2015 2016 CANDIDATE BIOGRAPHIES CANDIDATES FOR OFFICER POSITIONS CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT-ELECT Jehan Crump Gibson I am seeking the position of President Elect for the 2015 2016 Bar Year. The WBA/WBF played pivotal roles in my life as a law student and continue to progressively augment my career today. As such, I am dedicated to the organizations missions. Ensuring that the unique needs of the African American legal community are being met and that the community at large is served are principal goals of mine. Having served as Treasurer, Secretary and Chair of the Finance, Membership and Community Outreach committees in the past, I am distinctly familiar with the organizations operations. Additionally, I bring a unique set of skills, given my various leadership roles. I am the Founder and Managing Member of my law practice. Accordingly, I am uniquely familiar with small business operations, which will help aid in the success of both organizations. My active status with public service organizations will also be beneficial in leveraging relationships and resources for the WBA/ WBF. I am a member of the State Bar of Michigan Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee and Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, Vice President of A2IM nonprofit organization, Mentor with Women of Tomorrow Mentor & Scholarship Program and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. CANDIDATE FOR TREASURER Alex Simpson Alex Simpson is an associate in Bodman, PLC s Enterprise Procurement Practice Group. Alex currently serves as the Secretary for the WBA/WBF s Board of Directors. Alex wishes to serve as the Treasurer so that he may continue to contribute to the success of the WBA and WBF. CANDIDATE FOR SECRETARY Jerome Crawford Jerome Crawford is an Associate Attorney at Dickinson Wright PLLC. His practice focuses primarily on the areas of Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property (Copyright and Trademark Law), Corporate, and Entertainment/Sports Law. Jerome spent his entire educational tenure in the state of Michigan, attending Renaissance High School and Michigan State University for both undergrad and law school. During law school, he served in numerous roles including: Vice President of the Black Law Students Association for two years; Director of Entertainment for the Sports and Entertainment Law Society; and Executive Director of the trial side of Moot Court and Trial Advocacy Board. In addition to his practice, Jerome is former Associate of Oakland County Bar
Association s Inns of Court, a member of the Executive Council of the State Bar of Michigan Young Lawyers Section, serves on the Board of Directors for both the Wolverine Bar Association and the MSU College of Law Alumni Association. Since 2014, Jerome has served as a member of the State Bar of Michigan s Character and Fitness Committee for District I as well. He is a member of the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division s Scholars Program and on the Executive Council for the Arts, Communication, Entertainment, and Sports section of the State Bar of Michigan. He is also Treasurer for Greater Loving Word Church International. CANDIDATES FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS (Vote for 9) Tiffany Boyd Tiffany Boyd currently serves as a Board of Director. She also recently served as cochair of the Barristers Ball (2015 Barristers Ball) and Summer Clerkship Program committees. Nikkiya Branch My name is Nikkiya Branch and I am a senior associate attorney at Perkins Law Group PLLC, a boutique firm in Detroit. I currently serve as a board member for the Wolverine Bar Association and as the chair for the Mentorship Committee. It has always been my desire to make a huge dent in the legal field and one of my ways to accomplish that goal is to give back in any way I can to younger and future lawyers so that I can help them prepare to be the best attorneys they can be. It is with this passion that I volunteered as a coach for the MLK Advocates for Justice program. It is with this passion that I work to ensure that future attorneys are paired with practicing attorneys so that they have a mentor that they can go to for help to get through the nuances of their career path. It is with this passion that I desire to continue the work I have started as a board member for the Wolverine Bar Association. Daimeon Cotton Daimeon Cotton currently serves on the Board of Directors and as Assistant Treasurer for the Wolverine Bar Association. He is running for office again particularly because he wants to continue assisting the organization in fulfilling its goals of equality and community dedication. As Managing Attorney at Cotton Law Center, PLLC, Daimeon practices in the areas of employment law and Alternative Dispute Resolution. Erin Hendrix My name is Erin Hendrix and I m interested in becoming a Director for the Wolverine Bar Association (WBA). I am a graduate of the University of Michigan (B.A. 2004) and the George Washington University Law School (J.D. 2009). I recently moved back to Michigan to join the United States Attorney s Office as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. Before the USAO, I worked for Morgan Lewis & Bockius, LLP as a labor and employment associate in Chicago, Illinois. I would like to serve as Director for the WBA because I am passionate about the Organization s mission and legacy and I believe that I can contribute to the Organization in a meaningful way. While
in Chicago, I served as a member of Holy Trinity High School s Advisory Board, Just The Beginning Foundation, and the Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights. I have experience with program planning, board membership, civic engagement, and community service. I would relish the opportunity to put my skill set to work for the WBA. Diane Hutcherson Diane Hutcherson received a dual B.A. degree in Political Science and English in 1982 from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. She received her juris doctor (J.D.) degree from Wayne State University in 1986. She is currently an associate attorney with Hom, Killeen, Arene, Hoehn & Bachrach, the in house counsel firm for AAA/Michigan. Her duties are in the litigation division where she handles first and third party No Fault claims from lawsuit initiation to conclusion. Prior to working for Hom Killeen, Ms. Hutcherson worked as a trial attorney in the public sector, specifically for the cities of Highland Park and Detroit and for the Legal Aid and Defender Association