Grand Rapids Transportation Service Center

Sarah Alex

Sarah Alex
Membership Services Coordinator

Sarah handles the prospective member process, new member processing, stolen equipment notices, and In Memoriam’s for the MITA weekly e-bulletins. She also helps the Director of Safety and Compliance to process MIOSHA Appeals, CPR/First Aid cards, and other job site related requests. In addition, she assists the Manager of Communication and Events with the MITA website/social media and events.

E-mail: sarahalex@thinkmita.org
Phone: 517-853-5867

Janis Strang

Janis Strang
Executive Assistant

As part-time Executive Assistant to Mike Nystrom, MITA’s Executive Vice President, Janis is the person to reach out to if you wish to schedule a meeting with him or if you need to reach him immediately. She also handles the administrative duties regarding labor relations and the MITA building.

E-mail: janisstrang@thinkmita.org
Phone: 517-853-5867

Sara Jane Schaibly

Sara Jane Schaibly
Manager of Accounting and Labor Information

Contact Sara with questions related to accounts payable and receivable. Sara also handles wage rate updates and labor meeting notices. She also provides crucial information to the MITA Board of Directors as it pertains to budgeting and MITA’s investments.

E-mail: saraschaibly@thinkmita.org
Phone: 517-853-5864

Jeremiah Leyba, P.E.

Jeremiah Leyba, P.E.
Director of Engineering

Jeremiah is responsible for supporting members with challenges related to construction specifications, field issues, various governmental rules and regulations, utility conflicts and other technical matters. He provides much need support to MITA and its’ members concerning engineering related issues.

E-mail: jeremiahleyba@thinkmita.org
Phone: 517-896-0429

Danielle Coppersmith

Danielle Coppersmith
Manager of Communications and Events

Danielle manages and organizes each of MITA’s many social, leadership and education events in addition to managing MITA’s quarterly magazine. Contact her regarding event registration and questions, MITA website technical issues, placing paid ads in the MITA weekly e-bulletins and articles, photos and ads for MITA’s magazine.

E-mail: daniellecoppersmith@thinkmita.org
Phone: 517-282-0983

Mariam Robinson

Mariam Robinson
Director of Strategic Affairs

As Director of Strategic Affairs, Mariam wears a lot of hats at MITA. She works to increase member interactions with elected officials by consistently communicating MITA’s position on important legislative issues to the membership, which requires Mariam to regularly interact with the MITA lobbying team. On the communications side, she manages MITA’s official Facebook and Twitter accounts, and works with the Director of Communications to make print and website outreach efforts as effective as possible. She is also the lead staff person on the Fix MI State campaign, a public relations initiative to raise awareness for the state’s unmet infrastructure needs. She also handles administrative duties related to the MITA Board of Directors. Mariam works closely with the Event Coordinator to manage the website and member database, as well. Mariam works directly with the Executive Vice President to manage and execute special projects, as well as to process administrative tasks. In conjunction with the Vice President of Government Affairs, Mariam works hard to maintain the MITA PAC and to ensure that it grows strong year after year. Mariam is the person to contact if you need assistance in scheduling a meeting with your legislators, if you want to communicate a legislative issue or concern to MITA’s lobbyists, if you want to make a contribution to the MITA PAC, if you want to participate in a MITA special project or if you just want to find out more information about any of the above.

E-mail: mariamrobinson@thinkmita.org
Phone: 517-853-5866

Matt Moody

Matt Moody
Safety Coordinator

Matt Moody is MITA’s Safety Coordinator with nearly a decade of experience in industrial hygiene, compliance, training, and jobsite safety oversight. He holds certifications including Lead Inspector & Risk Assessor, Asbestos Inspector and Contractor/Supervisor, and OSHA 10 & 30. Matt brings specialized knowledge in silica exposure monitoring and hazard assessments, and is focused on expanding MITA’s safety resources to better serve its members.

E-mail: mattmoody@thinkmita.org
Phone: 810-599-5261

Greg Brooks

Greg Brooks
Director of Safety & Compliance

Greg’s certifications include Red Cross First Aid/CPR Trainer, and OSHA approved instructor for OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 courses. Contact him regarding job site inspections, safety training, MIOSHA appeals, compliance issues and utility locating issues.

E-mail: gregbrooks@thinkmita.org
Phone: 517-507-2531

Nancy Brown

Nancy Brown
Director of Communications

Nancy brings to MITA many years of experience in journalism and public relations. Contact her regarding articles/photos/ads in the MITA quarterly magazine, information/photos/videos for MITA’s social media, and any issues related to media relations and public relations.

E-mail: nancybrown@thinkmita.org
Phone: 517-896-1456

Rachelle VanDeventer, P.E.

Rachelle VanDeventer, P.E.
Vice President of Engineering

Rachelle provides professional expertise in many areas. Contact her regarding resolving construction issues related to publicly and privately funded projects, working with utility companies to minimize construction impacts and delays, advocating with other industry organizations, and issues related to MDOT, FHWA, USDOL, MDEQ and county/local agencies.

E-mail: rachellevandeventer@thinkmita.org
Phone: 517-331-1106

Lance T. Binoniemi

Lance T. Binoniemi
Vice President of Government Affairs

Lance coordinates the political and legislative efforts for the association. Contact him regarding contributing to MITA’s Political Action Committee, talking points to use when meeting with legislators, and questions regarding MITA’s political strategy with federal, state and local officials, regulatory agencies and key policymakers.

E-mail: lancebinoniemi@thinkmita.org
Phone: 517-282-2851

Glenn J. Bukoski, P.E.

Glenn J. Bukoski, P.E.
Engineering Consultant

Glenn brings to MITA a wealth of transportation-related experience in construction, design, specifications, materials testing and research. Contact him regarding engineering, project administration, prevailing wage, competitive bidding/prompt pay, DBE’s, MDOT and bridge operations.

E-mail: glennbukoski@thinkmita.org
Phone: 517-256-0741

Rob M. Coppersmith

Rob M. Coppersmith
Executive Vice President

Rob oversees all operations, staff and services at MITA. In his role as Executive Vice President, he implements policy based on his interaction with the MITA Board of Directors and the membership. He prudently manages the organization’s resources within approved budget guidelines. Rob is also a registered lobbyist and works on legislative issues that impact the membership.

E-mail: robcoppersmith@thinkmita.org
Phone: 517-896-1495

Mike Nystrom

Mike Nystrom
Executive Vice President/Secretary

As Executive Vice President/Secretary, Mike oversees all operations, staff and services at MITA. He implements policies based on his interaction with the MITA Board of Directors and the membership and he prudently manages the organization’s resources within approved annual budget guidelines. Mike also continues to work as a registered lobbyist, serves as an industry resource on labor matters, and acts as the spokesman for the industry on a variety of issues.