Lewis elected chair of City Connect Detroit’s board

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. – April 15, 2008 – Helping to build a bridge between communities and crucial funding resources, Plunkett Cooney shareholder, Kenneth L. Lewis, was recently elected chairman of City Connect Detroit’s board of directors.

“This is a tremendous honor for me personally and an opportunity to make a real difference in the community,” said Lewis, a member of the Detroit office of Plunkett Cooney, one of the Midwest’s oldest and largest law firms. “City Connect Detroit has had a profound impact on nonprofits, municipalities, businesses and community groups in dire need of funding from federal and national sources.”  

In his role as chair, Lewis will oversee the board’s management and policy directives for the organization’s daily operations. Located in Detroit’s sports and entertainment district, City Connect Detroit connects federal and state government along with national foundation resources to communities in need.

In 1998, inspired by an earlier successful model in New York City, City Connect Detroit was established by Michigan grant makers, Detroit city officials and nonprofit organizations who wanted to tackle the problem of chronically under-funded human service programs by the federal government. Since then, this working collaborative has filled voids and torn down barriers that previously prohibited any significant federal and national foundation funding from supporting local governments, nonprofits and faith-based organizations in metropolitan Detroit.

Members of the City Connect Detroit board include community leaders from public and private companies, nonprofits and foundations, including the Kresge Foundation, Detroit Urban League, United Way Community Services, The Bing Group, MGM Grand Detroit, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, among others.

Kenneth L. Lewis joined Plunkett Cooney in1993 and currently serves as a member of the firm's board of directors. He joined Plunkett Cooney after working for several years in private practice and in the law departments of the City of Detroit and Wayne County. Lewis’ areas of practice include civil rights, commercial litigation, education law, labor and employment litigation and municipal law.

Having built a solid reputation in the local legal community through courtroom victories and persuasive negotiations, Lewis has held leadership positions in numerous organizations, including the State Bar of Michigan (Law Practice Management Section, Past Chair), National Bar Association (Board of Governors), Conference of Black Lawyers, Wolverine Bar Association (Past President), Detroit Metropolitan Police Academy, Institute for Continuing Legal Education (Law Instructor) and Attorney Discipline Board (Chair).

Lewis has also earned Martindale-Hubbell’s highest rating-AV. AV is a registered certification mark of Reed Elsevier Properties, Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies

Established in 1913, Plunkett Cooney has more than 150 attorneys in nine Michigan cities and in Columbus , Ohio . The firm has achieved the highest rating (AV) awarded by Martindale-Hubbell, a leading, international directory of law firms.

For more information about the election of Kenneth L. Lewis as chair of City Connect Detroit ’s board of directors, contact the Plunkett Cooney’s Practice Development Manager, John E. Cornwell at (248) 901-4008.

– End –