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with Its Vision
| When the Institute opened its doors four years ago, our long-range vision was to tame sprawl, protect natural resources, and build a new kind of economy that strengthens communities. We hit on a successful approach that includes organizing at the grass roots, conducting investigative research, communicating technical issues in understandable language, and responsibly serving our members and supporters.
To accomplish our broad mission of improving land use policy, we needed to build our capacity to get the work done. In a year of exceptional accomplishments, one of our most important tasks was assembling a team of talented writers, editors, and organizers. We were fortunate to find five new staff members to enhance our efforts on your behalf. They are: |
|
 Patty Cantrell |
Patty Cantrell, a journalist and economist, who joined the Institute as an economic analyst. She manages the Public Trust Alliance, a statewide project to counteract the "private property rights" movement. Interested in economic justice, she has a B.A. in Economics and a Master's in Business Administration, and is a Fulbright Scholar. Patty's work experience includes researching for the Rocky Mountain Institute, reporting for the Springfield News-Leader, and freelancing for Ms. Magazine. Her co-workers were impressed by how Patty found all the best places in the area for great music and swing dancing within weeks of arriving in Benzonia from Missouri. |
 Deb Negri-Jackson |
Deb Negri-Jackson, our new administrative assistant, was one of the Institute's first members, drawn in from the oil and gas drilling debate. She now manages the office database, responds to member inquiries, and helps with mailings and building membership. With a B.A. in Applied Liberal Studies, she worked for the Michigan Department of Social Services and the state Department of Corrections. Deb lives near Bear Lake with her husband Dave. She happily volunteers to walk Ellie Mae, the Institute's resident hound dog, on trips to the post office. |
 Aimé Merizon |
Aimé Merizon is our associate editor, assisting with the editorial, design, and production of the Institute's publications and Web site. Aimé, who holds a B.A. in Psychology, worked previously as a project editor for Harcourt Brace College Publishers in Ft. Worth, Texas. After returning home to Michigan she continued to freelance edit for Harcourt, as well as regional and national magazines. Aimé lives in Lake Ann with her husband Cary Ruble. She writes poetry, sculpts clay faces, and cares for her two adopted dogs (mama and son) that she saved from a bleak future. |
 Anne Stanton |
Anne Stanton is our outreach director. She helps recruit new members and donors, works with the media, and markets the Great Lakes Bulletin. A former journalist with a B.A. in Business and M.A. in Journalism, she worked for the Traverse City Record-Eagle, the Sacramento Bee, and the Ypsilanti Press, winning several state and national awards. She also wrote a how-to marketing book on self-publishing and served as book editor and marketer for a small publisher. She lives in Lake Ann with her husband Doug, and their children, Katie, 3, and Johnny, 7. Their favorite pursuit: making up scary stories and playing in the waves of Lake Michigan. |
 Kelly Thayer |
Kelly Thayer is the project coordinator for the Transportation and Land Use Initiative. Kelly also came from a journalism background, holding a B.A. in English and M.A. in Journalism. He freelanced for the Ann Arbor News and reported on environmental issues for the Wausau Daily Herald in Wisconsin. Before coming to the Institute, he and his wife Carolyn served in the U.S. Peace Corps in Tanzania, Africa, planting 35,000 tree seedlings and establishing gardens. They love to ski, hike, bike, swim, canoe, and gaze at the stars. |
