Government Relations Staff

Kathleen M. Wilbur
Kathy is responsible for working with the Michigan Legislature to improve annual state higher education funding for CMU. Kathy also:

identifies other areas of the budget able to provide funds to specific CMU programs.
tracks various pieces of legislation that could have an impact on CMU programs,
works as a liaison to introduce the president, vice presidents, deans and other CMU personnel to Lansing policy makers, and
invites legislators and members of administration to the Mount Pleasant campus so that policy makers better understand the university’s mission and vision.

Kathy joined CMU as its Vice President for Government Relations and Public Affairs in July 2002. Prior to joining the CMU team, Kathy served in Lansing as the director of three different state departments: the Department of Licensing and Regulation, the Department of Commerce and the Department of Consumer and Industry Services. Before joining state government, Kathy worked in the Michigan State Senate as Chief of Staff to a state senator who was the chair of the higher education appropriations subcommittee. She was elected and served on the Michigan State University Board of Trustees from 1985–1991. In 2007, Vice President Wilbur was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame.

Toby Roth
Toby works with the Michigan Congressional Delegation on a daily basis in an effort to raise the profile of CMU in Washington, D.C. He has accompanied numerous faculty to Washington in an effort to increase federal support for various CMU programs. He has also brought several federal officials to the CMU campus in an effort to inform and educate them about CMU’s mission and research efforts.

Toby joined the CMU team in 2001 and initially worked on state appropriation issues, and federal research funding initiatives for CMU in Washington, D.C. Prior to coming to Mt. Pleasant, Toby was the Executive Vice President for a Washington, D.C. trade association. He also worked at the U.S. Department of Transportation as a special assistant to the Secretary of Transportation, and worked on Capitol Hill for Congressman George Wortly.

Brenda Randall
Brenda has been a member of the CMU Government Relations staff since 1994. She coordinates Government Relations activities in the campus office. Brenda holds two degrees from CMU, a bachelor’s and a master’s in journalism. Brenda knows all there is to know about CMU staff and campus life and has dealt very effectively with constituent and the legislative concerns through the years.

Lee Wilcox
Lee joined the CMU team in early 2007. A former career civil servant, Lee served in many state agencies, retiring from the Department of Agriculture in 2003. As executive assistant to the State Agriculture Director, Lee coordinated the schedules and activities of five directors during her tenure in that agency. In 1988, she founded Professional Assistants to Chief Executives (PACE), a group comprised of executive assistants to all state agency directors, a network which became a forum for professional development, problem-solving and camaraderie. The group, now in its 20th year, remains an active force at the top levels of state government. Lee holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration/Management and coordinates office management activities in the Lansing office.