Recognizing Kerreen Conley's Service to the City of Belleville

Floor Speech

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Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Kerreen Conley as she ends her twelve-year tenure as Mayor of the City of Belleville, Michigan after serving her local Wayne County community for over three decades. Her tremendous dedication to public service while also maintaining a full-time career is impressive and worthy of commendation.

Kerreen graduated from Central Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management before pursuing Master's degrees in Business Administration (MBA) and in Human Resources and Organizational Development from Eastern Michigan University. She began her decades of public service in 1990, working as Controller for the City of Ypsilanti before becoming Belleville City Manager in 1995 and Novi's Director of Developmental Services in 1998. Kerreen was successfully elected to the Belleville City Council in 2000, and was elected as the City's Mayor in late 2011. After serving three consecutive terms, she decided not to seek re-election and plans to dedicate her full attention to Human Resources Consulting when her political tenure draws to a close.

Kerreen can look back on an accomplished mayoral record that truly benefitted her community. Chief among her achievements is the preservation of essential city services, such as the Belleville District Library. The library, which is over a century old and sits in the heart of downtown Belleville, recently received some much-needed renovations that will ensure it can continue to serve tri-community residents for years to come. As mayor, Kerreen also served on the bipartisan Board of Directors of the Conference of Western Wayne alongside the chief elected officials of seventeen other member communities. She has chaired the Conference since January 2020, coordinating emergency services and working to alleviate countless other needs for an area encompassing 340 square miles and over 700,000 residents.

Perhaps most impressively, Kerreen was a dedicated mayor while simultaneously juggling various other demanding roles. She has been the Chief Executive Officer of RD Advisors, LLC for over a decade and served as Redford Township's Human Resources Director from 2014 through 2016 before assuming a similar role in Canton Township. Two years ago, she took on her current title of Senior Manager Human Resources Consultant at Rehmann. In addition to her time in local government and HR work, Kerreen has made many other significant contributions to our local community. She has dedicated herself to various organizations over the years, notably serving as an advisory board member at the Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan for seven years and being an avid fundraiser for various local non-profits, including the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Kerreen's devotion to serving the residents of Wayne County and beyond is nothing short of inspirational, and I am proud to have such a selfless individual leading our local community.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in celebrating Kerreen Conley for her lifetime of dedication to serving Wayne County's local communities as she wraps up her tenure at the helm of the City of Belleville. For the last three decades, Kerreen has worked tirelessly to benefit those around her and has made significant contributions to preserving and providing invaluable local services. We thank her for her tremendous efforts, and wish her all the best as she embarks upon her next endeavor.

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