NEWS RELEASE
LAKE SUPERIOR STATE UNIVERSITY
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Lake Superior State University alumni and education advocates Sheri Davie and Jon DeRoo have been appointed to the LSSU Board of Trustees by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Davie, of Marquette, is executive director of the Marquette Brownfield Redevelopment Authority and a longstanding previous Lake State employee. She earned an associate degree in liberal arts and a B.S. in individualized studies in political communication from LSSU in 2009. DeRoo, of Chesterfield, is financial secretary/treasurer for Detroit Plumbers Local 98. He earned a B.S. in history from Lake State in 2000. Both have served on area school boards for years. Their LSSU board terms run through January 2030.
“Lakers Sheri Davie and Jon DeRoo not only embody Lake State’s mission of equipping graduates with the knowledge, practical skills, and inner strength to craft a life of meaningful employment, personal fulfillment, and generosity of self in an inclusive atmosphere while enhancing the quality of life of the Great Lakes region and beyond. They also signify the importance Lake State places on community partnerships in its strategic plan,” said LSSU President Dr. Rodney S. Hanley. “I look forward to teaming with them and the rest of the board on burnishing Lake State’s stellar reputation for innovative education, social mobility, and regional enhancement.”
Davie also gives back as president of the Superior Health Foundation and as vice-chair of the Marquette-Alger Community Action Board. She worked as Upper Peninsula regional manager for U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow for 10 years, retiring in 2010. Davie also spent 10 years as part of the educational support personnel at LSSU, chairing Lake State’s 50th anniversary celebration planning and receiving an OPIE (Outstanding Person in Education) award from the Michigan Education Association. Her three children attended LSSU. She co-owns Davie Multimedia, providing state and local educational programs. Her wide-ranging career also included transportation director for the Community Action Agency in the Soo. Davie served on the Rudyard Area School Board (12 years), E.U.P. Intermediate School District Board (6 years), and Michigan Association of School Boards (6 years), plus the Kinross Township Board (3 years) and the E.U.P. Mental Health Board of Directors (10 years), among others.
“I can relate to students as I was one for 10 years. I took one or two classes each semester and would work lunch hours or after five o’clock to make up the worktime missed during the day. It took me 10 years to get my degree, but I did get it done. I love learning and believe that education is the solution to most of the problems in the world in which we live,” said Davie. “Among the goals I would like to see accomplished for LSSU are: more focus on students, both traditional and nontraditional; growing the university more and developing a greater respect for the institution; and making the university even more affordable—yet profitable. In my opportunity to serve Lake Superior State University, I hope to use my problem-solving abilities, my interest in public service, and the ability to connect issues to resources while enhancing the lives we serve through education.”
After graduating from LSSU, DeRoo was accepted into the Local 98 Plumbing Apprenticeship Program and graduated in 2005; he holds a state plumber’s license. DeRoo earned an associate degree in construction supervision from Washtenaw Community College in 2018. He serves on all of Local 98’s trust funds and holds many professional certifications. DeRoo was elected in 2018 to a six-year term on the Anchor Bay School District board of trustees and chairs its finance committee. He also serves on the City of New Baltimore’s Local Development Finance Authority and has served on the Chesterfield Township Water and Sewer Rate Advisory Board. DeRoo has been married for 19 years to LSSU alumna Carianne (Noirot) DeRoo, who earned a bachelor’s in nursing in 1999; they have three daughters, Kaitlyn, Lauren, and Molly.
“I am so honored to be appointed to the Lake Superior State University Board of Trustees. This university, the professors, and the experiences I had while attending school here help shape the man I am today. I was very involved when I was here, from being an elected member of the Student Government to joining a fraternity,” said DeRoo. “I am so excited to be able to give back to a university that has given me so much, and I can't wait to work for the faculty, staff, students, and community. Education is a passion of mine and so are the skilled trades, so I am hoping I can bring my experiences and knowledge to the table to help create more opportunities for skilled trades in the university arena.”
About Lake Superior State University: Lake Superior State University is one of Michigan's most affordable public universities with One-Rate at Lake State tuition for all. Surrounded by three Great Lakes, LSSU is an unsurpassed location for research, innovation, and real-world experiences. Signature programs include fisheries and wildlife management, engineering, nursing, criminal justice, business, robotics engineering, fire science, and kinesiology. In 2019, Lake State launched the first cannabis chemistry program in the nation. LSSU also was the first campus nationwide to offer an accredited four-year fire science program; it is one of three in the U.S. LSSU was the first campus nationwide to offer an accredited four-year robotics engineering technology program and is the only university nationwide to offer undergraduate education in industrial robotics. LSSU also offers several certificate programs. Regional centers are in Escanaba, Iron Mountain, and Petoskey. LSSU opened its newest location in St. Helen in 2020. Additional LSSU hallmarks include the annual Banished Words List that receives worldwide media coverage and a student-run Atlantic salmon hatchery at its renowned Center for Freshwater Research and Education. LSSU’s NCAA Division I hockey team has won five national championships; men compete in five other sports and women in six at the Division II level. Lake State was founded in 1946 in Sault Ste. Marie, the oldest city in Michigan (1668), on the site of the former U.S. Army’s Fort Brady. Lake State has approximately 2,000 undergraduate students, with 88 percent coming from Michigan, and with every county represented. Ninety percent of full-time students receive financial aid.
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