West Bloomfield Man Appointed to University Board of Trustees

Gov. Rick Snyder today announced the appointments of Steve Mitchell, of West Bloomfield, and Thomas Zurbuchen, of Ann Arbor, to the Northern Michigan University board of trustees.

Mitchell, who holds a bachelor's degree in political science and history from the Marquette-based university, is chairman of Mitchell Research and Communications Inc.. In this role, a position he has held since 1985, he has provided public relations, public affairs, marketing research and political consulting services to corporate, association and government clients in more than 40 states.

"The opportunity to serve the university from which I graduated is something I take very seriously," Mitchell wrote in a public post on Facebook. "I received an outstanding education at NMU from great professors who cared deeply about their students."

Mitchell replaces Jon G. (Jack) LaSalle.

Zurbuchen is associate dean of entrepreneurial programs at the University of Michigan's College of Engineering and founding director of the Center for Entrepreneurship. He replaces Brian Cloyd.

The eight-person board is the governing body of the university. Appointees will serve eight-year terms that expire Dec. 31, 2020, subject to Senate approval.