men of excellence Phillip Pierce Phillip Pierce has extensive experience in financial and information systems


consulting, beginning with his employment by the international accounting and consulting firm of Arthur Andersen & Company. After three years there, he joined the regional accounting firm of Plante & Moran where he attained the position of manager. He subsequently joined the Xerox Corporation at a management level in the Corporate Audit and Operational Analysis Division.


In February of 1985, Mr. Pierce joined with Loren Monroe, former treasurer


of the State of Michigan, to form the firm of Pierce, Monroe & Associates, LLC. The firm provides financial, management and information technology consult- ing services with a 42-person professional staff.


He is well recognized as a leader in the financial and information systems


industry. He has continued to demonstrate his entrepreneurial expertise by recently opening a restaurant in downtown Detroit. He and his wife, Sherri, joined with two partners to open the popular Detroit’s Breakfast House & Grill. He also is a partner in four concessionaire operations at the Detroit Wayne County Airport.


Mr. Pierce’s outstanding leadership is exemplified in many of his activities, which include: member,


Detroit Community Advisory Committee, Knight Foundation; member, Board of Directors, Airport Mi- nority Advisory Council; member, Board of Directors, secretary and former treasurer, City Connect Detroit; member, Board of Commissioners, Detroit Building Authority.


Mr. Pierce graduated from the Wayne State University School of Business in the field of account- ing.


THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE


June 9-15, 2010 Pastor V. Ricardo Thomas Sr. V. Ricardo Thomas Sr. serves as the senior pastor of Faith Tabernacle


Church of Highland Park and is the executive director of Prodigal Son Minis- tries. He is also a life coach, lecturer, Biblical counselor, motivational speak- er, missionary and the author of the powerful autobiography “The Prodigal Son, From Dope Dealer to Hope Dealer…A True Story of Redemption, Res- toration and Forgiveness.”


He travels internationally spreading the message that there is hope for


all people, from the high and mighty to the homeless and helpless. Led by compassion and concern, Mr. Thomas encourages others to overcome some of life’s most devastating setbacks and failures by daily applying spiri- tual principles.


Pastor Thomas is in the Highland Park High School Hall of Fame. He


serves as chairman of the Highland Park Homeowners Collaborative, vice president of the Highland Park Business Association and is a board member of the Development Corporation of Wayne County. City County and State government have recognized and rewarded him for his civic service to the community at large.


He serves on these civic organizations to be a voice of the Lord and to assist in improving the


quality of life for all people. Mr. Thomas’ most recent achievement was spearheading a fundraising project to install a com-


puter lab in Montego Bay, Jamaica which aids students in becoming acclimated and connected to the resources of cyber learning in order to be more competitive and productive.


He is married to Cynthia Y. Thomas and is the father of five children and two grandchildren. ✦ Kojo A. Quartey Kojo A. Quartey is the dean of the Donald W. Maine School of Business


at Davenport University. This school enrolls approximately 6,600 students, making it one of the largest business programs in the state of Michigan.


Mr. Quartey earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting and master’s in


economics from Morgan State University in Baltimore. He earned a PhD in Ap- plied Economics, with a concentration in International Economics from Mis- sissippi Sate University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in finance at UCLA.


Prior to coming to Davenport University, he served as dean of the College of


Business and Professional Studies and vice president for University Advance- ment at Lincoln University in Missouri. Other positions have included assistant to the president and executive director of the Lincoln University Foundation.


Mr. Quartey has published and presented numerous scholarly papers and


consulted internationally. He was born in Ghana and raised in four countries. His passions are serving the community and mentoring at-risk youth. He is a strong believer in the saying, “Service to others is the rent that we pay for living on this planet.”


✦ Irvin D. Reid Irvin D. Reid is president emeritus of Wayne State University. After 11 years


of distinguished service, he left the presidency of Wayne State to become in- augural holder of the Eugene Applebaum Chair in Community Engagement and director of the Forum on Contemporary Issues in Society (FOCIS).


