Board of Trustees: Stacy L. Erwin Oakes, '01
Appointed 2/12/10
Trustee Stacy Erwin Oakes is the State Representative for the 95th House District, which covers part of Saginaw County, including her hometown of Saginaw as well as the townships of Bridgeport, Buena Vista and Spaulding.
Oakes is a longtime advocate for education and a lifelong learner herself. A proud graduate of Saginaw public schools, she earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Ferris State University and then obtained her teaching certification while working as a corrections officer at the Saginaw Correctional Facility. She returned to Saginaw schools to teach social studies and also coached basketball.
Oakes went on to earn her law degree from Michigan State University Detroit College of Law while working for the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. While at MSU, she was an instructor for the Rental Housing Clinic. She is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honors Society.
After working as a policy analyst at the House of Representatives, Oakes became a state Assistant Attorney General, prosecuting and defending cases statewide. As part of her passion for education, she has also taught as an adjunct professor at Saginaw Valley State University.
Oakes is also lead developer of Erwin Properties LLC, which developed Erwin Senior Estates in Buena Vista Township.
Oakes believes that everyone deserves access to a high-quality, affordable education, and she plans to make this a priority as a legislator. She knows that "with the proper education, we can have job creation."
She and her husband, Michael, live in Saginaw. They have two children, Michael II and Kingston.