Cynthia Wilbanks, Univer-

sity of Michigan vice presi-
dent for government relations, 
announced her plans to retire in 
December 2020. She served as 
the vice president at the Univer-
sity for 22 years, and is the long-
est-serving executive officer. 

In her tenure as vice presi-

dent, 
Wilbanks 
worked 
to 

develop University responses to 
proposed local, state and feder-
al legislation. She also worked 
with government officials at all 
levels and oversaw several state 
outreach programs.

In a statement, University 

President Mark Schlissel praised 
Wilbanks for her deep know-
ledge and tireless work ethic. 

“In my view, her vast know-

ledge of our state, its issues, his-
tory, people and, of course, those 
elected to serve is unparalleled,” 
Schlissel said. “Cynthia has 
always applied her keen under-
standing when advocating for 
our students, faculty and staff in 
city hall, Lansing, Congress or 
the White House.” 

Beyond her role as vice presi-

dent, Wilbanks served in a 
leadership capacity in many 
other University programs and 
projects including the Bentley 
Historical 
Library 
Executive 

Committee, Bicentennial Plan-
ning Committee 2011-12, Gins-
berg Center Board, Hospital 
and Health Centers Executive 
Board, Honorary Degree Com-
mittee, Michigan in Washing-
ton Program Faculty Advisory 
Committee and the Residency 
Appeals Committee. 

In an interview with The 

Daily, Wilbanks cited the power 
and strength of her relationships 
with colleagues, elected officials 
and organizations near and far 
as the hallmark of her role. 

“The key to me, and it’s always 

been this, is the value of strong 
relationships,” Wilbanks said. 
“Fundamentally, this work isn’t 

possible without a commitment 
to 
building 
strong 
relation-

ships.” 

LSA alum Nadav Neuman, 

who worked as a Government 
Relations Intern in the Office of 
the Vice President for Govern-
ment Relations, told The Daily 
Wilbanks is a leader who com-
mands respect and recognizes 
the power in cultivating rela-
tionships. 

“Everyone in the office has 

nothing but good to say about 
her,” Neuman said. “She’s an 
amazing person and she’s defin-
itely served the University very 
well over her 20-plus years.” 

Though 
Neuman 
worked 

under the State Relations Office, 
a subsidiary of the Government 
Relations Office, he told The 
Daily Wilbanks made sure to 
recognize and give attention 
to employees at all levels of the 
organization.

“She really showed a keen 

interest in students and helping 
them develop,” Neuman said. 
“When you’re working at any 
place, having the head boss come 
in and ask you what you’re doing 
is always an awesome experi-
ence and it makes you feel good.”

Wilbanks served as an advis-

or to Schlissel on the University 
Research Corridor, a project 
linking the state of Michigan’s 
three 
research 
universities: 

the University of Michigan, 
Michigan State University and 
Wayne State University. She said 
the project was born out of the 
desire to showcase Michigan’s 
research universities as an eco-
nomic powerhouse and benefi-
cial for the state.

“(The 
University 
Research 

Corridor) was born out of the 
strong belief that the state of 
Michigan was among just a 
handful of states where there 
were three very strong research 
universities,” 
Wilbanks 
said. 

“We believe that the asset that 
it represents for the state is an 
enormously powerful asset.” 

Amid the COVID-19 pan-

demic, Wilbanks said the uni-
versities have collaborated in 
the fields of epidemiology, pub-
lic health and education. 

2

Thursday, July 23, 2020
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
NEWS

VP for government 
relations retires

The Washtenaw County Board 

of Health declared racism a public 
health crisis in a resolution passed 
in a June 30 meeting. The move 
follows numerous other states and 
cities, including Ypsilanti, which 
passed its own resolution on June 
2. In a press release, James Carty, 
the chair of the Board of Health, 
explained the rationale behind this 
decision.

“We know that racism has helped 

drive unequal economic, cultural, 
and medical circumstances that 
each, and in concert, lead to poorer 
health outcomes for people of color 
throughout America,” Carty said. 
“The only way to change this is 
to acknowledge it and center it as 
we try to learn from the mistakes 
of our past and build a better 
community where all residents 
of Washtenaw County are served 
fairly and equally.” 

