mi ag speaker biographies

8/3/2019 MI AG Speaker Biographies

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Clearing the Air: Implem enting and EnforcingM ichigan's Medical Marijuana LawAs Michigan's top law enforcement officer, Attorney General B ill Schuette isworking together with law enforcem ent, the medical comm unity, and prosecutors toend criminal exploitation of loopholes in M ichigan's Medical M arijuana law. BillSchuette is w orking to protect public safety by supporting local authorities in courtto ensure the law is clearly defined and enforced, including efforts to enforce theprohibition on illegal dispensaries. Schuette is also w orking w ith legislators to craftlegislation to close loopholes in the law and providing guidance to prosecutorsthrough form al Attorney Gen eral Opinions and other educational efforts. Today, hehas brought togethe r a group of experts to help provide instruction on this emerg ingarea of the law.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATIONCeleste Clarkson Celeste Clarkson is the Manager for the Co mpliance Section with theHealth Regulatory D ivision, Bureau of Health Professions, MichiganDepartment of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). The M edicalMa rihuana Unit, Freedom of Information (FOIA) U nit, SanctionMo nitoring Unit, and the Health Professional's Recovery Program , allcomprise the Com pliance Section.

M s. Clarkson has over 15 years of experience with the State ofM ichigan. She has w orked in the Enforcement Section for the Bureauof Com mercial Services, in what is now the D epartment of Licensingand Regulatory Affairs, and most recently with the Michigan Gam ingControl B oard as an inves tigator in its Supplier Licensing Section. Shebegan working with the Department of Com munity Health inDecember 2008.

Ken Stecker

Previously, Ms. C larkson was a dispatcher, corrections officer,detective, and road patrol officer with the Ingham Coun ty SheriffsOffice and the Lansing Tow nship Police Department. She also servedin the capacity as an Assistant Jail Administrator with the InghamCounty Sh eriff's Office.Kenneth Stecker graduated from Loyola Marymount University in1984, and the U niversity of Detroit School of Law in 1987. After lawschool, he accepted a position to be a law clerk for the HonorableLawrence C. R oot in Mecosta County. Two years later he went to w orkfor the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor's Office as an assistantprosecuting attorney.

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In 1992, he went to work for the Branch County Prosecutor's Office asan assistant prosecuting attorney. In 2001, he was appointed to be theBranch County Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney. In both countyprosecutors' offices, Mr. Stecker prosecuted every traffic offenseimaginable from civil infractions to vehicular homicide. On March 31,2008, he was selected as PAAM's Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor.Mr. Stecker also has extensive teaching experience as an adjunctmember at Kellogg Community College for the past 15 years.Additionally, he also served on the Michigan Juvenile JusticeCommittee. Mr. Stecker is very active in his community, and is amember of several professional and community groups.

Heathereather S. Meingast has been with the Attorney General's Office sinceMeingastebruary 2004, and currently serves as the Division Chief for theOpinions Division, overseeing the opinions process provided for inMCL 14.32, and participating in special projects and litigation. Shepreviously served in the Appellate Division and the PublicEmployment, Elections, and Tort Division. Before joining the AttorneyGeneral's office, Ms. Meingast worked in private practice, and for theMichigan Court of Appeals and the Michigan Supreme Court. Sheearned her J.D. magna cum laude from Detroit College of Law atMichigan State University in 1998.

Gerald Fisher Having served as general counsel for cities, villages and townships formore than 25 years, Gerald Fisher is now a Professor of Law at theThomas M. Cooley Law School, where he teaches Property Law,Constitutional Law, and Municipal Law.Mr. Fisher is the chairperson of the Oakland County Parks andRecreation Commission, a member and past chairperson of the StateBar Public Corporation Law Section, and serves on the OaklandCounty Bar Foundation Board.He is a co-author of the reference book entitled Michigan Zoning,Planning, and Land Use, published by the Institute of ContinuingLegal Education, and is a contributing co-editor for a forthcoming newreference book for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education entitledMichigan Municipal Law, anticipated to be available early next year.Mr. Fisher has appeared on several occasions in the MichiganSupreme Court on municipal and land use law cases, and continues toserve as a consultant in municipal law matters. Relevant to today'sprogram, he is the author of the White Paper commissioned by the

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Michigan Mu nicipal League and M ichigan Townships Associationentitled A L ocal Governm ent V iew of the M ichigan M edical M arihuanaL a w .

