Meet Our Board
Laura Reznich, Chair CFO, Plascon
Laura Reznich currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer for Plascon Group, a specialty plastic packaging conglomerate with offices in Traverse City. Prior to this, she started Tiered Consulting LLC, a consulting firm established in 2019 to help small business owners plan, organize, run, and grow their business. Before starting her own business, she served as the Director of Finance and Assistant Treasurer for Graceland Fruit, Inc., located in Frankfort. Graceland is a privately-held, diversified provider of infused and infused dried fruit and fruit juice concentrate products. Laura started with Graceland as an Accounting Manager in 2001 after relocating her family from the metro-Detroit area. Prior to joining Graceland, Laura developed accounting, systems integration, supervisory and manufacturing experience in the metro Detroit area. Laura is active in her community and school enrichment programs helping to raise over $400,000 for Frankfort School enrichment over the past 10 years. Laura received a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from Michigan State University in 1993 and subsequently received her Master of Science in Finance from Walsh College of Business. She lives in Frankfort with her husband Tim and their two children.
Carla Gribbs, Immediate Past Chair DTE Energy, retired
Carla Gribbs, Former Regional Manager for DTE Energy in Northern Michigan responsible for maintaining a strong relationship with community leaders, local and county governments and statewide government organizations. In addition to government relations, she has experience in lean six sigma/continuous improvement efforts at DTE Energy and non-profit organizations. Ms. Gribbs currently serves on the board of the Northern Lakes Economic Alliance, the Otsego County Economic Alliance and the Michigan Municipal League Foundation (currently vice chairperson). Past board experience includes Leadership Oakland (former chairperson), the Rochester Community Schools Foundation (former chairperson), Eight Mile Boulevard Association (former chairperson) and the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce, among others. A graduate of Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Public Administration Degree, Ms. Gribbs received her Master of Business Administration from the University of Detroit. She and her husband reside in Garfield Township and have 3 grown children.
Laura Trudeau, Secretary Principal, Trudeau Consulting
Laura J. Trudeau, principal of Trudeau Consulting, LLC, retired in December 2016 from The Kresge Foundation, where she served as senior advisor to the president on regional transit in 2016. For ten years prior, she was managing director of Kresge’s Detroit Program leading the foundation’s nine-point investment framework to foster green, healthy, active neighborhoods and a vibrant downtown while increasing access to economic opportunity, education, transportation, and arts and culture. She worked nationally with community development grantmakers and practitioners to identify promising initiatives for the redevelopment of older industrial cities and to build bridges between Detroit and other urban communities to encourage the sharing of information and strategies. A graduate of Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Laura is active in the nonprofit sector. She chairs the board of Detroit Future City, serves on boards of Invest Detroit, the Detroit Symphony, Community Reinvestment Fund (Minneapolis), and is involved as a volunteer with the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, Gleaners Food Bank, and M-1 RAIL, Inc.
Bill Byrne, Treasurer VP of Financial Planning and Acquisitions, Hagerty
Bill serves as Vice President of Financial Planning and Acquisitions for Hagerty. He grew up in Traverse City and graduated from St. Francis High School. He then attended Alma College and graduated with degrees in finance and economics. Since returning to Traverse City and joining Hagerty in 2012, he has held various positions in accounting, finance, and financial planning and analysis – where he has had an active role in the growth and strategic direction of the company. He lives in Cedar with his wife, two children (plus one on the way) and his German shepherd Macie.
Skip Simms, Loan Committee Chair Member, Michigan Angel Fund
Skip Simms is a managing member of the Michigan Angel Fund, a for-profit which invests in Michigan based technology companies that are capital deficient. This is the state’s largest angel group with 120 high net worth individuals. Prior to this, Skip served as Senior Vice President with Ann Arbor Spark where his work focused on technology start-ups and early-stage companies to help them in their preparation for equity fund raising. He has served on the Venture North Loan Committee since its inception (2010). Prior to his role at Ann Arbor SPARK, Skip was the Managing General Partner at the Ralph Wilson Equity Fund, which was a $31 million fund-of-funds with LP investments in several venture capital funds. RWEF also made side-by-side direct investments in several early-stage companies. In 2018, he was recognized in the first annual Business magazine list of Detroit’s 500 most powerful people. Skip participates on both profit and non-profit boards and was a founding member of the Michigan Venture Capital Association.
