Conan Smith Email & Phone Number

Ann Arbor, Mi, Us

Lansing, Michigan

I'm proud to lead the coalition of naturalists, conservationists and environmental justice advocates at MEC who work every day to ensure that the people of the Great Lake State have healthy, beautiful and sustainable places in which to live and recreate.

Ann Arbor, Mi

At the Ford School of Public Policy I supported the engaged learning curriculum for graduate students, teaching intergovernmental cooperation and managing the annual all-school graduate policy simulation. I coordinated the Detroit Area Community Study which conducts survey research on contemporary issues in the metro Detroit region.

Ann Arbor, Mi

At Adaptive Strategics, I helped clients investigate and advance solutions to complex policy issues. I specialize in community engagement and facilitation (getting people with very different perspectives to work together productively) and in strategic communications (ensuring teams have resonant and effective messaging that strengthens their connectivity with stakeholders and constituents). My clients includee the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, the Urban Institute, Equality Michigan and several state elected officials.

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Chair of the Board, 2011-12Ways & Means, Chair, 2009-10Ways & Means, Vice Chair, 2007-08It was a true pleasure to represent the progressive values of Ann Arbor residents on the County board. We accomplished great things while I served on the board, including reinvesting heavily in Ypsilanti to foster equitable redevelopment, expanding access to early childhood education, and advancing innovative practices in municipal budgeting. Some of my favorite moments: working with WCPARC and the ACLU to craft the state's first religious accommodation policy for public pools to ensure our Muslim residents can enjoy our facilities with safety and dignity; combining workforce, community and economic development into a single department to focus on economic opportunity for our most challenged communities; and drawing the attention of the Alliance for Innovation for our strategic budgeting process elevating impacts and outcomes over activity-based investing.

Ferndale, Mi

I was lucky to manage a staff of incredibly talented change-makers and a multi-million dollar budget to foster better intergovernmental practices in southeast Michigan. Under my watch, the Michigan Business Review named us one of the state's "Most Innovative Companies", and Crain's Detroit Business called us one of the "Coolest Places to Work". Our successes included creating MEDC's "Redevelopment Communities Program", launching the multijurisdictional Southeast Michigan Regional Energy Office, and championing the creating of the Southeast Michigan Regional Energy Office. From a fledgling nonprofit with 1.5 FTE's and a budget of $150,000, we grew to a peak of $3.5M and 23 staff members.

Bachelor’S Degree, Creative Writing And English Literature

Master’S Degree, Dispute Resolution