Monique Baker-McCormick
Monique Baker-McCormick
Board Member
Board Member
Commissioner Monique Baker McCormick is a Democrat, mother, veteran of the U.S. Army, businesswoman and has a master’s degree in business from Walsh College of Business and Accountancy. She is a licensed Michigan Real Estate broker/owner of McCormick Real Estate and Financial Group, a full-service real estate company located in northwest Detroit and is celebrating 28 years in the real estate industry. Additionally, since 2008 Commissioner Baker McCormick has sponsored a free online community newsletter called “The McCormick Report” which informs the community of critical issues and events.
Commissioner Baker McCormick is the chair of the Committee on Health and Human Services, sponsor administrator of the Wayne County Commission Youth Council and serves on the committees of Economic Development and Ways and Means. She is also vice-chair of the Special Committee on Behavioral Health. Additionally, she is a legacy member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
Commissioner Baker McCormick is most proud that in 2020 her colleagues unanimously supported a resolution by her to create the Wayne County Commission Youth Council (WCCYC), dedicated to empowering youth and promoting education, community involvement and civic engagement. Its goal is to bring together youth from varied socioeconomic backgrounds and multicultural neighborhoods to assist in planning, developing and implementing activities and services that help young people in Wayne County have a voice and become socially responsible community members. With the support of Commissioner Baker McCormick, WCCYC has sponsored resolutions addressing youth mental health, gun reform and economic oppression. Applications for WCCYC open in August of each year.
Nabih Ayad
Nabih Ayad
Secretary
Secretary
Nabih H. Ayad Esq, has been in private practice at his firm, Ayad Law, PLLC for over 22 years. Currently in Downtown Detroit, Attorney Ayad has had an impressive and successful career. Mr. Ayad is Founder for the Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL). From December of 2008 to December of 2011 Attorney Ayad was a Michigan Civil Rights Commissioner, Appointed by former Governor Granholm. He is on the Advisory Counsel for Arab and Chaldean Affairs for the State of Michigan since 2007. Ayad was Vice President of the Arab-American Political Action Committee (AAPAC); On the Detroit NAACP Legal Redress Committee; Chairman of the NAACP Western Wayne County Legal Redress Committee for 18 cities in Western Wayne County and on the ACLU Lawyers Committee for the State of Michigan since 2002. Attorney Ayad was on the National Executive Board for American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) Ayad and also as former Chairman of the ADC Advisory Board for the State of Michigan for over 7 years. Attorney Ayad was also Co-Chair of ALPACT (Advocates and Leaders for Police and Community Trust) an organization made up of 100 law enforcement and civil rights groups where he co-chaired with the head of the FBI in Detroit. From 2015 to 2021 Attorney Ayad served on the board of the Detroit Wayne County Airport Authority, the body that oversees the operations of Detroit Metropolitan Airport and Willow Run Airport, for which he served as last year’s chairman of the board. Attorney Ayad sits on several important boards in Southeastern Michigan including, New Detroit Board of Directors, Wayne State President Advisory Board, and Chairman of the Board of Behavioral Health Professionals Inc. (BHPI). Attorney Ayad was also on Detroit East Mental Health Board, Vice chair of the MEATV Board, and former Chairman and current Board member of the ACRL.
Attorney Nabih Ayad has received numerous honors and awards for his leadership, including the ADC National Advocate of the Year Award in 2005; Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee; ADC Michigan Attorney of the Year Award in 2003; ACLU 2006 Bernard Gottfried Award; Forum and Link Magazine Distinguished Leadership Award; Wayne County Community Leadership Award, NAACP Western Wayne County Outstanding Leadership Award; AAPAC Community Service Leadership Award, Lakeshore’s Leaders, Legends & Luminaries 2011 Honoree award as well as Wayne County Executive Office Certificate of Recognition. Attorney Ayad was honored with the prestigious NAACP Great Expectation Award at the Centennial Year Celebration in May 2012 at the Nation’s largest sit-down dinner at Cobo Hall. Mr. Ayad was honored by the Michigan Department of Civil Rights in 2011, honored by the Wayne County Airport Authority in 2020, and awarded by the American Chaldean Counsel for his leadership. In 2012 Attorney Ayad was honored with the Arab American Leadership Award and the Arab Student Union Visionary Award. Mr. Ayad was honored with Alkebulans Community Leadership Award in 2016 and was featured in The Top Attorneys of North Ameriica in 2021.
