Introducing the Millage Advisory Committee

In the spring of 2019, Washtenaw County Community Mental Health established a Millage Advisory Committee (MAC) to provide strategic oversight on Washtenaw County’s Public Safety and Mental Health Millage activities and investments. The 13-member committee, chaired by St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea President and CEO Nancy Graebner, is a subcommittee of the Washtenaw County Community Mental Health Board and reports to the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners as required. MAC members held their first meeting on June 10 at the Washtenaw County Learning Resource Center in Ann Arbor.

Millage Advisory Committee members (April 1, 2019 – March 31, 2020)

  • Felicia Brabec, Psychologist and Social Worker; Washtenaw County Commissioner for Pittsfield Township; Member of the Food Gatherers and Washtenaw County Community Mental Health Boards.
  • Amanda Carlisle, Executive Director for the Washtenaw Housing Alliance; Member of the City of Ann Arbor Housing Board, Human Services Advisory Board, and Religious Action for Affordable Housing Board.
  • Carly Collins, Chief Department Administrator for the University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry; Administrator for the University of Michigan Depression Center; Member of the Washtenaw County Community Mental Health Board.
  • Anna Dusbiber, Youth Program Co-Founder and Program Manager for the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living; Member of the Washtenaw County Community Mental Health Board.
  • Nancy Graebner, President and CEO for St. Joseph Mercy-Chelsea; Member of the 5 Healthy Towns and Washtenaw County Community Mental Health Boards.
  • Holly Heaviland, Executive Director of Community and School Partnerships at the Washtenaw Intermediate School District.
  • Derrick Jackson, Community Engagement Director for the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office; Member of the Ann Arbor YMCA Board and EMU President’s Commission on Diversity and Inclusion; Adjunct Lecturer with the U-M School of Social Work.
  • Bob King, Former President of the United Auto Workers; Member of the Washtenaw County Community Mental Health Board.
  • John Martin, Chair of the Washtenaw County Community Mental Health Board.
  • Raymond Rion, Family Physician and Executive Director for Packard Health.
  • Katie Scott, Intensive Care Nurse; Washtenaw County Commissioner (District 9); Member of the Washtenaw County Community Mental Health Board.
  • Rev. George W. Waddles Jr., Pastor, Second Baptist Church of Ypsilanti; Member of the Washtenaw Health Initiative Steering Committee.
  • Kari Walker, President and CEO of The Guidance Center; Member of the Washtenaw County Community Mental Health Board.

Meeting schedule

The MAC will meet on the second Monday of each month, from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. at the Washtenaw County Learning Resource Center in Ann Arbor (4135 Washtenaw Avenue). Once per quarter, these meetings will shift to 4:00 p.m. so MAC members who also serve as board committee members for Washtenaw County Community Mental Health Board can attend other scheduled committee meetings. When millage activities are more fully established, the MAC will begin to meet on a bi-monthly or quarterly schedule. MAC meetings are open to the public and include a forum for
public comments.

Agendas and minutes

Agendas are available prior to the meetings. Minutes are available following approval. View agendas and minutes.

Recent and upcoming activities

  • In the summer of 2019, the MAC approved a strategic communications plan to keep residents apprised of millage-funded activities and their impact and to advance millage objectives. The MAC also approved funding for the Washtenaw Intermediate School District to support student-led “UMatter Week” stigma prevention activities at all interested county high schools and middle schools.
  • In the fall of 2019, the MAC will begin to develop grant guidelines for community organizations to request millage funds for initiatives that address the recommendations provided by the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners’ Community Mental Health Advisory Committee (CMHAC). In addition, the MAC will review a proposal from National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Washtenaw County, a draft RFP from the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development, and results from the Washtenaw County Health Department’s Youth Stigma research.