In these roles, Dr. Reid works to strengthen ties between the city of Detroit


and Wayne State, focusing on business, children and families, education, health and international cooperation. April 2010, FOCIS assembled more than 20 of Michigan’s top business experts for a public discussion on the future of Michigan’s economy. In October 2009, he led a diverse team of 16 students, faculty and staff on a two-week foreign study to Mozambique.


Dr. Reid was president of Montclair State University (NJ). He is recipient


of the Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year in the Central Great Lakes Region for the creation of TechTown, a successful business incubator and technology park. He sits on the boards of the Mack-Cali Real Estate Trust, Pep Boys, Inc., A. Schulman, Inc., and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. He previously served on the boards of Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (Detroit Branch), NatWest Bank of New York and Fleet Bank of Boston.


Dr. Reid earned master’s and PhD degrees from The Wharton School of the University of Penn-


sylvania, bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Howard University and a certificate in educational administration from Harvard University. He is married to Pamela Trotman Reid, president of Saint Joseph College in Connecticut.


✦ Rev. William O. Thompson Rev. Dr. William O. Thompson is pastor of the New Greater Christ Baptist


Church and married to Evangelist Donna Thompson. He graduated from Wayne County Community College with an Associ-


ate Applied Science degree in Criminal Justice and Ecumenical Theological Seminary of Detroit with a diploma in Urban Ministry and Union Baptist Theo- logical Seminary School with a Bachelor of Arts degree (Theology), master’s degree (Religious & Education) and doctor degree (Divinity), and Ashford University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science/Criminal Justice.


Mr. Thompson is an exceptional model of effective and sacrificial spiritual


leadership in the city of Detroit. His boundless energy and devotion inspires many within his congregation to invest far more in ministry than most church- es, including the homeless One Night Initiative program and food boxes for senior citizens and the annual turkey giveaway. The church also feeds people on Thanksgiving and has a “No Child Without Christmas” program. A summer day camp provides six weeks of enrichment. In addition, the church provides clothing for the needy


Rev. Thompson serves as the spiritual advisor and co-chair to State Rep. Bettie C. Scott of the


3rd District (Michigan House of Representatives). He also serves on the board of the Warren-Conner Development Coalition/Rebuilding Communities Inc. and serves on the East Side Ministries United in Action as the chair for the Social and Political Action Committee, and serves as a Detroit Police chaplain.


✦ Joseph E. Turner Joseph E. Turner is a member of Clark Hill’s Education & Municipal and


Government Relations Practice Groups. He specializes in public pension law, real estate, commercial transactions, municipal finance, school law liti- gation and criminal law.


His primary practice focuses on public pension law and lender related


transactions. He has a broad range of experience in various complex invest- ment transactions permitted under the Michigan Public Employees Retire- ment System Investment Act (PERSIA) Public Act 314 of 1965, MCL 38 as amended (commonly referred to as, “Act 314”). He has negotiated and draft- ed documentation ranging from commercial loans to multi-layered financ- ings, sophisticated credit enhancement financing and letters of credit. He provides advice to pension fund trustees, executive staff and general coun- sel relative to retirement benefits, disability, deferred retirement option plans (DROP), eligible domestic relations orders (EDRO’s), freedom of information issues, open meetings act as well as general public pension matters.


In Mr. Turner’s real estate and municipal finance practices, he has represented various business


and governmental entities. His extensive range of experience includes reviewing, negotiating and drafting purchase and sale, loan, construction, lease and other real estate documentation. He has extensive experience representing owners and institutional lenders in connection with permanent financing, workouts and documentation for commercial and residential projects.


He was named as one of dbusiness’ 2010 Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit. ✦ Gerald W. Smith Gerald W. Smith is the Regional Government Affairs manager for Comcast-


Michigan. He oversees the implementation of statewide and regional govern- ment affairs initiatives in the Michigan Region. He is responsible for day-to-day contact regarding local regulatory, franchising and public policy matters and serves as liaison between the company and local communities


Prior to joining Comcast, Mr. Smith served as director of community and


project development at Channel 56-Detroit Public Television for 14 years. He is best known for his role as co-host on “Back-to-Back,” the Detroit call-in TV/radio talk show on WTVS- Channel 56 and WQBH-1400AM. He recently hosted a talk show on Detroit Public TV entitled “Good Schools: Making the Grade.” He currently is the host of community television specials on the Com- cast Community Network.


