September 13, 2024
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has appointed two individuals to serve eight-year terms on the Oakland University Board of Trustees effective on August 29, 2024. David Kramer is a re-appointee and Melanie Brown will serve on the board in her first term.
David Kramer, of Birmingham, is the founding principal of Gemini Risk Partners. Kramer previously served as the senior vice president of Oswald Companies and vice president of Alliant. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor degree from George Washington University. Kramer is the immediate past president of Hebrew Free Loan of Metropolitan Detroit and a board member with the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, the Detroit Jewish News Foundation, and the Zekelman Holocaust Center. David Kramer is reappointed for a term commencing August 29, 2024, and expiring August 11, 2032.
Melanie Brown, of Farmington Hills, is the State Executive Ombudsman for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. An experienced public service professional, she has served as deputy chief of staff in the Whitmer Administration, deputy director of the Department of Talent and Economic Development and deputy director for Southeast Michigan in the Granholm Administration. In addition, she has held leadership positions in multiple state departments, including Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Civil Rights, and Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. Brown is appointed for a term commencing August 29, 2024, and expiring August 11, 2032. She succeeds Robert Schostak, whose term has expired.
The Board of Trustees governs and provides general supervision of the university, including control and direction of all expenditures from the institution's funds. The Board also appoints the university president, as well as the secretary to the board and treasurer.
These appointments are subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.