Board of Directors
Linda Michaels-Gruber - Founder and Chairperson
I am Linda Michaels Gruber, Founder and Chairperson of the MDP Senior Caucus.
I am a lifelong democrat and a South Lyon resident. For almost 40 years, I was the owner of Case Management Plus, working as a rehabilitation counselor, case manager, life care planner and forensic expert. In those capacities, I served adults and children with traumatic brain and neurologic injuries. Before starting this company I was an educator in the public schools, and a counselor in private rehabilitation. I have been actively involved in the Brain Injury Association of Michigan since its inception, as a board member and adviser. For ten years, I also was a member and the chair of the Governor’s Commission on Persons with Disabilities. I received a Bachelor’s degree from Marygrove College and a Master’s degree from Michigan State University.
We have five adult children and six grandchildren.
I love baking and cooking for family and friends, gardening and reading. My husband, Fred, who is an attorney and child advocate, loves my chocolate chip cookies. He is also a Senior Caucus member.
Byron Haskins - Vice Chair
Byron Haskins has over 25 years of experience leading the administration of state and federal public programs and policy teams serving disabled citizens. He served as Director of the Disability Determination Service (DDS) from 2004 to 2009, entering management after many years as a disability examiner, trainer and vocational specialist.
Byron led the Michigan Department of Human Services State Disability Programs from 2009 to 2010, leaving to become a disability policy and operations expert for the Social Security Administration Office of Retirement and Disability, in Baltimore, MD from which he retired as Director of Disability Training and Policy Support.
Byron has led culture-changing organizational re-engineering and training and has overseen complex multi-disciplinary projects. He brings experience using theoretical concepts of adult human development into organizational change. A member of the American Psychological Association, Byron has a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University and master’s degrees in psychology from the University of Michigan (General) and Western Michigan University (Counseling).
Peggy Raddatz - Treasurer
I have been on the Executive Board of the Manistee County Democratic Party, in some capacity, for the past 25 years. I no longer serve on the Executive Board but remain a member of the Leadership Team. In addition, I currently serve as an Officer of the MDP Senior Caucus, the MDP Rural Caucus, the MI Rural PAC, the Rural Michigan Action Alliance, and the Lakeside Club of Manistee County.
I served this last campaign cycle as Treasurer for four State Representative Candidates. I’d like to say here that this State needs to train more people in Campaign Finance so they can be Treasurers for candidates. Such people are few and far between!
My husband and I reside in rural Mason County but associate ourselves with the City of Manistee in Manistee County. My husband, a retired school superintendent, raises heritage turkeys for his business, Bourbon Red Heritage Farms. I keep the books for the business.
Ellynn (Lynn) Brouwers - Secretary
A resident of Superior Charter Township near Ann Arbor, Lynn is a retired neuroscience director and rehabilitation counselor. She devoted 40 years leading in hospitals, health systems, and community-based medical rehabilitation programs. As a volunteer, Lynn advocated by serving as the government relations chair and president for her trade association and by facilitating a support group for individuals and their families living with the impact of disability.
Lynn additionally worked as an international medical rehabilitation accreditation surveyor. Lynn is a wife, mother, grandmother, and caregiver for her mothers (now 97 and 100). Lynn, a lifelong democrat, stays very active with gardening on her 4 acre “farm”, fiber arts, consulting, and traveling the world with her husband and fellow senior caucus member Mark Upfal. She has served as the treasurer and currently is secretary for the senior caucus. She is passionate about voter’s rights and standing against ageism