Mr. Smith served on the faculty of Wayne State University in the Depart-


ment of Africana Studies and was named 1990 United States Peace Corps Black Educator of the Year.


He is the recipient of more than 100 community service awards, including public television’s 1993


Gold Award for Local Programming and Community Outreach, three State of Michigan resolutions, two special tributes from the Michigan governor, four Spirit of Detroit awards, two City of Detroit testi- monial resolutions, Comcast Cable’s inaugural Community Star Award, two Beacon awards for Excel- lence in public affairs programming throughout the cable industry, and three Emmy nominations.


He is a 2010 inductee into the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle Hall of Fame, Michigan Chapter, and proud father of Adanna Nekesa and grandfather to Sandra Celeste.


✦ Paul N. Stewart


Paul N. Stewart has 29 years of service as a Detroit Police Officer. He is vice president of Detroit Police Officers Association, from 2002 to the


present, representing the 2200 members of the DPOA. He has seven years of service as an elected trustee of the Detroit Police


and Firefighters Retirement System, representing approximately 13,000 active and retired Police Officers and Firefighters and charged with managing over $3.6 billion in assets.


Mr. Stewart is enshrined in Biltmore’s Who’s Who Registry of Executives


and Professionals, 2005-2006 inductee. He was Western International High School’s football assistant coach,


1998-2008. ✦ Lucius A. Vassar Lucius A. Vassar is a member of Clark Hill’s Government and Public Af-


fairs Practice Group, specializing in government relations and legislative af- fairs. Many clients seek his advice and counsel with issues before the local, state and federal government. He is well respected for his tenacity, thorough- ness and skill in navigating the legislative process.


Prior to joining Clark Hill, Mr. Vassar devoted six years of service and


leadership in the city of Detroit, serving in a variety of capacities, including director of the Detroit Workforce Development Department and chief admin- istrative officer. He has served on many boards and commissions, including the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, Detroit Police Foundation and the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau.


Mr. Vassar spent many years in Lansing as a multi-client lobbyist with one


of Michigan’s largest firms. He also served as chief of staff for the Senate Democratic Floor Leader, with direct involvement in the crafting, revision and implementation of several key state policy initiatives, as staff liaison to several Senate committees.


He earned his B.A. in Psychology from Michigan State University and his Juris Doctorate Cum


Laude from Michigan State University College of Law. He is a devoted father of two beautiful daugh- ters.


✦ Sean K. Werdlow


Siebert Brandford Shank & Co., LLC Managing Director


Sean Werdlow, managing director at Siebert Branford Shank & Co., LLC,


has more than 15 years of finance experience in both the public and private sector.


With expertise in debt resolution, structuring and managing transactions


in the areas of leasing, water and sewer, pension, hospital finance, tax incre- ment finance, economic development and general obligations, his acumen led to a 2008 headline in D-Business magazine which endearingly referenced him as “Mr. Bond, I presume.”


He joined Siebert Brandford Shank in November 2005, and has man-


aged bond financings for numerous state and local municipalities around the nation. He has also held positions as the chief financial officer for the City of Detroit and vice president of finance and treasurer at the Detroit Medical Center.


Mr. Werdlow serves on the board of the Community Foundation for South-


eastern Michigan, the Detroit Zoological Society and the Detroit Summer Finance Institute. He holds a B.S. in Corporate Finance from Wayne State University. He also has NASD securities licenses Series 7 and 63. In 2003, he was voted by Corp! magazine as one of Michigan’s financial movers and shakers and in 2001, he was recognized by Crain’s Detroit Business as one of Detroit’s “40 under 40.”


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