michigan as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Its officers and directors are: Philip H. Power, Chairman, President and Director; Kathleen K. Power, Vice President and Director; James S. Hilboldt, Esq., Director; Paul Hillegonds, Director; Mike Jandernoa, Director; Dr. Glenda D. Price, Director; Douglas Rothwell, Director; Dr. Marilyn Schlack, Director; S. Martin Taylor, Director. John Bebow, Executive Director. Loyal A. Eldridge III, Secretary. David S. Kruis, Treasurer.
Steering Committee
The Center has been fortunate to attract a group of distinguished Michigan citizens to serve on its Steering Committee. They include:
- Richard T. Cole, Chair, Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Retailing, Michigan State University
- Paul Courant, former Provost; University of Michigan Librarian
- Paul Dimond, Of Counsel, Miller Canfield
- Elisabeth Gerber, Professor, Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan
- Larry Good, Chairman, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce
- Paul Hillegonds, Senior Vice President, DTE Energy; former President, Detroit Renaissance, and former Speaker, Michigan House of Representatives
- Mike Jandernoa, managing partner, Bridge Street Capitol.
- Jack Lessenberry, Professor of Journalism, Wayne State University, and Senior Political Analyst, radio station WUOM
- Tom Lewand, Partner, Bodman LLP
- William G. Milliken, Former Governor of Michigan
- Mark Murray, President, CEO, Meijer Stores, Inc. and former president of Grand Valley State University.
- Bill Parfet, Chairman and CEO of MPI Research
- Milt Rohwer, President Emeritus, The Frey Foundation.
- Doug Ross, former State Senator and Director of the Michigan Department of Commerce.
- Doug Rothwell, President, Business Leaders for Michigan
- Craig Ruff, Senior Policy Fellow, Public Sector Consultants
- John A. (“Joe”) Schwarz, Former member of Congress and former Michigan State Senator
- Jan Urban-Lurain, President, Spectra Data and Research, Inc., and Senior Advisor, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce
- Cynthia Wilbanks, Vice President for State Relations, University of Michigan
