August 2026 Notable News: Professional highlights from the 517 region

Sinas Dramis Marks 75th Year
Sinas Dramis Law Firm hosted a ribbon-cutting and open house at its headquarters in Lansing on June 24 in partnership with the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce. The event celebrated the firm’s 75-year legacy of advocacy, service and commitment to helping injury victims pursue justice and fair compensation.

Since opening its doors in downtown Lansing in 1951, Sinas Dramis has grown from a small local practice into a prominent statewide personal injury law firm. Its reach now extends across Michigan, yet its commitment to the Lansing community remains strong. Along with being a leader in personal injury law, the firm is committed to community education through initiatives such as its annual People’s Law School; Lids for Kids bicycle helmet giveaway; and television segments focused on injury prevention, safety and the law.

Maner Named to Wealth Magnets
Maner Wealth, the wealth management and registered investment advisory division of Maner Costerisan, earned national recognition from Accounting Today with its inclusion on the publication’s 2026 Wealth Magnets list. The annual list highlights top CPA-affiliated wealth management firms across the country based on assets under management.

This marks the third consecutive year Maner Wealth has been recognized on the annual list, reflecting the firm’s continued growth and its commitment to helping individuals, families and business owners navigate increasingly complex financial decisions.

Launched in 2020, Maner Wealth was created to provide clients with a more comprehensive and integrated approach to financial planning. The practice works alongside the firm’s tax, accounting and consulting teams to help clients align their financial strategies with long-term personal, business and legacy goals.

M3 Group Staff Announcements
M3 Group has hired Jessica Thelen and Joanie Kilchermann as directors of business development. Their roles will cover sales for 517 Business, M3 Group marketing projects and company event sponsorships.

Thelen brings 15 years of experience driving sales growth to this role and is an advocate for building lasting relationships within the credit union industry.

Kilchermann is known in the area for her outstanding network skills, her passion for veterans and her exceptional attitude.

Mary Gajda was promoted to vice president of internal brands for the company, and David Patton was promoted to director of marketing strategy.

Gray Media Wins 25 Broadcast Awards
Gray Media Lansing was recognized by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters with 25 Broadcast Excellence Awards, including Station of the Year for WILX-TV 10.

The awards recognize WILX-TV 10 and WSYM-TV Fox 47 as the leading source for local news, weather, sports and digital coverage in the Lansing-Jackson television market. The Station of the Year award marks back-to-back wins for WILX-TV 10.

“This is continued reinforcement of the great work our teams do every day, covering the important local news, weather and sports that local viewers have depended on us for,” News 10 Lansing News Director Mike Schram said. “We have the market’s top-rated newscasts. We have the best websites and social media presence. Our journalists are the longest-serving and most trusted in the market. These awards are a recognition of the daily commitment we have to being there for our neighbors every day.”

ACEC Elects President, Officers
The American Council of Engineering Companies of Michigan announced Chuck Gemayel as its 2026-2027 president. Gemayel is the executive vice president at SME.

An expert in pavement design, management and evaluation, Gemayel is a registered professional engineer in multiple states. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a master’s degree from Arizona State University.

Outside of SME, Gemayel has served on ACEC/Michigan’s board of directors, the planning cabinet of ACEC National and the executive committee of ACEC’s Geoprofessional Coalition. He has also been involved with the transportation research board and ASCE’s airfield pavement committee, as well we served as president of South Oakland County Municipal Engineers.

In addition to Gemayel, the following officers were named to the board: President-Elect Matt Stacey, Treasurer Eric Barden, National Director Jon Kramer and Past-President Barb Arens.

MSUFCU Opens Money Lab
Michigan State University Federal Credit Union held a grand opening celebration for the Money Lab, a brand-new, kid-friendly interactive branch space designed specifically for parents and children to experience banking together.

The Money Lab bridges the gap between hands-on play and financial foundations. Grand opening attendees enjoyed a diverse array of interactive activations, including an arts-and-crafts station featuring money bank painting, button making and coloring; an inspirational dream wall; a photo booth with a special appearance by Zeke the Wonderdog; and the Impression 5 Farmers Market.

“We have designed this brand-new space with kids of all ages in mind where they can come do their banking,” said April Clobes, MSUFCU president and CEO. “We also created a space where they can play and engage. We have a lot of different activations there that make learning about money concepts fun in a hands-on environment.”

Glasscoe Earns Leadership Award
Lansing Community College announced that Toni Glasscoe received the Distinguished Woman in Higher Education Leadership Award from the MI-ACE Women’s Network at its annual conference, hosted by LCC at the Kellogg Center.

Since 2001, the MI-ACE Women’s Network has presented the Distinguished Woman in Higher Education Leadership Award. It recognizes individuals who, beyond their official responsibilities, serve as mentors, encouragers, promoters and celebrators of women actively making a positive difference beyond their campuses.

“Our entire college community is very proud of Dr. Glasscoe, and we celebrate this honor with her,” said Steve Robinson, LCC president. “She deserves this recognition for her outstanding leadership, her commitment to student success and her significant contributions to advancing excellence in higher education.”

Glasscoe serves as associate vice president at LCC, where she has worked to strengthen partnerships among higher education institutions, local public schools and community organizations to expand college access, enhance career readiness and improve student success.

Sparrow Receives Largest Gift
University of Michigan Health-Sparrow has received its largest gift ever.

