2016 SPEAKER BIOS

ELEANOR “COCO” SIEWERT

Eleanor “Coco” Siewert is a Professional Registered Parliamentarian with the National Association of Parliamentarians. She serves a number of local, state, and national organizations. These organizations range from stockholder companies, to unions, and include both private and public non-profit organizations. She assists with the construction of agendas, proper procedures for conducting meetings, preparation of minutes, and writing and implementing bylaws. Coco is a trainer for municipalities in parliamentary procedure and the Open Meetings Act and served two terms as the mayor of Birmingham. Coco has a Master’s in Dispute Resolution from Wayne State University and uses her skills primarily in the arena of resolving public disputes.

LISA FREIBURGER

Ms. Freiburger is the Vice President for Finance and Administration at Grand Rapids Community College. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, with a major in accounting and a minor in finance, from Central Michigan University in 1989. She received her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Western Michigan University in 2010. Ms. Freiburger is a CPA, beginning her career in public accounting with the firm of Maner Costerison and Ellis in 1989. She moved from there to Grand Rapids Public Schools in 1995, working first as an internal auditor, and ending her career there as Deputy Superintendent and Chief Financial Officer. In 2011 she moved to Grand Rapids Community College to assume the role of Vice President for Finance and Administration. Ms. Freiburger serves on the Grand Rapids Community College Foundation Board, Grand Rapids Smart Zone Authority Board, West Michigan Health Insurance Pool Board, and West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology.

DANIEL J. PHELAN

Dr. Daniel J. Phelan has been President of Jackson College since 2001. Phelan is also Chairman of the Board of Directors for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and Co-Chair of AACC’s Higher Education Act Reauthorization Task Force. He is also Chair-Elect of the Higher Education Research and Development Institute. Phelan serves on a number of other national boards, including the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE), and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK). He is a regular national presenter and an author of numerous professionalarticles, monographs, and essays which have appeared in various books and publications including New Directions in the Community College, the Community College Journal of Research and Practice, the Journal of Applied Research in theCommunity College and the Community College Journal. His new book, UnrelentingChange, Innovation, and Risk: Forging the Next Generation of Colleges was published in January 2016 by Rowman and Littlefield. Phelanholds a Ph.D. in HigherEducation Administration from Iowa State University, an M.B.A. from St. Ambrose University, and a both an B.A. in Business Administration and an A.A. degree in Liberal Arts from Mount St. Clare College.

SAMUEL R. BARNES

Samuel Barnes is the Board Chair of Jackson College, and is Vice President of Commonwealth Associates, Inc., an EC&M Magazine 2015 Top 40 Design Engineering Firm headquartered in Jackson. Barnes attended Jackson Community College before continuing on to the University of Michigan, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and an MBA with distinction. In his role at Commonwealth, he manages the Power Generation & Energy Group and is on the Board of Directors. Committed to his community, Barnes has been a member of the Cascades Lions Club since 1998, serving terms as President, Secretary, and Board Member. Barnes also has volunteered to share career information about engineering with the Explorers. He proudly served his country as a member of the U.S. Army Reserves from 1986-1992. Barnes is married to Jamie and is the father of three children, all of whom have attended Jackson College.

STEPHEN GILL

Dr. Gill was elected to the Washtenaw Community College Board of Trustees in November 2004 for a six-year term that began in January 2005. He was re-elected in November 2010 for another six year term and his current term expired December 31, 2016. He was twice elected to serve as Board Chair. Dr. Gill is an independent consultant who works with business, government, and non-profit organizations to evaluate and increase the impact of performance improvement programs. He grew up in Minneapolis, attended the University of Minnesota and then moved to Chicago and earned Master's and Ph.D. degrees in counseling psychology from Northwestern University. He moved to Ann Arbor in 1977 to join the faculty of the University of Michigan School of Education. Gill has been an independent consultant since 1993 and is also co-owner of Learning to be Great™, an online marketplace for organizational learning and improvement materials. Previously, he was with FERA, a program evaluation firm in Ann Arbor, and then with United Training Services, a consulting firm located in Southfield. He is author of five books and nearly 50 articles about counseling, program evaluation, employee training and organizational learning. He writes The Performance Improvement Blog.