Dec. 19, 2024
Gov. Whitmer strengthens Ferris State connections to Southeast Michigan with appointments to board of trustees
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is reappointing LaShanda R. Thomas to the Ferris State University board of trustees, and adding Matthew Evans, a Detroit-area resident with experience in education and the construction industry.
Matthew Evans
Whitmer announced the appointments on Thursday, noting they will require approval from the state Senate. The eight-year terms will run through 2032.
“Ferris State University serves all of our state, and we continue to strengthen our connection to Southeast Michigan,” Ferris State President Bill Pink said. “Trustee Thomas and Matt Evans will not only help represent that part of the state but will share their invaluable expertise and experiences with the region’s communities and businesses. I am confident their leadership will help Ferris State grow more relevant and responsive to the Detroit area and beyond.”
Thomas most recently served as chairperson of the board of trustees, overseeing a time of increased industry partnerships and expansion of buildings on the Big Rapids campus to boost opportunities for students.
“I’m proud of the work we have done at Ferris State,” Thomas said. “This university continues to move forward as we build on the foundation of what has been accomplished during the last eight years. It is an honor to continue as a trustee. The are so many great things on the horizon for the university in its work across our state and I am excited to be a part of it.”
Thomas is a certified public accountant and the founder and managing partner of the Clairmount Group, PLC. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Michigan State University.
The Grosse Pointe resident is active in her community and is a member of the local chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Jack and Jill of America, and The Links, Inc. She was first appointed to the board by Gov. Rick Snyder in 2016.
Evans, of Grosse Pointe Park, is CEO of Invictus Builders and operating partner of Prospect Park LLC, a financial services firm.
“I am tremendously excited to be on the Ferris State board,” Evans said. “I have great respect for President Pink as a person and a leader. I have watched Ferris State’s growth in our community. The university’s presence and impact will continue to expand in our community, and I am thrilled to be a play a role.”
Evans previously served as vice president of Rockford Construction, principal of University Preparatory Academy Middle School in Detroit, and executive director of E-Three Labs, an international organization focused on international education and development projects in Southeast Michigan and sub-Saharan Africa.
Evans is a former member of the Grosse Pointe Park Planning Commission and is a founding board member of the Grosse Pointe Park Public Safety Commission.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in education from Eastern Michigan University and a Master of Education in educational leadership from Wayne State University.
The moves come as Ferris State this week announced a partnership with Bedrock Detroit and BAMF Health to be included in a 14-acre project in downtown Detroit that will focus on fostering innovation in life science, technology, and entrepreneurship.
Ferris State will collaborate with BAMF Health to provide training in growing fields of precision medicine and to expand K-12 STEM opportunities.
Evans succeeds Amna Seibold, whose term is expiring.
“I want to thank trustee Seibold for her service,” Pink said. “She has been a strong advocate for our students, providing steady leadership while supporting the work we do here at Ferris State.”
Ferris State trustees this month named Kurt Hofman of Grand Rapids to follow Thomas as the board’s chairperson.
Hofman is a Ferris State alumnus and executive vice president at RoMan Manufacturing, was appointed to the board in 2018.
Hofman earned an associate degree in Welding Engineering Technology from Ferris State’s College of Engineering Technology in 1983 and a bachelor's degree in Welding Engineering from Arizona State University.
He has served the industry in various roles including as chairman of the Western Michigan Section of the American Welding Society and member of the board of directors of the Resistance Welding Manufacturing Alliance.