MDP RURAL CAUCUS - Key Persons
Brian Hoduski is a lifelong Democrat and has been active with the Houghton County Democratic Party since moving there from Grand Marais in 1999. He has served as co-chair of the HCDP since 2006. He learned from boyhood about rural issues helping on his Grandfather's farm in Menominee County. He trained as a fishery biologist and geographer and has worked in conservation and museum curation since 1986. He enjoys cooking, gardening, hunting, traveling, and his grandkids.
Mr. Jaye has been actively working on Statewide Democratic Campaigns since 2004. Finally Mr. Jaye served as a Judicial Intern (unpaid law clerk) to the former Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, a very prestigious position to attain. Mr. Jaye also worked on several high level political campaigns including David Leyton for Attorney General, Gary Peters for US Congress, and Debbie Stabenow for U.S. Senate.
In 2020, Mr. Jaye worked on the United States Presidential Campaign of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, got elected as a Democratic Delegate in his county, and was elected to the executive committee of the Oakland County Democratic Party. He attempted a Statewide Nomination with the Michigan Democratic Party for the State Board of Education. He was also the Democratic Nominee for United States Congress in Michigan's 9th Congressional District in 2022 against Lisa McClain.
Elspeth is retired from her career as a history educator in classrooms and museums where she also focused her work on community collaborations. Designing museum programs and projects brought her in close partnership with marginalized communities in rural and urban areas of Southwest Michigan. Ensuring a public platform in which these communities had opportunities to tell their own stories was one of Elspeth's most satisfying aspects of her work.
She is a "dyed-in-the-wool" Democrat, a third generation American whose grandparents experienced the hardships of war, genocide and poverty. Without the aid of U.S. government programs afforded her grandparents, and her parents' hard work, she may not have enjoyed the opportunities for a good education, healthcare and employment that she has been fortunate to have.
Elspeth is committed to working for humanitarian, democratic and Democratic ideals that are grounded in equity and compassion for all people and for good stewardship of the earth.
Jaime is a rural organizer at heart. As a former union organizer and current political organizer, she realizes the strengths and needs of rural communities that she has worked in. As a graduate of Adler University, she has fully embraced the core tenet of Adlerian Psychology, that the health of the individual depends on the health of the community. She believes in empowering rural communities to increase the health of all rural Michiganders.
Jaime lives in Petoskey with her husband and two dogs and enjoys the natural green spaces that surround her home. She has a MA in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Adler University and a BA in Organizational Leadership from Arizona State University.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair
- Member of the Mecosta County Democratic Party
Jessie Iliff List has been a member of the Mecosta County Democratic Party for the last 15 years. She has also volunteered for Volunteers Not Politicians and actively participated in getting signatures, educating, and promoting the passage of Proposal Two- a proposal to create an Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. Later on, for the 2022 election cycle, she actively campaigned for two other proposals: Proposal Two, the Voting Rights Act, an amendment to change voting procedures to make voting more accessible, and Proposal 3, the Right to Reproductive Freedom.
Joe Gutowski is 68 years old and has spent the last 23 years of his life living in Hadley Township in Lapeer County. He was born and raised in Livonia, Michigan, at the age of 16
he began serving an electrical apprenticeship, as did his father and his grandfather. He and his wife of 43 years moved to Los Angeles shortly after marrying in 1980, and they
returned to Michigan in 2000 so Joe could take a senior management position with the worldwide corporation where he worked the last 34 years of his career, he retired in 2019.
While attending Wayne State University, Joe interned between 1974 and 1976 as a legislative agent for Common Cause, and after Common Cause announced a pioneering effort on November 5th, 1975, to introduce more truth and honesty into political campaigning by setting a code of standards for presidential candidates, he was assigned to travel with presidential candidate Morris Udall to his campaign activities to monitor his campaign's compliance in the 1976 Presidential Election.
Since retiring, Joe has spent a great deal of time advocating for his neighbors in disputes with utilities, he has brought and continues to bring high-speed internet to the residents of Lapeer County, and personally provides aid to elderly members of his community.
Joe decided to join the Michigan Democratic Party Rural Caucus to provide assistance where needed to the many rural Democratic Party officials who work tirelessly every day
I am excited to have the opportunity to serve as the new Region 8 Vice Chair of the Michigan Rural Caucus. I am currently the Chair of the Manistee Dems.
I have lived in Manistee County for over 22 years. I recently retired from Nalco Water an Ecolab Company after a 40-year career leading field technical sales teams. During my first ten years in Manistee, I was responsible for our operations in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. Then, during my final 12 years, I was responsible for my company's business relationship with major clients, first in North America and then globally. I had a very fulfilling career focused on water-related challenges and environmental sustainability.
Hello my name is Kristine Squiers and I have a Master of Science in Psychology specializing in Industrial Organizational Psychology, a Graduate Certificate in Business Management, and a Graduate Certificate in Diversity Studies. I have lived in rural areas of Michigan much of my life.
I am the mother of an adult son with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism spectrum disorder, who is also a member of the MDP. During his childhood I was a single mother working in the construction industry for the flexibility of being self-employed through a contractor. I managed my son's behavioral disorders, medications, appointments, and school IEP's. Eventually, I withdrew him from school. I transitioned careers in 2008 back to marketing. I home schooled my son from fifth grade until he
graduated in 2016. He is a great success.
I came to West Michigan by way of Chicago (and my wonderful wife) and have worked in public service most of my adult life. As a military veteran, firefighter and currently the Chair of the Ottawa County Democratic Party. We serve our rural communities which make up about a 3rd of Ottawa County and we need to thrive together. My goal while working on the rural caucus is to better understand the challenges statewide so I can help the communities we serve.
Mark was born and raised in Michigan. His youth was spent assisting his father during the early days of the environmental movement, studying Great Lakes water birds affected by industrial pollution. He settled in Allegan County, founding a small beef farm in Clyde Township in 2005 with his wife Kim. Mark served on the Fennville Public School Board, Clyde Township Planning Commission and currently serves on the Allegan Conservation District Board of Directors. He is also Vice Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party Rural Caucus and is an alternate to the MDP State Central Committee. Mark graduated from Michigan State with a degree in Environmental Issues and has a Short Course Degree from UW Madison in Grass Based Dairy.
Michael retired from Au Gres-Sims Schools after 25 years of service as an elementary teacher. Michael spent 23 years as the local MEA chair at Au Gres and 10 years as a Coordinating Chair of District 12. Currently he is the chair of Gladwin County Democratic Party where he has been living with his wife Cathryn since 2016.
I have been on the Executive Board of the Manistee County Democratic Party, in some capacity, for the past 25 years. I no longer serve on the Executive Board, but remain a member of the Leadership Team. In addition, I currently serve as an Officer of the MDP Senior Caucus, the MDP Rural Caucus, the MI Rural PAC, the Rural Michigan Action Alliance, and the Lakeside Club of Manistee County.
I served this last campaign cycle as Treasurer for four State Representative Candidates. I'd like to say here that this State needs to train more people in Campaign Finance so they can
Robert Anderson is a lifelong Democratic and has been active with the Marquette County Democratic Party for many years. Robert graduated from MSU College of Law and his first law job was serving as an attorney for the US Dept.of Housing and Urban Development in the Carter Administration.
He practices Elder Law and Disability Rights throughout the UP and has taught law courses for MTU and NMU. In 1986 Robert ran for US Congress as a Democratic in the UP and Northern Michigan against an incumbent Republican. Robert and his wife live in Marquette, and enjoy biking, cross country skiing and their grandchildren.