The Southeast Governmental Alliance (SEGA) Membership and the Search Team for the Executive Director position at SEMCA are pleased and honored to announce that Mr. Gregory E. Pitoniak has accepted the position of Executive Director, SEMCA.

Mr. Pitoniak is a lifetime Michigan resident and has been deeply committed to public service, particularly in Southeast Michigan. He currently serves as Deputy State Treasurer of Michigan but will be resigning that post and joining SEMCA on June 18, 2007.

Prior to accepting the appointment in the state Treasurer’s office Greg served as the full time elected Mayor of Taylor, as a state representative in the Michigan House of Representatives, as Director of Economic Development with the Downriver Community Conference and as Executive Director of the Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County. He has held leadership positions with numerous Boards, public/ private and intergovernmental partnerships, and other collaborative efforts including the Michigan Suburbs Alliance, the Metropolitan Affairs Corporation, SEMCOG (Southeast Michigan Council of Governments), and the Downriver Community Conference.

As was previously noted in the search criteria, SEMCA’s stakeholders chartered the Search Team to find candidates who are both business and politically savvy, who could navigate the challenges of administering programs supported by multiple and diverse funding sources and who could build on SEMCA’s reputation for innovation and excellence. Greg’s public service background and reputation as a leader, a collaborator and a consensus builder make him uniquely qualified to lead the SEMCA organization to the next level of leadership and impact in Wayne and Monroe Counties as well as the state. It is expected that his knowledge of government finance and regulations and his management style of delegation, support and open communication will also bring value to the agency while maintaining its reputation for administrative excellence.

Mr. Pitoniak holds a B.A. in Urban Studies/ Political Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of North Carolina where he attended as a National Public Service Fellow. He completed Harvard University’s Senior Executive Program in State/ Local Government as a Taubman Fellow and is a Certified Industrial Developer as accredited by the American Economic Development Council.

SEGA and the Search Team are pleased to present Mr. Pitoniak as the new Executive Director of SEMCA.