November 30, 2017 (Detroit)—The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) announced the election of nine new board members at its board of directors meeting on Nov. 15. They are: Larry P. Alexander, president and CEO, Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau; Denise A. Anton, executive vice president, Center Operations for Taubman retail properties; Anne G. Fredericks, artist and art and architectural historian; Mary Ann Gorlin, former DIA board member, museum docent and volunteer; Laura Hughes, vice president, Communications and Community, Strategic Staffing Solutions; David P. Larsen, vice chair, executive committee, Bodman, PLC; Lori Maher, civic leader, community volunteer and former business owner; Christine E. Sitek, COO, GM Global Connected Customer Experience; and Suzanne Shank, former DIA board member, founding owner and CEO, Siebert Cisneros Shank & Co., LLC.

“Our new board members bring a wealth of expertise and experience with them, and we appreciate their service,” said Eugene A. Gargaro, DIA board chair. “It’s an exciting time at the DIA as we continue to implement Museum Director Salvador Salort-Pons’ vision for the museum as a community cultural resource and town square.”

Former board member Reuben Munday was elected as an emeritus board member, and Mrs. Walter “Sis” Fisher and Robert Gorlin were elected as honorary members.

Larry P. Alexander, president and CEO, Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau (DMCVB)

Alexander is a 30-year veteran of the hospitality and tourism industry, who has transformed the DMCVB into the leading organization responsible for facilitating tourism and expanding economic development in metro Detroit.

Alexander is a board member of The Parade Company, The Automobile National Heritage Area, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, the Michigan Kidney Foundation New Detroit and Autism Society of America–Oakland County Chapter. He is also a member of the International Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus. He resides with his wife and daughter in Troy, Michigan.

Denise A. Anton, executive vice president, Center Operations, Taubman Centers, Inc.

Anton leads the functions of center and central operations, marketing, sponsorship and tenant coordination for Taubman retail properties and is a member of its Operating Committee. Anton joined Taubman in 1988 as director of advertising, served as vice president and then as senior vice president of marketing before assuming her present position in 1997.



Anton is a trustee of the Cranbrook Educational Community and is on the board of governors for the Cranbrook Art Academy and Museum.

Anne G. Fredericks, artist and art and architectural historian (elected in May 2017)

Fredericks is an artist living in Massachusetts and Manhattan, who trained as both an art and architectural historian. She is a former Wall Street professional specializing in the Japanese stock market and other non-US equity markets, and currently serves on the DIA’s Collections Committee.

In the early 1990s, Fredericks revived the Renaissance technique of water gilding. Since then she has produced altars, panels and constructions using this technique in combination with egg tempera paint. She also paints in oils and designs furnishings and objects for Mermaid Design LLC. Her art can be found in collections throughout the US and overseas.

Mary Ann Gorlin, former DIA board member, museum docent and volunteer

Gorlin was reelected to the DIA board, has chaired the Learning and Interpretation Committee and currently sits on the board’s Endowment committee. She holds a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts and a Master’s in Art Education. Since 1984, Gorlin has given countless tours to museum visitors and in 2005 was recognized as Docent Committee Volunteer of the Year. Last year, she and her husband, Robert Gorlin, received a DIA Lifetime Service Award. Gorlin is also a member of Friends of the Arts Northville.

Laura Hughes, vice president, Communications and Community, Strategic Staffing Solutions

Hughes has more than 10 years’ experience in philanthropic management and institutional marketing. Prior to Strategic Staffing Solutions, she was a program officer for the Skillman Foundation, where she led the strategic visioning for the organization’s youth development portfolio.

Prior to Skillman, Hughes was executive director of the Ruth Ellis Center, which serves homeless and at-risk LGBTQ youth. While there, she served as the local organizer of the White House

Conference on LGBT Housing & Homelessness and established partnerships with the State of Michigan Department of Human Services, Wayne County, and Genesee County Department of Human Services. As a result, an LGBT task force was formed that helped more at-risk children find permanent placement.

David P. Larsen, vice chair, executive committee, Bodman, PLC

In addition to being vice chair of Bodman’s executive committee, Larsen is the senior member of the firm's High Net Worth Practice Group. He represents individual clients and financial institutions in estate planning, estate and trust administration, trust litigation, estate and gift tax, real estate transactions, the purchase, sale and lease of aircraft and watercraft, and closely held business transactions and succession.

Larsen has been named 2018 "Lawyer of the Year" for Litigation-Trusts and Estates by the Best Lawyers in America, a respected peer review publication, and has been included in it for more than 18 years. He is listed in Michigan Super Lawyers 2006–2016 under Estate Planning & Probate and as a 2017 "Top Lawyer" by DBusiness magazine.

Lori Maher, civic leader, community volunteer and former business owner (elected in May 2017)

Maher is a civic leader, community volunteer and former business owner. After graduating from college, she owned and operated a court reporting business and employed 70 people at the playpark Kid Kingdom.

Maher has volunteered as a reading tutor at Cornerstone Schools and Midtown Montessori. Her philanthropic activities started with the DIA Founders Junior Council and continued with work for Children’s Hospital of Michigan, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Michigan Stroke Association, the Heat and Warmth Fund and the Girl Scouts. She is a member of the Palmer Park Music in Homes program and the Berry Neighborhood Civic Association. 

Maher has a BA from Madonna University and a teaching certificate from Eastern Michigan University. She and her husband, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, have four children and two grandchildren.

Suzanne Shank, former DIA board member, founding owner and CEO of Siebert Cisneros Shank & Co., LLC

Shank was reelected to the DIA board. During her tenure as CEO, Siebert Cisneros Shank & Co. has grown from a start-up in 1996 to an international firm that has completed more than $1.2 trillion in financing for municipal issuers and $1 trillion in corporate bond and equity transactions. The firm has been the top-ranked minority and woman owned municipal bond underwriter for 18 years and is the first to be ranked in the top 10 among all firms as lead manager. As CEO, Shank manages the firm’s financial, regulatory and operational aspects in addition to selected client coverage.

Shank is a graduate of the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania with an MBA in Finance, and the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering.

Christine E. Sitek, COO, GM Global Connected Customer Experience (GCCX) (elected in Sept. 2017)

Sitek has held positions of increasing responsibility in purchasing, manufacturing and quality at GM and was named one of the “100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry” by Automotive News in 2010 and 2015. She is currently responsible for operations of GCCX and OnStar, with a focus on driving revenue and consistency in all operational units globally.

Sitek’s previous roles at GM were in North America Manufacturing and Global Manufacturing Engineering. Prior to those responsibilities, Sitek was executive director of Global Purchasing and Supply Chain for Indirect, Machinery & Equipment where she also led Supplier Diversity initiatives at GM.