JoLynn Clark, Principal at Frankenmuth High School and MASSP Board of Directors Representative, Region 4

Today, Governor Whitmer's office announced that JoLynn Clark, Principal of Frankenmuth High School, has been appointed to the Governor's Return to School Advisory Council. This group of 25 experts includes educators, parents, and students who will work closely with the governor to help identify the critical issues that must be addressed, provide valuable input to inform the process of returning to school, and to ensure a smooth and safe transition back to school. The Council will act in an advisory capacity to the Governor and the COVID-19 Task Force on Education, and will develop and submit recommendations to the COVID-19 Task Force on Education regarding the safe, equitable, and efficient K-12 return to school in the fall.

"I am honored to have been invited to serve as a member of the Governor’s Council," Ms. Clark said. "As a principal I have experienced firsthand the many challenging facets remote learning has presented this spring. I look forward to collaborating with colleagues from such diverse backgrounds and to bring a perspective that is mindful of a variety of school settings - rural, urban, and suburban - to ensure that equitable access to education and the needs of all schools and all students are in the forefront of decision making as we plan for the return to school in the fall of 2020."

JoLynn Clark is a career educator with 18 years in Michigan's public school system.  She has worked in Frankenmuth as a building administrator for the past 12 years and was an English and Psychology teacher for the 6 years preceding her work as a principal.  JoLynn holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Interpersonal & Public Communications (1999, CMU); Bachelor of Science in Education - English and Psychology double major (2002, CMU) and a Master of Arts Teaching (2004, SVSU) and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership (2007, SVSU).  She currently represents Region 4 on the MASSP Board of Directors.

Wendy Zdeb, MASSP’s Executive Director stated, “I am pleased to see that JoLynn Clark will be on the Governor’s Return to School Advisory Council.  Mrs. Clark is a proven leader who has been recognized by her colleagues as they elected her to the Region 4 seat on the MASSP Board of Directors. We are also very happy to see that the important voice of building leaders will be represented on the Council.” 

The Council members are appointed for a term of service commencing June 3, 2020 and expiring December 31, 2020. Here is the full list of all 25 members named to the Governor's Return to School Advisory Council:

  • Tonya Allen, of Franklin, is the president and CEO of The Skillman Foundation, and will serve as chair of the Return to Learn Advisory Council.
  • Angela M. Blood Starr, of Kalamazoo, is the regional school health coordinator for the Calhoun Intermediate School District.
  • Nicole Britten, of Saint Joseph, is the health officer for the Berrien County Health Department.
  • Johanna L. Clark, of Frankenmuth, is the principal of Frankenmuth High School.
  • Mary R. Gebara, of Okemos, is a trustee with the Okemos Public Schools Board of Education and chairperson of staff outreach for the Okemos Education Foundation.
  • Dominic A. Gonzales, of Lincoln Park, is a student in the Detroit Public Schools Community District.
  • David Hecker, Ph.D., of Huntington Woods, is the president of AFT Michigan.
  • Paula J. Herbart, of Lansing, is the president of the Michigan Education Association.
  • Melissa Isaac, of Mount Pleasant, is the director of education for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan.
  • Elizabeth S. Koschmann, Ph.D., of Ann Arbor, is a licensed psychologist and an assistant research scientist in psychiatry at the University of Michigan.
  • Stephen McNew, Ed.D., of Monroe, is the superintendent of the Monroe County Intermediate School District.
  • Vic Michaels, of Detroit, is the assistant superintendent of student services and athletics for the Archdiocese of Detroit Catholic Schools and director of the Catholic High School League.
  • Justin S. Michalak, of Grosse Pointe Woods, is the assistant superintendent for special education for the Macomb Intermediate School District.
  • Nicholas J. Paradiso, III, of Grand Rapids, is the vice president of government relations for National Heritage Academies.
  • Lisa M. Peacock, of Traverse City, is the health officer for the Health Department of Northwest Michigan.
  • Kevin Polston, of Grand Haven, is the superintendent of Godfrey-Lee Public Schools.
  • Gwendolyn R. Reyes, M.D., of Grand Blanc, is the assistant clinic director at the Hurley Children’s Clinic, director of the pediatric residency program at the Hurley Children’s Hospital, medical director for the Flint Community Schools Wellness Program, and a clinical assistant professor in the Michigan State University Department of Pediatrics and Human Development.
  • Robert Shaner, Ph.D., of Shelby Township, is the superintendent of Rochester Community Schools.
  • Anupam Chugh Sidhu, of Canton, is the instructional technology manager for Wayne RESA and president of the Plymouth-Canton School Board.
  • Travis Smith, Ed.D., of Marquette, is an elementary school principal in Marquette Area Public Schools.
  • Joshua J. Smith, of Jackson, is a school counselor for Western School District in Parma, a lead facilitator for the Michigan College Access Network, and a counselor at A Healing Place.
  • Stephanie M. Sutton, of Commerce Township, is a central clinical infection preventionist for the Beaumont Health System.
  • Gregory Talberg, of Williamston, is a teacher with Howell Public Schools.
  • Ridgeway H. White, of Fenton, is the president and CEO of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
  • Kymberli A. Wregglesworth, of Onaway, is a teacher with Onaway Area Community Schools.

For more information on the larger decision-making process for reopening schools in the fall and where the Governor's Return to School Advisory Council fits in that framework see MASSP's earlier article.