The move follows several high-

profile cases of police brutality, 
which 
have 
sparked 
protests 

and outrage nationwide all in 
the midst of a pandemic that 
disproportionately impacts African 
Americans in Washtenaw County 
and around the country. Felicia 
Brabec, a member of the Board of 
Health, made it clear that solving 
the 
inequities 
in 
health 
care 

requires more than words.

“This 
declaration 
and 

commitment to health equity – as 
well as the expected action from 
the Board of Commissioners are 

critical to our ability to move 
forward together,” Brabec said in 
the press release. “Naming racism 
and truly working together are 
vital steps, but we must commit 
to doing more. We must show our 
commitment at every level, put 
resources behind our intentions and 
work collectively to see meaningful 
and lasting change.” 

Brabec also sits on the Board 

of Commissioners for Washtenaw 
County, which is expected to pass 
a similar resolution at its next 
meeting on August 5.

Washtenaw 
County 
ranked 

81st out of 83 Michigan counties 
for income inequality in 2018, 
which prompted the Board of 
Commissioners 
to 
unanimously 

pass a new equity policy for the 
county. 
The 
policy 
created 
a 

Racial Equity Office and required 
departments to draft Racial Equity 
Action Plans. Despite these efforts, 
32% of COVID-19 cases are Black 
residents, who make up 12.3% of 
Washtenaw County. Zip codes 
48197 and 49198 in Ypsilanti, whose 
population is 27.3 percent Black 
residents, have over 800 combined 
cases of COVID-19. By contrast, 
the four zip codes encompassing 
Ann Arbor, which is only 6.5 
percent Black, have over 500 cases 
combined. Black residents have 
cited numerous factors, including 
poverty and housing instability, as 
contributing to the disparate impact 
of COVID-19 on their communities.

Belinda Needham, Public Health 

associate professor, said she felt 
this resolution was a start towards 
mending the inequalities in the 
community in an email to The 
Daily.

Racism declared a 
public health crisis

Read more at michigandaily.com

JULIA RUBIN

Summer News Editor

DOMINIC COLETTI

Daily Staff Reporter

Design by Hibah Chughtai

420 Maynard St.

Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327

www.michigandaily.com

EMMA STEIN

Editor in Chief

enstein@michigandaily.com

ANITA MICHAUD

Business Manager

ammichau@michigandaily.com

EDITORIAL STAFF

Devak Nanua

Managing Editor 

dnanua@michigandaily.com

Jasmin Lee & Francesca Duong

Managing News Editors 

news@michigandaily.com

Brittany Bowman

Editorial Page Editor 

tothedaily@michigandaily.com

Nick Stoll & Kent Schwartz

Managing Sports Editors

sportseditors@michigandaily.com

Emily Yang

Managing Arts Editor

arts@michigandaily.com

Madeline Hinkley & Julia Schachinger

Managing Photo Editors 

photo@michigandaily.com

Hibah Mirza

Managing Design Editor 

design@michigandaily.com

Olivia Bradish

Managing Copy Editor

copydesk@michigandaily.com

Cheryn Hong & Gabrijela Skoko

Managing Michigan in Color Editors

michiganincolor@michigandaily.com

John Grieve & Ben Korn

Managing Social Media Editors

Alexander Cotignola 

Managing Online Editor

webteam@michigandaily.com

Iulia Dobrin

 Managing Video Editor

video@michigandaily.com

Andie Horowitz 

Managing Statement Editor

statement@michigandaily.com

CONTACT INFORMATION 

News Tips news@michigandaily.com

Corrections 
 corrections@michigandaily.com

Letters to the Editor tothedaily@michigandaily.com 

Photo Department photo@michigandaily.com
Arts Section 
 arts@michigandaily.com

Editorial Page opinion@michigandaily.com
Sports Section sports@michigandaily.com
Magazine 
 statement@michigandaily.com

Advertising 
Phone: 734-418-4115 

Department 
 dailydisplay@gmail.com

Read more at michigandaily.com

The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through 

Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University 

of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. 

Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2 per 

issue. Subscriptions for September - April are $250, and year-long 

subscriptions are $275. University affiliates are subject to a reduced 

subscription rate. Subscriptions must be prepaid. 

Washtenaw County 
community discusses 
impacts of decision

After 22 years of service, 

Cynthia Wilbanks 
announces her leave

