Adding new staff, responsibilities
Great Lakes Commission moves to new offices

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- The Great Lakes Commission is getting a new home.

The Commission, a binational agency established to promote the informed use, management and protection of Great Lakes water resources, will consolidate its operations by moving to new offices on Oct. 21, 2002.

The move, to the Eisenhower Corporate Park in Ann Arbor, Mich., will double the Commission's current office space and bring its entire professional staff together under one roof. The Commission currently maintains operations at two adjacent buildings near downtown Ann Arbor.

"The Commission has grown substantially in recent years as we've added staff to meet the needs of our state and provincial members," said Nat Robinson, chairman of the board. "This move will enhance our operating efficiency by bringing everyone together in one place and providing room to grow as we take on new projects and responsibilities."

Founded in 1955 by the Great Lakes states to "promote the orderly, integrated and comprehensive development, use and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes basin," the Commission was originally based in a few offices in the Rackham Building on the University of Michigan Central Campus. For most of the past decade it has been based in the university’s Argus I and Argus II buildings in Ann Arbor.

Great Lakes Commission
Eisenhower Corporate Park
2805 South Industrial Highway., Suite 100
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-6791
Phone: 734-971-9135
Fax: 734-971-9150
[map this address!]

In announcing the move, the Great Lakes Commission also welcomes four new members to its professional staff and the return of another.

Tom Rayburn is rejoining the Commission as a senior project manager in the Environmental Quality Program, where he will support efforts to develop Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) for Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs), as well as work on toxic spill response and Lake St. Clair restoration. Rayburn returns after nearly a year as an environmental protection specialist with the U.S. Coast Guard Ninth District in Cleveland, Ohio. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Purdue University, where he also pursued graduate studies in environmental engineering.

Anne Sturm has joined the Commission's Environmental Quality Program as a geographic information system (GIS) and data specialist. Sturm will be working on the Commission's Great Lakes and Lake St. Clair monitoring inventories and with the Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Consortium to develop a long-term monitoring program for Great Lakes coastal wetlands. Previously employed with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries as a GIS analyst, Sturm has a master's degree in environmental management from Duke University and a bachelor's degree in biology from Albion College in Albion, Mich.

Christian Guenther has joined the Commission as a program specialist overseeing computer systems support for all staff. He will also assist with maintenance and development of the Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN). He holds a bachelor's degree in English from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and most recently worked as a production and information technology manager at Economic & Planning Systems, Inc. in Sacramento, Calif.

Laura Kaminski will join the Commission in November as a program specialist in the Resource Managment Program, where she will work on the Commission's Tributary Modeling project and assist in the development of the Great Lakes Upland Testing and Evaluation for Beneficial Use Manual. Kaminski previously worked as an environmental consultant for the Traverse Group in Ann Arbor, Mich. She holds a bachelor's degree in environmental geology from the University of Michigan.

Devra Polack, former webmaster at Michigan Sea Grant, will join the Commission on a contractual basis in late October to enhance marketing efforts and web site presence for the Great Lakes Basin Program on Soil Erosion and Sediment Control. Polack will also assist with development of GLIN and associated applications. She has a master's degree in creative writing from Mills College in Oakland, Calif., and a bachelor's degree from UC San Diego.

"Commission growth over the past year has been targeted at where our services are most needed," said Mike Donahue, Commission President/CEO. "These include communications technology, environmental monitoring, decision support, policy research and advocacy."

The Great Lakes Commission, chaired by Nathaniel E. Robinson (Wisconsin), is an interstate compact agency created by state and U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence region and its residents. The Commission consists of state legislators, agency officials, and governors' appointees from its eight member states. Associate membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a "Declaration of Partnership." The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission offices are located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.