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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- November 10, 2004
Contact: Scott Hirko, Public Relations Officer
(517) 372-7770 -- shirko [at] michiganhumanities.org

THREE ELECTED TO COUNCIL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Betty Brooks of Detroit; Timothy Chester of Grand Rapids; Craig McDonald of Midland Elected to Michigan Humanities Council

(LANSING)-----Three individuals have recently been elected to the Board of Directors of the Michigan Humanities Council: Elizabeth “Betty” Brooks of Detroit; Timothy Chester, Director of the Public Museum of Grand Rapids; and, Craig McDonald, Director of the Alden B. Dow Home & Studio in Midland. Each was appointed to a three-year term beginning January 1, 2005, and ending December 31, 2007.

The Michigan Humanities Council’s Board of Directors consists of 21 members whose responsibilities range from program and proposal review, planning, fundraising, advocacy for the humanities, liaison to projects and other representation of the Council at activities around the state. Three members of the Council are gubernatorial appointees while 18 are elected by the Council Board.

Elizabeth “Betty” Brooks of Detroit is a patron of the arts and humanities and a tireless community services leader. She is currently serving her third term as a member of the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA), having been appointed by then-Governor John Engler. She also currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of: the Michigan Opera Theatre, the Lewis College of Business, the Music Hall for Performing Arts, and, the Plow Shares Theater. Brooks also currently serves as Chairperson for: the Board of Directors for the Sphinx Organization, the Advisory Board for the Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing Arts, the Council for African American Dance at the Detroit Opera House, and the Sixth Annual International Fatherhood Conference of 2004. She is the recipient of many community service awards throughout her career.

Timothy Chester of Grand Rapids currently serves as Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Public Museum of Grand Rapids, a position he has held since 1988. Chester served as Assistant Director of the museum from 1986 to 1988, and from 1980 to 1986 served as Curator of Decorative Arts, Chief Curator, and Associate Director of Collections for the Louisiana State Museum. He is currently serving on the Governor’s Advisory Committee for the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries, and on the Advisory Committee for the Jim Crow Museum at Ferris State University. In 1997, Chester was honored with a Distinguished Service Award from the Michigan Museums Association. Chester received his Bachelor of Arts in Art History from the University of Michigan in 1978, and a Master of Arts in American Culture from the University of Michigan in 1980.

Craig McDonald of Midland is the Director of the Alden B. Dow Home and Studio located in Midland. In 2004, he spearheaded the year-long celebration “Quality of Life – 100 Years of Influence of Alden B. Dow.” Under McDonald’s direction in 2000, the Home and Studio was awarded recognition for its “preservation and care of collections” from Heritage Preservation and the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. He currently serves as the Board President of Family and Children’s Services of Midland, as well as board member of the Northwood University—Alden B. Dow Creativity Center. McDonald also serves as the Grants Coordinator for the Dow Family Foundations, which provides operational grants to health and human services agencies as well as educational and arts-related agencies. McDonald has worked for the Alden and Vada Dow Family for the past 21 years. He is a 1990 graduate of Western Michigan University.

Michigan Humanities Council, founded in 1974, is the state's private, non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.