MHC Fellows - Wayne County Michigan Sustainability & Innovation Division

MI Healthy Climate Fellows:
Join the MI Healthy Climate Fellows (MHC Fellows) and make a lasting impact on Michigan's carbon-neutral future! The MHC Fellows program accelerates Michigan's climate action through capacity building and leadership development. Fellows serve across the state to advance the MI Healthy Climate Plan's (MHCP) goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The plan, unveiled by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in April 2022, aims to avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis; create good-paying jobs; position Michigan as a climate action leader; and build a healthier and more prosperous, equitable, and sustainable Michigan for all Michiganders.

About the Host Partner:
( County Sustainability & Innovation is a relatively new team seated within the County's Economic Development Department. Guided by Mr. Warren C. Evans's leadership, our team collaborates to create projects and policies that decrease the County's carbon footprint and build stronger, more resilient communities in the face of a changing climate.

This division's work was championed by local sustainability pioneers and established by Commission Resolution 2022-838. Today, we're in an exciting startup phase. Sustainability & Innovation focuses on supporting the County's most vulnerable residents and neighborhoods, improving resource efficiency, and strengthening alignment between existing State, Regional, and Local sustainability goals.

Every day, we strive to embody the County's core values of Integrity, Transparency, and Diversity as we work toward a more sustainable future for all.

• The MHC Fellow will contribute to the launch of the County's new Resilience Hub Network Program as well as its expansion as the County brings on a second cohort of participating organizations in 2026.

• The MHC Fellow will support work with the rst Resilience Hub cohort members—11 organizations serving the County's Justice 40 communities; collaborating between the County's consultants (Elevate Energy and Public Sector Consultants) and the cohort members to support funding opportunities for the cohort for increased facility resilience, create a path to decarbonization cohort members and support cohort monthly office hours.

• The MHC Fellow will support scaling the resilience hub through assisting with onboarding a second cohort and scoping of additional cohorts with further geographic reach or a focus on specific communities served (e.g. senior centers, early childcare facilities, etc).
• As agreed upon after entry into the role and establishment of final work plan, additional roles and responsibilities may include:
  • Establishment of an interdepartmental workgroup with input from external stakeholders, focused on the development of an Open Space Plan for the County. MHC Fellows activities include:
  • Support the logistics of reaching, convening, and following up with this Workgroup.
  • Summarize and reect back to participants what the County has learned from the listening sessions, identify possible paths forward, and collate final findings
• Supporting the development of the County's Materials Management Plan. Member activities include:
  • Conducting a food waste / organics survey with key stakeholders across Wayne County
  • Coordinating a special session of Sustainability & Innovation's Wayne Forward initiative which gathers input and shares best practices with key peers within the municipal governments of the County's 43 communities.
    • This would include: identifying and scheduling a speaker, developing program materials, and coordinating an interactive program that effectively gathers input from participants.
  • Conducting research and informational interviews with the goal of scoping the feasibility of implementing a biochar facility within Wayne County
• Empower the community to access climate resources by planning meetings, educational programs, and/or other activities to consistently share information.
• Participate in MHC Fellows development shared learning and collaboration activities including four MHC Fellow in-person convenings and, MHC Fellows monthly virtual trainings (will be provided by program staff).
• Fellows will host a community input session with their host site to collect community feedback and advance the goals of the MI Healthy Climate Plan.

Position Type: Hybrid

MHC Fellows can expect to report to serve in a Hybrid capacity; Monday & Friday are remote, Tuesday - Thursday the MHC Fellow will report in person at our office in downtown Detroit.

Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday 8 am - 4:30pm

Site Location: 500 Griswold St Detroit MI 48226