Joan Gebhardt was appointed to the Schoolcraft Community College Board of Trustees to fill a vacancy in January 2007. She went on to win the seat in her own right the following May. Since 2007, she has been an active and supportive member of SEMCOG, was elected Vice-Chairperson in 2009, and as First Vice Chair, will become SEMCOG Chair in 2013-2014. She has served on the Education Bloc, Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Development Committee, and Membership and Legislative Task Forces. In addition Gebhardt is in her second term as a Wayne County Commissioner representing Westland, Inkster, and south Livonia in District 12. As Commissioner, she provides legislative and fiscal oversight of the county’s $2.1 billion budget. Her core career was that of a public school teacher and administrator.  She and her husband have two children and one grandchild.

Jenks has been a Commissioner in the City of Huntington Woods since 1999. He has a long career working in the public sector and was president of the Michigan Municipal League in 2010. He has been involved with SEMCOG for 30 years, serving on many committees, including the Data Center Advisory Council that he chaired from 1999-2007. Jenks attended Harvard University’s Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program as a Taubman fellow in 2007. He has a degree in economics and political science from Eastern Michigan University, with graduate work at Wayne State University. He has owned and managed an internet-based travel agency since 1988. Jenks served in the Peace Corps as an elementary school teacher in the Philippines from 1962-64.

LaJoy has been Supervisor of the Charter Township of Canton since 2008. As the township’s chief administrator, he is responsible for overseeing the operation of all township departments, acting as chairperson for Board of Trustees meetings, appointing board and commission members, preparing and monitoring the budget, and serving on numerous local and regional boards and committees. Prior to becoming Canton Township Supervisor, he served as State Representative for the 21st District for six years and was a township Trustee from 1989-2003. He also has 25 years of experience in the private sector in personnel and human resources. He has served on the SEMCOG Transportation Advisory Council since 2008 and was Chair from 2010-2012. Other previous committees and service include Canton Township Merit Commissioner; Canton Chamber of Commerce; Chairperson, Saint Joseph Mercy Community Advisory Council; SEMCOG Infrastructure Task Force; and various committees through the Michigan House of Representatives.

Charles Pugh was elected to Detroit City Council in 2009 and is serving his first term as President of City Council. Prior to that, he was a television journalist in Missouri, Kansas, Indiana, and Virginia, before returning to his hometown where he spent 10 years as a reporter/anchor at Fox 2. Pugh is a native Detroiter who was raised by his grandmother on the city’s west side. He graduated from Murray Wright High School and the University of Missouri with a degree in journalism. Pugh is a member of SEMCOG’s Executive Committee and General Assembly and has served on the Finance and Budget Committee and Legislative Policy Platform Task Force. He attended Harvard University’s Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program as a Taubman fellow in 2011. He is actively involved in mentoring young Detroiters and has received a number of awards and recognitions.