Alumni to serve on university boards

Three Grand Valley State graduates will serve on university boards; two were appointed by Gov. Snyder, one was elected.

Mary Kramer, vice president and publisher of Crain’s Detroit Business, was appointed to serve on Grand Valley’s Board of Trustees. Kramer graduated from Grand Valley in 1979 and had years of reporting and management experience at daily newspapers before joining Crain’s in 1989 as editor. She holds honorary doctorates from Grand Valley, Walsh College, Alma College and Central and Eastern Michigan universities. She was the first woman to be elected president of the historic Detroit Athletic Club and is a member of the foundation boards at Wayne State, Grand Valley and the Michigan Colleges Foundation.

Erin R. Brown, who works as an adviser and project manager for Rockford-based Holton Research LLC, was appointed to serve on the Board of Trustees at Ferris State University. Brown earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Grand Valley in 1980 and has served as adjunct marketing faculty at Grand Valley. She has also served as a government relations supervisor, industry and community affairs manager, and corporate citizenship manager for Amway Corp.

Sandra Hughes O’Brien was elected to the Wayne State University Board of Governors. O’Brien, a native of Saugatuck, earned a bachelor’s degree in legal studies from Grand Valley in 1990 and a law degree from the Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University in 1998. She is the principal owner of O’Brien Law Office in Northville; she concentrates her practice in the areas of estate planning, probate and trust administration.