Board Members’ terms are multi-year terms that are staggered to ensure continuity and historical oversight.  Available Board positions are filled at the Annual Meeting through a membership election.  FOTR Officers are then elected by the Board of Directors on an annual basis.  Per Friends of the Rouge bylaws, the Board is limited to 15 positions.  Board Members are responsible for the oversight of the organization and as such, are required to attend monthly meetings that include Board and committee meetings.  Board members are also charged with fiduciary responsibility and are expected to take part in fundraising activities.  Please consider the time commitment required prior to submitting candidates.

Persons interested in serving on the Board can nominate themselves or have someone else nominate them for election.  You can nominate a candidate by contacting our office at 313-792-9900, by faxing your nomination to 313-593-0231. Nominations can also be email to: opdir@therouge.org to be passed on to the Nominating Committee.  Nominee names and information (name, affiliation, reason for running and qualifications, address and phone number (for our use only) submitted by November 27, 2009 will be listed on our website and listed on the ballot the evening of the annual meeting for member consideration and vote.  Please limit your submission to 150 words or less. Only paid members can be considered for Board positions, and only paid members can vote for Board Members.

Current Board Members

Heidi McKenzie President (term through 2011) - Heidi serves on the Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Development Committee, chaired FOTR's major fundraiser in 2007 and has participated in Rouge Rescue and a variety of activities that raise friends and supporters as well as funding for FOTR.  She is a senior environmental engineer at Ford Motor Company focusing on water compliance support and water reduction activities and was champion of the sustainable storm water system installed at the Ford Rouge Center.

Michael Darga Vice President (term through 2009) – Mike has been a FOTR member for 15 years and has served as a Board member for 14 years.  A past Board President, Mike serves on the Executive, Membership/Development and Finance Committees.  Mike has also been actively involved in Rouge Rescue events

Laura Gruzwalski Secretary (term through 2010)  -  For 6 years Laura has been actively involved in RRAC, Rouge Rescue, streambank stabilization projects, and other Rouge events and looks forward to serving the Board in the years to come.  

Julie Frentrup Treasurer (term through 2010) -Julie offers FOTR skills drawn from experience serving as a Board Member of  the Michigan Horticultural Society,  Business Manager of Michigan Lyric Opera, Vice-President and Secretary of Bradbury Park Neighborhood Association, President of and Chief Negotiator for Eastern Michigan University Federation of Teachers, and as the Volunteer Hours Coordinator and Secretary/Editor of the Wayne County Master Gardeners Association. Julie also has grant writing experience to lend. She wants to represent the residential population in the Rouge watershed and believes she can assist FOTR based on her community ties and involvement and because her home abuts about 700 feet of Rouge River in Southfield. Her extensive charity work includes reading textbooks for the blind and dyslexic.

Jeremy Brown (term through 2010) - Jeremy graduated from Albion College with a Bachelor of Arts with an emphasis in Accounting and Religion.  He has been a volunteer for several organizations including L.I.F.T. (Learning Is Fun Together), Special Olympics, Kiwanis, and Junior Achievement. His initial studies in college were in the field of Biology and Chemistry and he has always had a passion for the environment and all efforts to protect it.   In a short period of time, he has come to learn of the great work that Friends of the Rouge performs and would be honored to work with the board especially were his background and skills could help the most, which is in the field of banking and finance.

Kathleen Klein (term through 2009) - Kathleen has served in the waste disposal industry for 18 years.  Her background is in sales and marketing as well as public relations and community education.  She currently serves as Secretary as a current board member of Friends of the Rouge since 2005.  She also currently serves on the board of the Michigan Association of Environmental Professionals.  Her marketing skills and knowledge of the Corporate and Consulting customer base in SE Michigan are skill sets needed for raising awareness of Friends of the Rouge as well as for soliciting funding and support of our efforts. 

Chester Marvin (term through 2011) - Chester is a founding member of Friends of the Rouge and has served in the capacity of Board Treasurer during past terms. He currently serves on the Rouge Education Project and Public Involvement Task Forces and is actively involved as a volunteer in all FOTR programs. Chester has been a tireless champion for teachers of the REP. Not only does he volunteer at sampling sites for Logan Elementary and Crestwood High School each year but he attends all REP workshops, teaches physical training at the teacher training workshops, and makes sampling rods for all of the schools to use. Chester is currently a Technician at the GM Powertrain Operations in Romulus and has been instrumental in securing funds for the REP from his plant for many years. He is a fixture at Rouge Rescue sites including Canton and Rouge Park and volunteers in a multitude of FOTR programs such as Bug Hunts and Frog & Toad survey. Chester also serves as Treasurer for the non-profit, Friends of Rouge Park.