Attorney Ayad is a member of: Michigan Trial Lawyers Association 1999; American Immigration Lawyers Association 1999; Alpha Delta Law Fraternity International; Golden Key Honor Society; Beta Gamma Sigma.
Attorney Ayad received his JD from the Detroit College of Law at MSU in 1998, B.S. in Accounting from Wayne State School of Business in Detroit in 1995. In February 2003, the Detroit News done a Bio on Attorney Ayad and said he is a “tireless crusader for civil rights since September 11, 2001”. Attorney Ayad has been featured in almost every major media outlet in the world taking on cases to protect our nation’s constitutional rights.
Bryan Powell
Bryan Powell
Vice Chair
Vice Chair
Powell currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority (DWCPA), serving since 2017 in various roles including Secretary-Treasurer.
Bryan is vice president in charge of the Southern Region, Great Lakes and Inland Waterways for the Seafarers International Union, Atlantic, Gulf, Lakes, and Inland Waters.
Bryan has served in a multitude of roles across all divisions of the union, spanning every region of the United States as well as internationally, and possesses broad experience with cruise ship, commercial, military, heavy-lift and special mission vessel operations (shipboard and shoreside).
He also serves as an international vice president for the Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO, and vice president of the Seafarers Entertainment & Allied Trades Union (the SIU’s gaming, service and hospitality division).
Appointed by the George W. Bush administration in 2003 and 2005, Powell served on the U.S. Department of Labor’s Special Industry Committee, responsible for advising the Secretary of Labor on economic policy related to application of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Powell is a member of and/or active in organizations including the National Defense Transportation Association, Society for Human Resources Management,
Labor and Employment Relations Association, Chicago Federation of Labor, state labor federations in Michigan, Illinois, and Missouri, as well as the Maritime Trades Department of the AFL-CIO. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management, and master’s degree in business administration with doctoral studies.
Jonathan C. Kinloch
Jonathan C. Kinloch
Board Chairman
Board Chairman
Jonathan Kinloch has been engaged in Detroit’s social and civic community for over twenty years. He graduated from Detroit Public Schools’ Northwestern High School and among the lessons learned was the importance of community service. During his formative years, Kinloch was fortunate to have engaged in internships and volunteerism efforts under the guidance of Michigan trailblazers such as former Detroit City Council President, Erma L. Henderson; Detroit’s former Ombudsman Marie Farrell- Donaldson; and Gloria C. Cobbin, a former president of the Detroit Board of Education. He attributes these experiences with learning the importance and privilege of public service.
Currently, Jonathan Kinloch serves as Wayne County Commissioner-District 2 and an At-Large member of the Detroit Board of Education, a position he was appointed to by the former Detroit Public Schools Emergency Manager Roy Roberts. Kinloch served on the Wayne County Planning and Development Commission (1989-1991), Detroit Board of Zoning Appeals (1998-2007), Detroit Library Commission (2008-2013) and previously as a member of the Detroit Board of Education (2006-2007). During his previous service on the Detroit Board of Education, he chaired the Committee on Human Resources, Policy and Legislative Affairs. While serving, he introduced a number of policies which remain with the district today. He’s most proud of the Office of Inspector General, DPS Police Department, and the city-wide voter approval granting DPS subpoena power during corruption investigations.
Jonathan Kinloch worked as a Legislative Aide to former Michigan State Senator Jack Faxon and served as Director of Government and Community Relations for Trend Industries, Inc. Currently, he is president of The Kinloch Group, Inc., a multi-faceted entertainment and media company. He continues to volunteer and lend his support to various causes locally and nationally. He is a member of Triumph Church, serves on the Executive Committee for the Detroit Branch of the NAACP and the Michigan Democratic Party, where he is an Officer-at-Large. He also serves as the Chair of the Democratic Open Government Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party.
