Fall 2019 Meijer Lecture Panel

On Wednesday, October 30, the Meijer Lecture Series continued with a special guest, Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss, who became the first female mayor of Grand Rapids when she took office on January 1, 2016. She earned bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Criminal Justice from the University of South Alabama and a master’s in Social Work from Michigan State University. She accumulated over twenty years of experience in the fields of domestic violence and child welfare and served as a Second Ward City Commissioner for 10 years. She is past president of the Michigan Municipal League and has served on the boards of the Downtown Development Authority, Experience Grand Rapids, Convention Arena Authority, Economic Club of Grand Rapids, Mayor’s Innovation Project and Interurban Transit Partnership, and other organizations. Mayor Bliss has been recognized and honored locally as well as statewide for her commitment, dedication and work in the field of child abuse and neglect and for her leadership in the community. In Fall 2019 she began teaching HNR 312, a junior seminar on leadership and problem-solving, in her position as the Meijer Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. She was joined onstage by Honors Professor of Political Science Karen Zivi, who guided the conversation with a series of questions for the mayor.