On July 1, Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea began her new role as director of the Michigan Department on Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). Established by Governor Whitmer in 2023, its mission is to improve outcomes from preschool to postsecondary so anyone can ‘make it in Michigan’ with a solid education and a path to a good-paying job.
Dr. Walker-Griffea:
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- At the time of her appointment, she was president of Mott Community College in Flint. A role she held since 2014.
- She is the first MCC president to be named President Emeritus in the institution’s 100-year history, and she was its first female and first African American president.
- Her career has included roles at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland; Virginia Peninsula Community College in Hampton, Virginia; and Spokane Community College in Spokane, Washington.
- Walker-Griffea has served nationally as the president for the American Association for Women in Community Colleges and as a member of the American Association of Community Colleges Board of Directors.
- Among her many accolades, she was named 2023 CEO of the Year by the American Association of Community Colleges.
Michelle Richard has been acting director since the department was established and is now stepping into the role of deputy director of higher education. In the role as deputy director, she will oversee the department’s work to accelerate progress toward the state’s Sixty by 30 goal and support students’ success as they earn their degree or skill certificate.
Additionally, MiLEAP announced the appointment of Laura Hall as director of policy, communications, and engagement. She brings more than 15 years of communications and media experience to the department, most recently serving as the director of communications at the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services. She has her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Oakland University and began her career as a reporter at the Flint Journal.
