The Center for Michigan :: A Forum for Our State's Future

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About the Center

The Center for Michigan is a "think-and-do tank" founded by Phil Power in early 2006. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, The Center's objective is to assist our state through its current period of wrenching economic trouble and to lay the foundation of informed hope for a better future Michigan. It will help develop and execute comprehensive, long-range and, in some cases, radical policy solutions to transform Michigan's business, economic, political and cultural climate. In so doing, it will work to help reform the structure and workings of Michigan's political system.

In particular, The Center is working to:

  • Encourage a globally competitive, diversified, high-productivity and high-income economy based on Michigan's talent, innovation and individual achievement.

  • Bring forth a public investment program focused on Michigan's enduring and distinctive competitive assets, in particular our research universities, our environmental assets and our talented and productive citizens. State taxing and spending practices should be aligned with these priorities.

  • Promote a government that is representative, responsive and agile, sustained by a healthy political system.

  • Facilitate a citizen culture that embraces change and is forward-looking, well-educated and entrepreneurial.


The Center believes that the Michigan political system has in large part failed to live up to its responsibilities in that it has tended to be excessively partisan and largely driven by ideologues of the left and the right and thus failed to scope adequate policy responses to our present crisis. One result has been that most people, who are naturally in the middle of the road, feel discontented and left out in the cold. The Center intends to encourage a citizen movement of people who are moderate in attitude, bi-partisan in approach and aggressive in policy orientation.

Why think-and-do? Because thinking without doing is pointless, while doing without thinking is folly.

Organization and Officers
Founded in 2006, The Center has been incorporated in Michigan as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Its officers and directors are: Philip H. Power, Chairman, President and Director; Kathleen K. Power, Vice President and Director; James S. Hilboldt, Esq., Director; Paul Hillegonds, Director; Mark Murray, Director; Dr. Glenda D. Price, Director; Douglas Rothwell, Director; Dr. Marilyn Schlack, Director; S. Martin Taylor, Director.  John Bebow, Executive Director.  Loyal A. Eldridge III, Secretary.  David S. Kruis, Treasurer. 

Steering Committee

The Center has been fortunate to attract a group of distinguished Michigan citizens to serve on its Steering Committee. They include:

  • Richard T. Cole, Chair, Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Retailing, Michigan State University

  • Paul Courant, former Provost and Professor, Ford School of Public Policy and Department of Economics, University of Michigan

  • Paul Dimond, Of Counsel, Miller Canfield

  • Elisabeth Gerber, Director, Center for Local, State and Urban Policy, and Professor, Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan

  • Larry Good, Chairman, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce

  • Paul Hillegonds, Senior Vice President, DTE Energy; former President, Detroit Renaissance, and former Speaker, Michigan House of Representatives

  • Jack Lessenberry, Professor of Journalism, Wayne State University, and Senior Political Analyst, radio station WUOM

  • William G. Milliken, Former Governor of Michigan

  • Mark Murray, President, CEO, Meijer Stores, Inc. and former president of Grand Valley State University.

  • Milt Rohwer, President, The Frey Foundation.

  • Doug Rothwell, President, Detroit Renaissance, and former CEO, Michigan Economic Development Corporation

  • Craig Ruff, Senior Policy Fellow, Public Sector Consultants

  • John A. ("Joe") Schwarz, Former member of Congress and former Michigan State Senator

  • Jan Urban-Lurain, President, Spectra Data and Research, Inc., and Senior Advisor, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce

  • Cynthia Wilbanks, Vice President for State Relations, University of Michigan

Related Posts

Aug 14, 2007
Welcome!
Welcome to The Center for Michigan! Join us to create a statewide citizen movement to help improve our economy, fix our dysfunctional politics and provide reasoned hope that things can get better for us and our children. We need all kinds of people - Republicans, Democrats, and Independents - to work together. It's no secret that [...]


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