The Detroit riverfront will soon be filled with numerous Tall Ships
Tall Ships Festival
Tall Ships Festival
The Detroit riverfront will soon be filled with numerous Tall Ships
Edward Pevos
“There are so many lessons that can be taught with these ships,” said Mark Schrupp, Executive Director, Port Authority. “Our guests will learn about maritime careers, history, sustainability and Detroit as an important port when they come down to see the Ships.”
The Tall Ships will arrive on August 7, traveling along the Riverfront, before docking for three days of public access. Ticket holders will be able to board the Tall Ships, meet the crews and learn about the rich sailing history of the Great Lakes. There is also a special ticket available for purchase which allows guests to set sail aboard the Alliance for a 90-minute cruise.
Along with Detroit, the Tall Ships will make stops at Duluth, MN and Erie, PA, among other ports this summer.
Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority Seeks Decarbonization
Aiming to Reduce Environmental Impact and Improve Air Quality
Aiming to Reduce Environmental Impact and Improve Air Quality
Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority Seeks Decarbonization
Kim Kisner | Business | 08/08/2023
Michigan’s largest inland port, the Port of Detroit is located on the Detroit River in Wayne County as well as the navigable portions of the Rouge River. The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority oversees the port, which is made up of multiple marine terminals for handling general, liquid, and bulk cargo as well as passengers.
Each year, the Port Authority oversees more than eight million tons of cargo at 29 private and public sector terminal facilities in the Port of Detroit, including international and domestic commodities, which are shipped in and out of the port. The port is the third-largest steel-handling port in the nation. At the Port Authority’s own terminal, steel, aluminum, and project cargoes are handled for the support of the manufacturing community in Southeast Michigan.
Now, the port is undergoing a decarbonization project which aims to reduce its environmental impact and improve air quality.
The decarbonization project will be undertaken in partnership with Tunley Engineering and Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision (SDEV) and will involve a range of initiatives, including the implementation of renewable energy sources, the electrification of port equipment, and the use of cleaner fuels while ensuring residents and businesses in the area are involved and have input.
Said Raquel Garcia, executive director of SDEV, “We are on board to – among other things – make sure the community understands what’s happening in their own backyard and that they have access to people leading the project.”
SBN Detroit spoke with the executive director of the port, Mark Schrupp, about the project and its impact on tourism, area businesses, and more.
Q: The Port of Detroit is going green with the goal of net zero by 2040. Can you provide some background on how you arrived here and how you are taking this on?
A: Discussions originated in early 2022 with the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers, looking at ways to help decarbonize the maritime industry. Our two overarching goals are to improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
A lot of the ports on the West Coast and Europe have been doing good work for several years. The Midwest is a little behind but starting to accelerate.
We reached out to state Sen. Stephanie Chang, and she has been a great supporter. She assisted in helping us to secure $1 million in state funding to undertake a study on where we are today and develop a plan to decarbonize.
The big challenge is that the Port Authority does not have the authority to compel the private terminals, which are responsible for 95% of the cargo, to participate. We have been identifying incentives and working to persuade these terminals to develop a single plan, measure the greenhouse gas emissions, and develop strategies together.
To start, we needed outside expertise. We put together a scope of work in December and put out an RFP and ended up partnering with Tunley Engineering, which has been eager to jump in and help. We have also been working heavily with Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision (SDEV) who – among other things – is helping us to connect to the community to ensure we understand what their interests are.
You can’t take on just a decarbonization plan… in the port region where people work and live it’s also about air quality, vibrations, sound and particulate matter, and more. So, we are looking at these things and working to address them through best practices.
Since April, we’ve been engaging with terminals to get a baseline report of greenhouse gas emissions for each terminal. Once finished, we will publish an interactive map for people to see the current carbon footprint.