Lauren Harris, Marketing Committee Chair Employee Benefits Specialist, Advantage Benefits
As a Business Sales Executive with Priority Health, Lauren Harris is responsible for educating, quoting and implementing Priority Health medical benefits for employers in northern Michigan. She holds a life, accident and health producer license from the State of Michigan, and a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration from the University of Michigan. From 2016 to 2017, Lauren was Chair of the Traverse City Young Professionals (FUSE) program where she led a steering committee of young professionals to create a comprehensive program to attract, motivate, develop and retain young professionals in our Northern Michigan community. With this role, Lauren also served on the Board of Directors for the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce. Recently she served on the fundraising committee for Munson’s upcoming Family Birth and Children’s Center. Today, Lauren is an active member of the Traverse Chamber Leadership Committee, serves on the Board of Directors for Goodwill Industries of Northern Michigan and is an active member of Impact 100 in Traverse City. She is also co-owner of Epic Powersports in Traverse City with her husband, Matt, which started in 2011. Together they have a five-year-old son and two year old daughter.
Warren Call CEO, Traverse Connect
Warren Call took over the role as CEO of TraverseCONNECT in March 2019. Formerly a Vice President and Private Bank Regional Manager for Huntington Bank and Chair of the Grand Traverse County Economic Development Corp. Call has worked in various capacities and senior leadership roles at Huntington since joining the bank in 2009. Before that he worked as a client advisor for Merrill Lynch in Traverse City, and as a sales manager for Crystal Mountain Resort. He holds a MBA degree in International Finance from St. John’s University in Rome, Italy, and earned his undergraduate degree at Michigan State University. Call is involved in several nonprofit and policy organizations that work on business expansion and economic development in Northern Michigan. Beyond his service on the Grand Traverse County EDC, he’s also a founding chair of the 20Fathoms Technology Hub and Incubator in Downtown Traverse City, a co-founder of the Front Street Irregulars group and served as founding board member of the TCNewTech meet-up held monthly at the City Opera House.
Mary Clulo Corporate Treasurer, Munson Healthcare
Mary works at Munson Healthcare leading the Treasury and Tax teams. She administers compliance, risk evaluation, and best practice for Munson’s working capital, investments, debt, and tax obligations, as well as develops treasury strategies and resources that support Munson’s goals. She has served as the chair of the Northwest Food Coalition Operating Committee since March of 2018 and has been passionate and active for years with projects to connect underserved populations with access to healthy food. Mary earned a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame and a Master Degree in Public Policy with a focus on health policy from the University of Chicago. Mary and her husband, Tim, are empty nesters who enjoy cross-country skiing, hiking, biking, swimming, and all that northern Michigan offers outdoors.
Andy Cole Senior VP, NW MI Region, Cunningham‐Limp
Andy Cole is a Senior Vice President serving the Northwest Michigan Region for Cunningham‐Limp, a diversified real estate firm that specializes in development, design, and construction. As SVP, he shapes the growth and development of commercial real estate in Northwest Michigan. In 2017, Andy moved from Boston to his hometown in Traverse City where he helped lead a local movement to bring sustainable jobs to the community by launching 20Fathoms, the official technology and startup hub of Northern Michigan. He holds a liberal arts degree from Kalamazoo College, a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from Babson College.
Eric Gustad Community Affairs Manager, Consumers Energy
Eric Gustad is a Community Affairs Manager for Consumers Energy, Michigan’s largest energy provider. He proudly services the counties of Oceana, Mason, Manistee, Benzie and Leelanau, ensuring his friends and neighbors receive hometown service. Eric is a 9-year veteran of Consumers Energy, and currently works out of the Ludington Service Center. Previously, he spent 11 years working for the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians managing their training, education, and leadership development programs. Eric has served as a Manistee Planning Commissioner and City Council Member and is currently a Manistee County Commissioner. In the community, Eric serves on regional economic development boards, chamber boards and charitable organization boards. He has a Bachelor Degree in Business Management from Ferris State University and resides in Manistee (where he graduated high school) with his girlfriend, Laurie Blevins, and their two dogs.
