August 2010: Great Lakes Ambassador Lana Pollack
I grew up as a Foreign Service kid, living in other countries, learning other languages and immersed in different cultures.
As a result, I know first-hand the importance of cross cultural and political exchange, the value of artful negotiation, the challenge of diplomacy when economics and national treasures are at stake. That’s why I am delighted by President Obama’s appointment of Lana Pollack to the International Joint Commission.
Lana, who grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan in the town of Ludington, knows first-hand the incredible importance of the waters that surround this state and represent almost 20% of the Earth’s fresh surface water. With current threats to the Great Lakes like Asian carp and the Kalamazoo oil spill, I couldn’t think of a better Ambassador for the Great Lakes and the other hundreds of lakes, rivers and streams that lie along and flow across the border between Canada and the United States.
A Michigan native, Lana was elected three times to the Michigan Legislature, serving as a state senator from the Ann Arbor area from 1983-1994. As a state senator, Lana became a leading advocate for women, children and the environment. In this capacity, she earned praise as the architect of Michigan’s landmark 1990 polluter pay statute which, before it was repealed in 1995, saved taxpayers $100 million by requiring proven polluters to pay for the cleanup of toxic waste. Following her tenure in public office, Lana served from 1996-2008 as president of the Michigan Environmental Council, a coalition of 70 environmental organizations working to protect North America’s Great Lakes and Michigan’s natural resources and environment.
In addition to these roles, Ms. Pollack was a fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, taught at the University of Michigan, was elected a trustee of the Ann Arbor Board of Education, and has served on a number of educational, nonprofit and corporate boards, including:
- The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board, which annually directs $35-50 million in discretionary public funds to protect, purchase and enhance parkland and open space for preservation and recreation;
- NextEnergy, which promotes the development and commercialization of technologies advancing a low-carbon economy;
- ReCellular, the world’s largest recycler of cell phones;
- The University of Michigan’s Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute.
I invite you to listen in to the First Friday Focus on the Environment program on 89.1 WEMU. Morning Host David Fair and I interviewed Lana about her new position and the critical role of the International Joint Commission in protecting the Great Lakes.
--- Posted by Lisa Wozniak, executive director, Michigan LCV.