Former House Speaker says politics not a factor in new role at Southwest Michigan First
Updated Feb 15, 2021;
Posted Feb 15, 2021
Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives Lee Chatfield (R-Levering) President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus on Thursday, May 21, 2020.
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Chatfield, 32, is the incoming CEO of Kalamazoo-based Southwest Michigan First, the nonprofit announced Thursday, Feb. 11.
“I’m excited about this new role, and to take it in a nonpartisan fashion,” Chatfield said during an interview with MLive a day after the hire was announced.
The former state lawmaker from Levering, in Northern Michigan, is looking for a place to move to in Southwest Michigan, he told MLive on Friday.
Kalamazoo commissioners cancel membership with Southwest Michigan First over CEO selection
Updated Feb 16, 2021;
KALAMAZOO, MI The Kalamazoo City Commission has distanced itself from Southwest Michigan First after the organization hired a new CEO with a high-profile political resume and views that commissioners say they do not agree with.
Former Michigan Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield has been hired as CEO of the economic development nonprofit Southwest Michigan First, the organization announced on Thursday, Feb. 11.
At the Kalamazoo City Commission meeting on Monday, Feb. 15, Commissioner Erin Knott made the motion that the city withdraw from Southwest Michigan First’s Council of 100, which includes other entities such as Western Michigan University, Bronson HealthCare, Millennium Restaurant Group, Greenleaf Trust, Stryker, and others, according to the Southwest Michigan First web site.
Former Michigan House Speaker named CEO of Kalamazoo-based Southwest Michigan First
Updated Feb 11, 2021;
Posted Feb 11, 2021
Speaker of the House Rep. Lee Chatfield pictured at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing on Thursday, April 25, 2019.Neil Blake | MLive.com
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KALAMAZOO, MI Regional economic development organization Southwest Michigan First has hired Lee Chatfield, the former Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, to serve as its new chief executive officer.
Southwest Michigan First, which is based in Kalamazoo but serves a larger seven-county region, made the announcement in a news release posted to its website on Thursday, Feb. 11.
“We are proud to welcome Lee Chatfield to our team as CEO and are excited to work with him to do even more to improve our region and assist companies in creating Michigan jobs,” Southwest Michigan First Chairman Aaron Zeigler said in the release.