D/F/L t. Tim G ill Detective First Lieutenant (D /F/Lt.) Timothy G ill is a native of theLansing area and has been em ployed by the M ichigan State Police fortwenty-five years. He is the Com ma nder of the First District TaskForce Section, supervising three undercover drug teams, encom passingsix counties. Tim also serves as a Pu blic Information Officer (PIO) forthe M ichigan State Police.Lieutenant Gill is a 2001 graduate of the Northwestern UniversityPolice Staff and Comm and School. He has extensive expertise andtraining in the area of Narcotics Enforc em ent and has been previouslysworn as an exp ert witness by several courts in the area of narcoticsenforcement. He has assisted with training of new undercover officersat MS P B asic and Advanced Narcotic Schools. He has also taught atDrug Interdiction Schools held around the state for local agencies andofficers.W ith 48 marijuana dispensaries located in Lansing prior to the recentruling by the Court of Appea ls, Lieutenan t Gill's teams have be en atthe forefront of investigations involving dispensaries. Lieutenant G illhas also served on legislative work groups looking at ways to clean upproblems the current Medical Marijuana Act.Lieutenant Gill also wo rks with prevention and treatmentprofessionals and is a m ember of the B oard of Directors of theMichigan Association of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Counselors. He isalso a member of the Tri-County Area Alcohol Aw areness Comm ittee,which is a group of prevention, treatment, law enforcement, school,and business professionals that work to reduce underage drinking.These efforts include the Safe Prom Initiative, which he conceived andimplemented, and an annual youth talent show for high schoolstudents named Tri County's G ot Talent.

D/Lt. Robynetective L ieutenant (D/Lt.) Robyn Lynde is a native of the LansingLynderea and has been em ployed by the M ichigan State Police for twenty-four years. She has been assigned to narcotics enforcement for 19years and is currently a T eam Leader for the Tri-County M etroNarcotics Squad in Lansing. Her team enco mpasses Ingham , Eatonand Clinton counties. With 48 m arijuana dispensaries located inLan sing, her team has been at the forefront of investigations involvingdispensaries.5


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etective Lieutenant Lynde is a 1985 graduate of Central MichiganUniversity and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Education. Shehas extensive expertise and training in the area of narcoticsenforcement and has been previously sworn Drug EnforcementAdministration (DEA) Task Force Officer. She has been sworn as anexpert witness by several courts in the area of narcotics traffickingenforcement and has assisted with training of new undercover officersat MSP Basic and Advanced Narcotic Schools.

Alan Cropsey Alan Cropsey is the Director of Legislative Relations for AttorneyGeneral Bill Schuette. He formerly served as Floor Leader of theMichigan State Senate from 2007-2010. Prior to that, he chaired theSenate Judiciary Committee from 1983-1986 and 2003-2006. Aschairman he worked with the Prosecuting Attorneys Association ofMichigan, Michigan Sheriff's Association and other law enforcementorganizations to stop legislation that would harm the public safety andsponsored legislation that promoted public safety and the rights ofvictims.Mr. Cropsey holds a B.S. in mathematics education and a compositescience minor from Bob Jones University, as well as a J.D. fromThomas M. Cooley Law School. Mr. Cropsey was a partner at the lawfirm of Kallman & Cropsey from 1987-1991, and a teacher from 1975-1978. In 1980, President Ronald Reagan appointed him to theIntergovernmental Advisory Council on Education (IACE), andreappointed him in 1983.In 1986, Mr. Cropsey served as a member on the Advisory Committeeto the National Juvenile Justice Reform Project. In 1986, he served aschairman of the Criminal Justice Section on the Source Book of ModelLegislation for American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). From1979-1982 and 1993-1998, he served in the Michigan House ofRepresentatives. From 1983-1990 and 2003-2010, he served in theMichigan State Senate. Mr. Cropsey has served on the AppropriationsCommittee and various Subcommittees, including: Judiciary andCorrections (Chair); State Police and Military Affairs (Vice Chair);Transportation (Vice Chair); Capital Outlay; Standing Committee(Vice Chair). As the chairman of the Corrections Subcommittee of theAppropriations Committee he encouraged the Granholmadministration to not close prisons and harm public safety, but to lookat ways to bring down the excessive costs of state incarceration.

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Dr. W illiamMorrone r. William R. M orrone, D.O., M.S., currently works as AssistantDirector of Family M edicine at Synergy M edical Education Alliance(an affiliate of M ichigan State University), Medical D irector atHospice of Michigan, and as an consulting liaison addictionologist withthe Depa rtment of Psyc hiatry in the juvenile justice system throug hW olverine Hum an Services; all in Tuscola and Saginaw counties, inMichigan.Dr. Morrone is a graduate of Michigan State University (MSUC OM )com pleting an internship in internal medicine and residency in fam ilymedicine. He is board certified by the Am erican College ofOsteopathic Fam ily Practitioners and certified by both Am ericanAcademy of Pain Management and American Society of AddictionM edicine. He also holds national certification as a Certified PainEduca tor through the Am erican Society of Pain Educators as w ell asCertified Forensic P hysician through the Am erican College of ForensicExaminers. He was a former National Health Service Corps Scholarand w orked with the underserved popu lation of inner city Saginaw .He also holds a graduate degree in toxicology and pharm acology fromthe University of Missouri at Kansas and currently serves as a MedicalExaminer.Dr. Morrone has also earned the status of assistant professor in familymedicine by the Michigan State University College of HumanMedicine.

Contact the Attorney General [email protected] Lansing Officeetroit OfficeG. Mennen Williams Buildingadillac Place, 10th Floor7th Floor030 W . Grand Blvd.525 W. Ottawa St.uite 10-200Lansing, MI 48909etroit, MI 482 02(517) 373-1110313) 456-0240Facsimile (517) 373-3042acsimile (313) 456-0241

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