Mayor William R. Wild has named five residents to complete the City of Westland Ethics Board and has made changes to the city Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Commission.
The Ethics Board consists of five members who serve three-year terms. The members are charged with issuing written opinions regarding ethical questions and are expected to engage in activities to promote ethical behavior in the city.
Named to the board were Lori Wilson, a longtime Westland resident who has served on the city planning commission for more than 20 years. Wilson is a retiree of AM General LLC where she worked for 45 years as the configuration and data manager, working under military contract in support of the Tactical Wheeled Vehicle STS Engineering Department.
She will be joined by Michael Williams, the president and CEO of Orchards Children's Services, the largest foster care and adoption agency in the state. Williams is the former mayor of Albion and has an extensive educational background, including a master's degree in guidance and counseling, has completed a program at Harvard University on strategic perspectives in non-profit management and a neighborhood builders program for leadership. Williams, a longtime city resident, has served on the Planning Commission for more than three years.
Also named to the board was Daniel Stachow, a 40-year resident of the city. Stachow retired from General Motors after 44 years of employment. He is a veteran and the president of the Wayne-Westland Veterans Parade Council. Stachow has served on both the Westland Board of Review and Compassionate City Committee.
Don Nicholson, a 45-year resident of the city, was also named to the board. Nicholson has served on the City of Westland Parks and Recreation Advisory Council and the Disability Concerns Committee, where he served as chairperson. He is the owner of Don Nicholson Enterprises, LLC. which has provided services to the Wayne-Westland communities for 25 years.
Nicholson was the Westland 2015 Business Person of the Year. He is the president of the Westland Chamber of Commerce, president of Friends of Nankin Mills, winner of the Governor's Award for Tourism Partnership 2016 and organizes Cruisin' Hines, the Wayne Road cruise.
Named to the board, too, was Deborah Thomas who has an associate's degree in business administration from Henry Ford Community College.
Thomas currently works in human resources and has served as a research analyst for the U.S. Marshal Service.
In addition to those appointments, Steven Thomas, a former alternate serving on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission, has been appointed to a three-year term.
Ebonite Guyton has also moved from serving as an alternate to serving a two-year term.
The changes were necessitated by the resignations of commissioners Elnora Ford and Fabiola Sanchez Santos.
Sheree Conn was appointed to serve as an alternate on the commission. She received her BA/MBA in general business with and has a professional background in business management and civil construction. Conn has served on the city Parks and Recreation Advisory Council and is active with the Wayne-Westland Community School District.
