Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently appointed Morehouse College graduate Nathan K. Ford to one of two open seats on the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents. The decisions were handed down Monday December 28 according to a statement from the university. Read below for more details on the exciting news.

The eight-member board is the governing body of the University.

Nathan K. Ford

Nathan K. Ford, of Detroit, is the associate vice president and director of public engagement for HNTB Corporation. Ford is a member of the COMTO Michigan Board and vice president of the Morehouse College Alumni Association Detroit Chapter. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Morehouse College. Ford is appointed for a term commencing January 1, 2021 and expiring December 31, 2028. He succeeds Mary Treder Lang whose term expires December 31, 2020.

Jessie Kimbrough Marshall, M.D., M.P.H., of Grosse Pointe Farms, currently volunteers at community mobile clinics with COVID-19 testing and flu vaccinations in several counties in Michigan. Dr. Kimbrough Marshall previously served as the medical director for the Washtenaw County Health Department and as a practicing clinical assistant professor at the University of Michigan Medical School.

Dr. Jessie Kimbrough Marshall

She earned her Bachelor of Science from Eastern Michigan University, Doctor of Medicine from Wayne State University School of Medicine, and Master of Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Kimbrough Marshall is appointed for a term commencing January 1, 2021 and expiring December 31, 2028. She succeeds Jim Webb whose term expires December 31, 2020.

Eunice Jeffries, chair of the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents, said, “I welcome Nathan Ford and Dr. Jessie Kimbrough Marshall to the Board of Regents. We are fortunate to have them and I look forward to engaging with them in the continued success of the University. I am thrilled with their background and credentials, and know they will join our other Board members in upholding the wonderful work of the University and its support of students in the new year and beyond.”

“I am pleased to learn of the appointments of Nathan Ford and Dr. Jessie Kimbrough Marshall to the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents,” said EMU President James Smith. “They bring an impressive skill set and perspectives to the board that are extremely important and relevant at this time  – particularly their deep involvement in public health and strategic community partnerships.”