Jim Murray (term through 2009) – Jim is a founding member of FOTR, past Board Vice President, former Executive Director of FOTR, and has actively been involved in Rouge Rescue events. Jim is currently the Deputy Director for the City of Dearborn.

Sharon Oliver-Merchant (term through 2011) – Sharon received her Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction degree and has completed classes for her Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership. She had the opportunity to assist in writing the Science curriculum, K-5 for Southfield Public Schools and served on numerous curriculum committees. She has also written many grants such as Rouge Education Grant (2006-2009), Schoolyard Habitat Grant, (2008-2009), Grants for Adler’s Vegetable Garden at the Mary Thompson Farm, Grants for Adler’s Rain Gardens, and Technology Grants. Many partnerships have been established with these grants such as Howard Knorr, SOCWA with Lillian Dean, Southfield Forestry Department, and Southfield Water Department with Sandy Bakita. She has served as a member of the Southfield Community Foundation, serving on the teacher grant and education committees. Presently, she serves as a Youth Advisor for the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) of the Southfield Community Foundation. Presently, she is the Service-Learning coordinator, Rouge Education Project coordinator, Schoolyard Habitat coordinator, and Rain Garden coordinator for Adler Elementary and a proud first grade teacher. Currently, she continues to build her leadership skills as an environmentalist partnering with the Rouge Education Project and presenting workshops and consulting all over Michigan and out of state.

Charles F. Poat,  AIA, LEED AP (term through 2009) - Charles Poat holds deep convictions and acts upon his desire for environmental improvement through professional and personal endeavors.  Charles provides a positive and energetic leadership style with the experience of business based environmental development projects.  Since 2000, Charles has had the professional fortune of participating with leadership responsibilities for the Redevelopment of the Ford Rouge Industrial Complex and the Severstal NA Steel Modernization Program, both award winning projects within the bounds of the Rouge River Watershed.  With his personal time, Charles acts as the Chairman of the Board for the US Green Building Council’s Detroit Regional Chapter.  Charles additionally participates on the Steering Committees for the Detroit Green Task Force and the Suburban Alliance Energy Office.  On behalf of the Friends of the Rouge, Charles will be able to extend community outreach and development of collaborative initiatives with other professional organizations within our watershed.

Brandy Siedlaczek (term through 2010) – Brandy is the Storm Water Specialist for the City of Southfield and has worked for the City for the past ten years. Brandy has been involved with Friends of the Rouge Programs for over ten years, annually coordinates the activities of 100+ volunteers at the City of Southfield's Rouge Rescue, and has been a member of the Friends of the Rouge Education Task Force Committee for the past six years. Brandy is also the vice-chair of the Rouge RAP Advisory Council, Southfield's representative to the Alliance of Rouge Communities (ARC), and is an active member of the ARC Public Involvement and Education Committee. Brandy oversees the City of Southfield's storm water management activities and has been project manager for capital improvement projects related to water quality and storm water management such as the Carpenter Lake restoration project, Rouge Green Corridor activities and other City of Southfield stewardship projects. She has also been instrumental in securing over $1.5 million dollars in grant funding for several Southfield capital improvement projects. She received her bachelor's degree in Environmental Science from Michigan State University, and is currently working on her master degree in Urban and Regional Planning at Eastern Michigan University.

Samuel A. Smalley, PE (term through 2009) Superintendent of Engineering, Detroit Water and Sewerage Department    Sam was elected to the Board in 2006 and participates in a variety of FOTR activities including Rouge Rescue. Sam served on our Inaugural Golf Outing Committee and helped to make our event a huge success.

Susan Thompson (term through 2011) - Susan Thompson is a long time FOTR volunteer and member, participating in Rouge Rescue since 1990. She is a Bug Hunt Team Leader, and a Frog and Toad Surveyor, Watch Frog, and Rouge Rescue participant. She also served as a member of the Rouge Education Project (REP) Education Task Force. An 18-year employee of the Wayne County Department of Environment Water Quality Division, Susan is dedicated to protecting, preserving and restoring water resources. She coordinates and performs a wide variety of water quality monitoring projects in the Rouge River watershed and throughout Wayne County. A few examples of projects include coordinating and performing benthic monitoring (bug hunt) efforts, illicit discharge detection and elimination (IDEP) investigations, and physical and chemical water quality monitoring. She has a BS from Michigan State University and MS from University of Michigan-Dearborn. During her free time, she enjoys outdoor activities including hiking, running, and biking.