Chris Hackbarth Regional Manager, DTE Energy
Chris Hackbarth assumed his current role as Regional Manager for DTE Energy in early 2022, where he coordinates community engagement and local government relations throughout northern Michigan. Previously, Chris served as the director of state and federal affairs for the Michigan Municipal League for much of the past decade, representing the state’s municipal governments in Lansing on policy issues. Chris has worked for legislative leadership in both the Michigan House and Michigan Senate, for the Michigan Secretary of State, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office, and a private lobbying firm. He has a B.A. in International Relations from Michigan State University’s James Madison College. He currently serves on the Otsego County Economic Alliance Board of Directors, the Northern Lakes Economic Alliance Board of Directors, and the Grand Traverse Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors. He is a member of the Traverse Connect Government Relations committee, the Benzie Regional Chamber of Commerce Advocacy Committee, and the joint Charlevoix‐Petoskey Chamber Government Relations Committee.
Sakura Takano CEO, Rotary Charities
Sakura Takano is the Chief Executive Officer of Rotary Charities. Previously, she held the role of Director of Community Assets and Impact Investing. Prior to her work at Rotary Charities, she led the homeless and housing and workforce development programs at Goodwill Northern Michigan for seven years, securing strong local partnerships to leverage new state and federal funding for rural initiatives. Sakura believes in a holistic, open-listening approach to creating positive community change and brings non-conventional minds together to implement data-driven solutions. She laid her groundwork for leveraging financial tools to support community change at JPMorgan in the investment banking and capital markets divisions. Sakura holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Economics from Boston College, and an MBA in Social Enterprise from Columbia Business School. Board memberships include Munson Healthcare, IFF, a large regional CDFI headquartered in Chicago, and Venture North Funding and Development, a regional small business CDFI based in Traverse City. She spends her free time enjoying the splendors of Northwest Lower Michigan with her children, Amina and Eiji, and Covid-19 puppy, Lafayette.
Louise Wenzel Chair, The Antrim Foundation
Originally from Southeast Michigan, Louise has served in a number of positions as a senior financial manager with a record of consistent achievement, proven management abilities and personal commitment. Louise spent 26 years in Internal Audit and Regulatory Compliance at NBD/First Chicago/Bank One; was the Controller for Detroit Public Television; served as a Regulatory Compliance Consultant for Plante Moran; and retired from Detroit Country Day School as the Chief Financial Officer. In 2015 she moved full-time to Bellaire and has become deeply integrated into the community and County. She formed LJL Consulting and assists small businesses requiring financial and operational assistance. In 2019, she was approached by the then Executive Director of the Bellaire Chamber of Commerce to assist in the formation of The Antrim Foundation where she serves as Chair. She holds a BA in Accounting from the University of Michigan and served as a board member of Detroit Downtown, Inc. She enjoys golfing, biking, kayaking and pickle ball with her husband and sharing life with their 4-pound Yorkie Beamer.
Greg West Program Manager of Federal Programs, Michigan Economic Development Corp.
Greg West joined the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) in April of 2008, and currently serves as the Manager of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program for the State of Michigan. As the CDBG Program Manager, his responsibilities include overseeing CDBG Incentives, the Certified Grant Administrator Program, the CDBG Loan Program, the Infrastructure and Resiliency Funding Rounds, and the CDBG Funding Guide. He has developed a diverse set of community and economic development skills working as a member of the Business Development, Community Development and Capital Access teams at the MEDC, and though prior experiences at Bank of America and the Kansas Health Institute. He is certified as an Economic Development Finance Professional by the National Development Council and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Relations from James Madison College, Michigan State University. Greg lives in Grand Ledge with his wife Chelsea and their two kids.