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LaSonia Forté, associate director of State Outreach at the University of Michigan (U of M), takes her gift of engagement and puts service above self as she leads while serving the eastern region of the State of Michigan (including Detroit, Saginaw, Bay City, Midland, and Alpena).

Forté’s role as outreach representative in the Office of Government Relations makes strides to build strategic partnerships in the business, institutional, government, education, and non-profit sectors throughout the east side of Michigan, according to her biography. The Detroit native also serves as the board president of the Washtenaw County’s Dispute Resolution Center and on the board of directors of Girls Group among other organizations.

“Bringing together like-minded people to solve community problems using the university’s vast intellectual resources is what my job is all about,” Forté said. “It is extremely gratifying to witness people sharing their perspectives, then committing to working together to solve real-world problems.”

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Alchemie co-founder and CEO Julia Winter spent 20 years teaching college-level chemistry courses at Detroit Country Day School. After implementing a successful summer school program, the award-winning educator began looking for a way to expand her face-to-face pedagogy to a more scalable digital format.

Julia and her co-founders, COO Carl Rundell and CTO Joe Engalan, started Alchemie with a mission to create innovative and intuitive digital learning technologies for students, and to make those tools accessible and affordable for students everywhere.

Alchemie’s technologies use a game-based approach to present tough science and engineering concepts in an innovative and engaging way, fusing commercial game design with content expertise to create intuitive and personalized learning experiences for students while providing real-time, data-driven insights to instructors.

From the earliest days of the company, Alchemie leveraged the tools offered by Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) to develop and commercialize its technologies and connect with the resources needed for startup success.

“When you’re coming up with an idea from scratch and you’ve never done this before it can be difficult to know where to start,” said Julia. “It was incredibly helpful to have MEDC’s resources available along the way to help us move Alchemie forward, and MEDC’s support has made a huge difference for us.”

Alchemie also utilized the Small Company Innovation Program (SCIP). Funded through the MEDC’s Michigan Corporate Relations Network (MCRN) and overseen by the University of Michigan’s Economic Growth Institute, SCIP helped Alchemie perform critical research around the efficacy of the company’s digital learning technologies. The quality and significance of the findings helped secure two peer-reviewed papers in top education journals.

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Michigan Early Stage Venture Investment Corporation Board of Directors

Dawn Batts, Ph.D., of Bloomfield, is a capital strategist for TechTown Detroit. She holds a Ph.D. in Business and Cultural Anthropology from Wayne State University, Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan, and Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from Michigan State University. Dr. Batts is appointed to represent a member of the general public with the requisite knowledge and experience in finance and business investment. She will serve for a term commencing November 10, 2021 and expiring June 13, 2024. Dr. Batts succeeds Jeb Burns whose term expired June 13, 2021.

Environmental Rules Review Committee

Melissa Stults, Ph.D., a Democrat of Ann Arbor, is the sustainability and innovations manager for the City of Ann Arbor. She holds a Ph.D. in Urban Resilience from the University of Michigan, Master of Arts in Climate and Society from Columbia University, and Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology and Environmental Sciences from the University of New England. Dr. Stults is reappointed to represent local governments for a term commencing November 10, 2021 and expiring October 4, 2025.

Environmental Permit Review Commission

Tony R. Anthony, of Novi, is the principal and co-founder of AKT Peerless Environmental Services. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Geological Sciences from the University of Michigan and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Wayne State University. Mr. Anthony is reappointed for a term commencing November 10, 2021 and expiring August 28, 2025.

Heather Dawson, Ph.D., of Holly, is an associate professor of biology at the University of Michigan-Flint and an adjunct associate professor for the Michigan State University Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. She holds a Ph.D. in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Ecology from Michigan State University, Master of Science in Ecosystems Biology from Eastern Michigan University, and Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Michigan. Dr. Dawson is appointed for a term commencing November 10, 2021 and expiring August 28, 2025. She succeeds Theodore Bornhorst whose term expired August 28, 2021.

Carol J. Miller, Ph.D., of Ann Arbor, is a professor of civil and environmental engineering Wayne State University and the director of WSU Healthy Urban Waters. She holds a Ph.D., Master of Science, and Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Michigan. Dr. Miller is appointed for a term commencing November 10, 2021 and expiring August 28, 2025. She succeeds Jeffery King whose term expired August 28, 2021.

Library of Michigan Board of Trustees

Terrence J. McDonald, Ph.D., of Ann Arbor, is the director of the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan and a professor with the Department of History. He holds a Ph.D. in History from Stanford University and Bachelor of Arts in History from Marquette University. Dr. McDonald is appointed to represent a librarian from a special library for a term commencing November 10, 2021 and expiring October 1, 2024. He succeeds Elaine Didier whose term expired October 1, 2021.

Michigan Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee

Bradley J. Uren, M.D., of Pinckney, is an associate professor of emergency medicine and an attending physician for the University of Michigan Health System. He earned is Doctor of Medicine from the University of Michigan and Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan Technological University. Dr. Uren is reappointed to represent physicians for a term commencing November 10, 2021 and expiring October 1, 2023. The Governor has designated Dr. Uren to continue serving as Chair of the Committee.

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