of Detroit. She is a Past President of the Wolverine Bar Association and serves on the Board of Directors for the Wayne State Law School Alumni Association. She has tutored law students in the area of civil procedure on a continuing basis since 1987 as well as law school graduates for the Wolverine Bar/Straker Association Minority Bar Passage Program. She is a member of the Client Protection Fund and Lawyer Referral committees of the State Bar of Michigan. She has chaired the Barristers Ball for the last couple of years. Eric M. Mathis Eric M. Mathis currently serves as a Board of Directors member for the Wolverine Bar Association ( WBA ) and the Wolverine Bar Foundation ( WBF ). He also currently serves Co-Chair of the Finance and Communication Committees. He served on the Board of the WBA and the WBF as Treasurer, Secretary and Director since 2008. As the 2009-2010 Treasurer for the WBA and WBF, he was charged with ensuring the financial stability of the organization. If elected a Director, I plan to continue to assist the Board with its efforts to maintain efficient and effective budgeting and spending practices. Brandy McMillion My name is Brandy McMillion and I m interested in becoming a Director for the Wolverine Bar Association. I am a graduate of the University of Michigan (B.S.E. 2001, M.S.E. 2002) and the George Washington University Law School (J.D. 2006). I recently relocated back to Michigan and began serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. Prior to becoming a federal prosecutor, I was a litigation associate in private practice in Chicago for seven years. I also practiced locally in Detroit for one year after graduating from law school. I would like to serve as Director for WBA because I am passionate about the ideals and objectives of this organization. WBA is where I got my start. I was a part of the WBA summer clerkship program in 2004; the bar passage program in 2006 and served on both of those committees during my legal tenure in Detroit in 2007. While in Chicago, I have over 5 years of service on the boards of various minority legal organizations. I would like to bring that knowledge and experience back here to the WBA. I have extensive experience with program planning, board membership, fundraising and community service that qualify me for this position and I am ready to work for the WBA.
Hon. Craig Strong Judge Craig Strong is a former President of the Wolverine Bar Association (WBA); and the Association of Black Judges of Michigan (ABJM); Director of Region 6 and chairperson of the Judicial Council of the National Bar Association (NBA). He is a retired commander of the U.S. Navy Reserve, where he was a judge conducting special courts marshal. As the longest serving board member, he believes WBA is well run and is valuable in the professional development of its members. All the programs sponsored and developed by the WBA benefit our profession and enhance our community. He wishes to increase membership, public exposure and continue with the high quality seminars and panel discussions offered by the Wolverine Bar Association. He looks forward to again being of service. Ronda L. Tate Ronda L. Tate is the current Immediate Past President of the Wolverine Bar Association and Wolverine Bar Foundation. She joined both executive boards in 2009 to give back to the organizations that provided her with numerous opportunities as a law student. During her presidency, Ronda focused on engaging in pipeline programming for our youth and implementing fiscally sound operations. Her tenure resulted in a 93% reduction of organizational expenses and 65% increase in revenue. The WBA also held multiple programs for middle school students. Ronda looks forward to continuing these efforts in the 2015 16 bar year. As a member of the Litigation Group at Lewis & Munday, P.C., Ronda specializes in labor, employment, and appellate law. She regularly serves as faculty for ICLE s Annual Labor & Employment Institute and she sits on the ICLE Labor and Employment Advisory Board. Additionally, Ronda is a member of the State Bar of Michigan s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee. Macie Tuiasosopo Macie Tuiasosopo is a local attorney from Los Angeles, CA. Prior to law school, Macie was a middle school English teacher. As an associate for Adam Shakoor & Associates, P.C., she practices Probate Law and represents incapacitated individuals, elders and children. Beyond the law, Macie focuses on community engagement and social justice. As President of the ACLU Metro Detroit, she addresses civil rights issues that plague the Detroit community ranging from education disparities and racial profiling to voters rights. Politically, she is an active member in the 13th Congressional District and will soon serve as Precinct Delegate for the 225th Precinct. As chair of the Social Justice Committee and Co-Chair of the Community Outreach Committee for the WBA, she has participated in organizing several key events this year, including but not limited to: (1) Gleanor s Volunteer Day, (2) Mental Health training, (3) School to Prison Pipeline Meeting, (4) Know Your rights forum and (5) Communications with NBA to assist in drafting new laws to establish training, accountability and de-escalation in the use of police force.
Kim Ward My name is Kim Ward (Corporate Counsel for Yazaki North America, Inc.) and I served as the Co Chair for the 53rd Annual Barrister s Ball in 2014. I have been an active and financial participant with the Wolverine Bar Association for 18 years, and am seeking reelection to the Board of Directors for a third term so that I may continue my commitment to increase membership and profit revenue as in keeping with my efforts last year. Jihan Williams Fellow WBA Members: You may not know me (yet!) but, for the past two years, I ve had the opportunity to serve as Bodman, PLC s SCP JEP firm representative. This small interaction with our community s aspiring diverse legal talent, and current leaders, encouraged me to do two things: (1) mentor and help those who come behind me as they start their legal careers, and (2) give back to our community by dedicating my time. It is with this second goal in mind, that I seek a position on the WBA Board of Directors for the 2015 2016 bar year. I promise to be committed to the WBA s mission, its leaders, and the Detroit legal community. If elected, WBA will get my time, energy, and 100% devotion to the role of director. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I ask for your vote to allow me to work for you.