WILD 2020 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Governor Gretchen Whitmer
is a lifelong Michigander. She is a lawyer, an educator, former prosecutor, State Representative and Senator. She was the first woman to lead a Senate caucus. But the most important title she boasts is MOM. Inspired by her family, she’s devoted her life to building a stronger Michigan for everyone.
Governor Whitmer was elected to the House of Representatives in 2000 and elected to the Michigan State Senate in 2006 where she served as the Senate Democratic Leader. In the 2018 gubernatorial election, Governor Whitmer won all 83 counties in the primary and won the general election with 53 percent of the vote. Since taking her oath of office, she has put together the most diverse cabinet in our state’s history and has signed executive directives to clean up our drinking water, end discrimination in state government based on sexual orientation and gender identity, secure equal pay for equal work, and expand opportunities for small and disadvantaged businesses.
Governor Whitmer is committed to solving the problems Michiganders face every day. That means ensuring every Michigander has a great public education and a path to a good-paying job, every community has clean, safe drinking water, and everyone can drive to work or drop their kids at school safely, without blowing a tire or cracking a windshield.
Governor Whitmer and her husband Marc Mallory live in Lansing with her two daughters, Sherry and Sydney. Her three stepsons, Alex, Mason, and Winston all live in Michigan as well. Governor Whitmer earned a bachelor’s degree and law degree from Michigan State University. Born and raised in Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer is honored to serve as Governor of Michigan.
REPRESENTATIVE ELISSA SLOTKIN
is a third-generation Michigander who has spent her career in national service. As a CIA analyst she served three tours in Iraq and later served presidents of both parties on the National Security Council staff before holding senior positions at the Pentagon. In 2018, she won a district that had been held by Republicans for nearly two decades. She is focused on the issues that matter most to her constituents: fighting COVID-19, making health care and prescription drugs more affordable, protecting Michigan waters and bringing civility and decency to Washington.
U.S. SENATOR DEBBIE STABENOW
Debbie Stabenow made history in 2000 when she became the first woman from Michigan elected to the United States Senate. She’s proud to be a Michigan State graduate, and she has represented our community in the State Legislature, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the U.S. Senate.
Senator Stabenow is a champion for families throughout our state and a powerful, effective voice for equality, economic opportunity, and social justice.
Senator Stabenow is a national leader of the effort to make sure people have quality, affordable health care, including mental health and addiction treatment. She’s taking on the big drug companies to lower the cost of prescription drugs, and she’s one of our greatest champions for protecting Michigan’s air, land, and water.
Senator Stabenow serves as a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee as well as Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and a senior member of the Senate Energy Committee and Budget Committee. These positions give her a powerful role to play in shaping our nation’s manufacturing, energy, health care, and agriculture policies.
MONA HANNA-ATTISHA, MD, MPH FAAP,
is founder and director of the Michigan State University and Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative, an innovative and model public health program in Flint, Michigan. A pediatrician, scientist, activist and author, Dr. Hanna-Attisha has testified three times before the United States Congress, awarded the Freedom of Expression Courage Award by PEN America, named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World, and most recently recognized as one of USA Today’s Women of the Century for her role in uncovering the Flint water crisis and leading recovery efforts. A frequent contributor to national outlets including the New York Times and Washington Post, she has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, BBC and countless other media outlets championing the cause of children in Flint and beyond. She is the founding donor of the Flint Child Health and Development Fund (flintkids.org). A Covid-19 survivor, Dr. Hanna-Attisha has donated her convalescent plasma three times while continuing to advocate for health and racial equity.
Dr. Hanna-Attisha’s widely acclaimed book What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City is a riveting, beautifully rendered account of a shameful disaster that has become a timely playbook of resistance and hope. A 2018 New York Times 100 Notable Book, it is the story of a city on the ropes that came together to fight for justice, self-determination, and the right to build a better world for their—and all of our—children.
With concentrations in environmental health and health policy, Dr. Hanna-Attisha received her bachelor’s and master's of public health degrees from the University of Michigan. She completed her medical degree from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine (MSU CHM) and her residency at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, where she was chief resident. She is currently a C. S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Human Development and at MSU CHM.
STUDENT KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Sharron Dynasty Reed-Davis
Sharron Dynasty Reed-Davis is a Senior from Detroit, MI, studying Political Science-Pre Law and Human Development and Family Studies, with a minor in Law, Justice, and Public Policy. Sharron has been involved in various organizations including, but not limited to: Akers Hall Government, Cores and Cops(Council of Racial and Ethnic Students and Council of Progressive Students), and is currently the President of the Black Students’ Alliance.
As a leader and activist Sharron has worked diligently to advocate for the rights and needs of Marginalized students, with a focus on the Black Community. Sharron has also served as a mentor to girls ages 11-17 for going on 5 years through the You Are The Gift Mentoring program at His(Helping Individuals Succeed) Agency. Sharron believes in equity and justice for marginalized and minority people, especially Black People, and plans to make that a career wherever that path may take her. #JusticeforBreonnaTaylor #BlackLivesMatter #BLM
