Promoting Civic Discourse - Democratic and Republican politicians on bridging the political divide
Presented with the Year of Democracy, Civic Empowerment & Global Engagement
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Tonya Schuitmaker, Rebekah Warren, Rusty Hills, Mark BrewerDate & time
How to attend
Former Michigan State Senators Tonya Schuitmaker and Rebekah Warren are the leads at Michiganders for Civic Resilience (MCR), which is dedicated to fostering a vibrant democracy founded on trust, dialogue, and accountability. Its mission is "to bridge the divides of political polarization, restore civil discourse, and uphold the integrity of U.S. elections."
The politicians from across the aisle will discuss cross-partisan collaboration and how it can play a vital role in promoting unity, understanding, and constructive dialogue, ultimately benefiting the public by facilitating more inclusive and effective governance. The discussion also will include former chairs of the state Republican and Democratic parties, Rusty Hills and Mark Brewer, respectively.
Speaker Bios:
Mark Brewer
Mark Brewer, an attorney at Goodman Acker, P.C., was elected Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party (MDP), a position he held until 2013, marking the longest tenure in MDP history. Concurrently, he served as a member of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 1995 to 2013, including a pivotal period from 2005 to 2009 when he presided as President of the Association of State Democratic Chairs.
His legal career began by clerking for a judge of the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and later for Michigan Supreme Court Justice Charles Levin.
Brewer has dedicated significant time to pro bono legal work for various state and national organizations, notably the ACLU of Michigan and the League of Women Voters of Michigan.
Rusty Hills
Rusty Hills is a lecturer in public policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. He has served in senior leadership roles in the Michigan Office of Governor and the Michigan Department of Attorney General for 23 years, including senior advisor to the Attorney General and director of public affairs for the Office of Governor. Hills was elected unanimously to serve as chair of the Michigan Republican Party in 2000 and again in 2001.
In 1990, Hills served on the transition team for Governor-elect John Engler, and again in 2010 for Attorney General-elect Bill Schuette. He has attended eight national conventions as a delegate or speechwriter. Prior to government, public service and politics, Hills worked as a reporter and anchorman for CBS and NBC television affiliates in Lansing, Jackson, and Flint, Michigan.
Tonya Schuitmaker
Tonya Schuitmaker served in the Michigan Senate from 2010-2018 and was chosen by colleagues to serve as the Senate's President Pro Tempore, the second woman to hold the position. She served on the Senate Appropriations Committee and as a Chairperson of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education. She was also a member of the Senate's Judiciary, and Energy & Technology committees.
She is a practicing attorney at Schuitmaker Moraitis Law in Paw Paw, Michigan. She is also Co-Director of the Michigan Political Leadership Program at Michigan State University. She served as president of the Van Buren County Bar Association, the Van Buren County Republican Women, and as Vice-Chair for Van Buren County Republicans. Schuitmaker was named a 2014 Aspen Institute Rodel Public Leadership Fellow. She is currently a Community Board member for Sturgis Bank & Trust Company.
Rebekah Warren
Rebekah Warren served in the Michigan Legislature as a State Representative and State Senator from 2007-2020, representing Ann Arbor and parts of Washtenaw County. Known for her ability to reach across the aisle and negotiate, Rebekah consistently found a way to pass critical legislation without compromising her values. Examples of her accomplishments include advancing health care parity laws, shepherding the passage of legislation to require health insurance providers to cover the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders, establishing a licensure program for the practice of applied behavioral analysis, sponsoring legislation that created the legal framework for the development and testing of autonomous and connected vehicle technologies, and championing the legislation that enshrined a woman’s right to breastfeed her child anywhere that she is legally allowed to be.
During her time in the House, she shepherded ratification of the Great Lakes Basin Water Resources Compact -- landmark water protection legislation that effectively banned the diversion of water from outside the basin. She was subsequently appointed to represent Michigan on the Great Lakes Commission, a bi-national and interstate commission focused on water use and conservation.
Before being elected, she led NARAL Pro-Choice Michigan, which at that time was the state’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-choice organization, for seven years. Rebekah is President of Adaptive Strategics, LLC a non-profit and political consulting firm.