Robert Townsend (term through 2011) - Representing DENSO International America, Robert is a long-time supporter of FOTR, and in particular, the Rouge Education Project. Robert is the Director of the Environmental Safety and Health Department at DENSO and provides a team of dedicated employees that volunteer annually at the Rouge Rescue site in Southfield. Additionally, his team of co-ops developed a program called "Co-ops Collecting Cans for Community Contributions", where DENSO employees donate their returnable bottles and cans throughout the year and the co-ops cash them in and donate the proceeds to community charities. FOTR has been the proud recipient of this donation for the past two years. Robert has also been actively involved in the FOTR strategic planning process, taking on a leadership role in implementing the Program Development plan.

Incumbent Board Nominees

Michael Darga, P.E. - Michael has been on the FOTR board of directors since 1991, serving for many years as the Treasurer, three years as President and is currently the Vice-President.

Mike is currently a Senior Project Manager with the Detroit office of Giffels-Webster Engineers, Inc. specializing in municipal and non-motorized transportation and urban infrastructure.   Prior to that, he was the Director of Transportation for a national engineering firm (3 years) and the Engineer of Design for Wayne County Engineering (19 years).  While at Wayne County, he was involved in building the first storm water detention pond in Wayne County for a public road project, expanding the bicycle trail system within Hines Park, served on the Storm Water Workgroup that created the first Wayne County Storm Water Ordinance and was the County’s project manager for the Downriver Linked Greenways Initiative and the Miller Road component of the greening of the Ford Rouge Plant which converted part of the pavement into a vegetated swale.

He has a BS in Construction Engineering from Lawrence Technological University and a MSE in Construction Engineering and Management from the University of Michigan.  He is a registered professional engineer in the States of Michigan, Missouri and Kansas and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

New Candidates for Board of Directors

FOTR is looking to fill 5 3-year term seats and 1 1-year term seat.

Kurt Heise - Mr. Heise is Of Counsel to the law firm of Hemming, Polaczyk, Smith, Witthoff & Bennett, representing clients and providing counsel on municipal law, labor law, water and sewer law, land use, energy policy, natural resource management, and environmental policy. 

For more than 6 years, Mr. Heise was Director of the Wayne County Department of Environment and Wayne County Drain Commissioner.  He also served as the Mayor’s Deputy and Assistant City Attorney in Dearborn Heights and Woodhaven, Co-Chairman of the Michigan Groundwater Conservation Advisory Council, and was instrumental in the development of the original Rouge Assembly charter and Michigan’s Watershed Alliance Act (PA 517) of 2005.  He is the former Chairman of the Rouge River Remedial Action Plan Advisory Council, and currently serves on the Rouge Watershed Alliance, the Blue Ribbon Commission for Lake St. Clair, and the Wayne State University Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Advisory Board. 

He is also affiliated with Public Sector Consultants in Lansing, where he assists with special environmental and public policy matters for municipal and corporate clients. 

Mr. Heise is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, has participated in trade and educational missions to China and South Korea, and serves on the Plymouth-Canton Schools Educational Excellence Foundation Board of Directors.

Mr. Heise holds a BA in Honors Political Science from the University of Michigan, a Juris Doctor (JD - 1991) from Wayne State University Law School, and a Masters of Laws in Labor Law (LL.M - 1993) from Wayne State University Law School. 

Steve Weis - Steve has been an active participant in FOTR events for many years, but after his first Winter Stonefly Search in 2003, the bug bit, so to speak, and he has served as a team leader for the FOTR Bug Hunts ever since.  Steve has also participated in many other FOTR activities, such as stream bank stabilization projects, native plantings, the Frog and Toad Survey, Watch Frog, and Rouge Rescue.  Steve has worked in air quality regulation/planning for the past 14 and a half years, first with Wayne County and for the past 8 years with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.  During some of his free time, Steve satisfies his interest in the outdoors and ecology by volunteering with various organizations and projects.  He has been an active volunteer with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the International Wildlife Refuge Alliance at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge; the Johnson Creek Protection Group; the US Forest Service through which he is an Adopt-a-Forest volunteer in the Manistee National Forest; and Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision.  Steve has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Civil/Environmental Engineering.