We are specifically looking at the carbon footprint of moving cargo in and off the water – not the industrial practices of the businesses. We are also looking at the cruise ships that we service at our downtown dock, and the impacts and the footprint of governmental entities that participate in the port, such as the Detroit Police Harbor Master, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and more.
This is a good time to be taking all of this on. There is a lot of federal and state funding and tax incentives that help bring down the initial cost of switching fuel sources. We’ll be applying for grants to help the terminals move forward.
Q: What other entities are you working with to take on this project?
A: We are engaging with many organizations and local sustainability offices to help and support our efforts.
We have been working with The Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to get data and take advantage of any grant opportunities to tackle air quality and particulate emissions.
We have met with the EPA Region 5 office in Chicago to stay close in terms of funding opportunities and ways they can support our efforts.
The International Maritime Organization has a 2050 plan in place and is setting standards around the fuel in the ships that move in international waterways. They are looking at cleaner fuel alternatives as well.
The Port has a fueling station run by Waterfront Petroleum, and they are working toward a biodiesel fuel that can be used without having to change engines.
Maritime infrastructure is very expensive and lasts a long time, so making changes needs to be planned carefully. Changing fuel to a lower carbon footprint, like biodiesel is a good first step because it doesn’t require any changes to ship engines. Zero-carbon fuels like hydrogen and ammonia will take more planning and investment. We can’t do it all at once but should do what we can as we work in the right direction.
Q: Do you think this a unique undertaking for a port authority?
A: Ports on the coasts have been working on this for some time. California has led the way and those ports are ahead of us. The Port of Cleveland has done work to reduce its carbon footprint. So, they are a little ahead of us, but the rest of the ports in the Great Lakes have started work here.
Q: How do you think your efforts will impact tourism in Detroit?
A: We know that tourists are becoming more aware of environmental issues and concerns and that can impact decisions to travel. The cruise industry itself has made some commitments to decarbonize.
One of the things we are working to develop is getting shore power for our cruise dock so that when they dock, they can turn off their engines and run on electricity.
We are seeing a lot of things happen at the state level. The governor signed a pact with Canada to create an EV corridor so electric charging can happen, which I think will increase tourism back and forth between the U.S. and Canada. The auto companies are heading toward 100% EV. The greener we can make our port and our state the more that can be used to encourage tourism.
Q: How do you think your efforts will impact Southeast Michigan businesses?
A: I think we can be an example for businesses and encourage the businesses around us who need to move in this direction. There is a school of thought that going green can be expensive and hurt the bottom line. We are hoping to demonstrate that this is not the case. We are working to also highlight the businesses on the waterfront that are doing it and are still profitable. I think this will create momentum.
If Detroit wants to be in the game for shipping and getting cargo to come through our terminals, we need to green up. It is going to be essential to be considered part of the international community for shipping.
Q: What about job creation as it relates to this project?
A: There is an economic impact study just released that talks about jobs and economic activity related to maritime work. We’ve been promoting maritime activity as a job creator for some time. The whole region owes its economic activity to the fact that we are on the Detroit River. Iron ore can be shipped in, and we can make steel and manufacture cars. Where we are located has been a part of our existence as an economy.
And if we continue to produce gas-powered cars and not decarbonize, eventually we will be out of business. The Big Three are leading the way. And the Port needs to be a part of it.
The state of Michigan is investing in jobs created in the green sector and I think this is happening in and impacts many industries, including the maritime industry.
We are looking at repurposing some of the former industrial plants and increasing the manufacturing along the waterfront to further strengthen Michigan as a hub for manufacturing and the movement of goods. We are on an international border; we have a great rail system and a great highway system which makes it a great spot for this area to generate jobs.
Q: Talk about the innovative sustainable approaches you are using.
A: We are looking at every aspect of fuel generation. Electrification, solar, wind, biofuels, etc. We are looking at different ways to move goods – innovative ways may include putting sails on boats and using wind. We are also working to use the waterways for finished goods and parts, not just for raw materials.
With the Ford Mobility Center here in our backyard now working toward innovation in mobility as well, it’s a great time to be thinking about how we can transform how we get things done.