The health system announced the gift from the Alton L. and Janice M. Granger Charitable Gift Fund will help finance the construction, renovation and operation of what will be known as the Janice M. Granger Behavioral Health Building. Project leaders plan to break ground this month and open the facility in 2028.

The 64-bed behavioral health hospital will serve adults and geriatric patients. It will also serve as the area’s first inpatient behavioral health unit for children and adolescents, with 16 dedicated beds.

MSU Ranks No. 2 for Sustainability Impact
Michigan State University was recognized among the nation’s leaders in sustainability, ranking No. 2 among U.S. institutions in the 2026 Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Rankings, a global assessment of how universities are advancing the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.

MSU is also ranked No. 80 globally among 1,603 institutions from 116 countries evaluated in this year’s rankings. The university remains the highest-ranked participating institution in the Big Ten and ranks No. 2 among participating Association of American Universities institutions. The 2026 rankings mark the third time in the past four years that MSU has ranked second nationally.

“MSU’s long-standing commitment to advancing sustainability through research, education and community engagement is reflected in our strong performance in the Times Higher Education impact rankings,” said MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz. “Our faculty, staff and students are hard at work every day to advance solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges — from food security and environmental stewardship to healthy communities and economic opportunity. As a global public research university, we are proud to see those efforts recognized year after year as a standout among our peers.”

Kimble Wins Burton Award
Cooley Law School Professor Emeritus Joseph Kimble was honored with the 2026 Burton Award for Book of the Year on Legal Writing for the book, “Essentials for Drafting Clear Legal Rules.” He co-authored the book with Bryan A. Garner, research professor at SMU Dedman School of Law. The awards ceremony was held at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., on June 1.

This marks the third time that Kimble has received the Burton Award. He previously won Burton Awards for Reform in Law in 2007 and 2011 for his work in helping to completely redraft the “Federal Rules of Civil Procedure” and the “Federal Rules of Evidence.”

The Burton Award for Book of the Year on Legal Writing recognizes outstanding contributions to the clarity, precision and effectiveness of legal communication.

Women Working Wonders Broadens Mission
Women Working Wonders, a nonprofit dedicated to philanthropy and service in the community for the past 25 years, recently transitioned from the University of Michigan Health-Sparrow Foundation to become an independent organization with a broader mission to serve women’s well-being throughout mid-Michigan.

Founded in 2002 by Lansing entrepreneurs Virginia Hilbert and Martha Mertz, the all-volunteer organization raised nearly $6 million in its years with the foundation to improve the well-being of women through projects and initiatives, such as Dapper Dads, Art a La Carte, and Boots and Bling.

“The best of Women Working Wonders is still ahead of us,” said Marianne Bacon Juarez, president. “As an independent nonprofit, we have the opportunity to build on our legacy of impact while expanding our reach and evolving to meet the needs of our community. I’m honored to follow the generations of women who built W3 and excited about what we can achieve together as we help more people across Greater Lansing thrive.”

MSUFCU Hosts Kids’ Day
Michigan State University Federal Credit Union transformed its East Lansing headquarters campus into an indoor camp adventure July 18, drawing more than 1,000 community members for its annual Kids’ Day event.

The three-hour interactive experience blended financial education with summer camp traditions. Guided by MSUFCU experts and community partners, young attendees navigated games and exhibits designed to teach the fundamentals of saving, budgeting and smart spending.

“MSUFCU’s Kids’ Day is about creating meaningful experiences that inspire curiosity and confidence,” said Arianna Ridderbusch, MSUFCU vice president of community impact. “Whether they’re exploring STEM activities, meeting community partners or learning about saving and spending, every activity is designed to help kids grow while having fun.”

Whitmer Bids Farewell to Huls
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the departure of longtime Chief of Staff JoAnne Huls on July 31. Huls will continue to serve as a senior adviser to the administration.

“For almost eight years, JoAnne has served the people of Michigan with strength, courage and professionalism,” said Whitmer. “She was by my side through it all, acting as an effective and decisive leader and helping us make historic progress to fix the damn roads, create jobs and more.”

Zack Pohl was promoted to chief of staff. Throughout the governor’s second term, Pohl served as principal deputy chief of staff, overseeing the communications, federal affairs, legislative affairs, policy and scheduling divisions. Prior to serving as communications director for the executive office and the governor’s 2018 campaign, he worked for former U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer and the Michigan Senate Democratic Caucus.

Hoffman Joins ‘Studio 10’
Gray Media Lansing announced a dynamic transition for two of mid-Michigan’s media personalities. Wellknown leadership strategist, speaker and community advocate Bobby Hoffman will join the popular lifestyle program “Studio 10” on WILX-TV 10 as co-host alongside Nicole Buchmann. Concurrently, current co-host Rachelle Legrand will transition to a host and executive producer role of “The 517 Report,” a brand-new, community-focused 7 p.m. weekday newscast launching this fall on Fox 47.

Hoffman is a familiar face to mid-Michigan audiences. He has been the co-host of “The Morning Blend” on FOX 47 and for more than two decades, he’s served as public relations manager at the Wharton Center.

“Bobby has been a beloved voice and leader in mid-Michigan for years, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the ‘Studio 10’ family,” said Debbie Petersmark, vice president and general manager of Gray Media Lansing. “His passion for the community, communication expertise and natural warmth make him the perfect partner for Nicole Buchmann as we continue to grow the ‘Studio 10’ brand.”