Michelle Richard, Acting Director at the new Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) announced three new members of the department’s leadership team.
New team members:
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- Emily Laidlaw, Deputy Director of Early Education – She previously worked in the Executive Office of the Governor, the Michigan House of Representatives, and doing advocacy work for education groups and organizations.
- Rawlan Lillard II, Deputy Director of Education Partnerships – He’s joining state government after 30 years in cooperative education and community education in the greater Flint community.
- Jessica Weare, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Legal Counsel – She previously worked as acting commissioner of the Michigan Lottery, deputy legal counsel to Governor Whitmer, and associate general counsel for Global Trade Compliance at Facebook. Additionally, she worked at the U.S. Department of State and was a judicial clerk for the Alaska Supreme Court.
MiLEAP:
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- The department was created in July 2023 through an executive order and began operations on December 1, 2023.
- The goals of the department are to add capacity in early learning, so every child is ready for kindergarten; accelerate progress towards the Sixty by 30 goal (a goal of having 60% of residents obtain a certificate or post-secondary education by 2030); and prioritize community, regional, and state partnerships that help students succeed.
- It’s comprised of three offices: the Office of Early Childhood Education, the Office of Higher Education, and the Office of Education Partnerships.
