Dr. Curtis L. Ivery
Dr. Curtis L. Ivery is the Chairpersonof the Wayne County Airport Authority Board. Ivery became Chancellor of Wayne County Community College District (WCCCD) on September 1, 1995. As the Chief Executive Officer, Ivery directs the five campus, multi-cultural institution serving more than 72,000 students. He is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).
Ivery oversees an operating budget of $100 million and a $650 million capital improvement program. Prior to becoming Chancellor of WCCCD, Ivery served as Vice President of Instruction and acting President at Mountain View College of the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD).
In 1996, the Life Extension Foundation selected Ivery as the “Community College President of the Year”, and in 2004 he received the Walter E. Douglas Humanitarian Award from Detroit Omega Foundation Inc. In 2010, Ivery was chosen as one of the first recipients of the Dr. Charles H. Wright Vision Awards in celebration of higher education.
Ivery is an accomplished author publishing books, “Journeys of Conscience”, “Reclaiming Integration and the Language of Race in the Post-Racial Era”, and others, along with publishing over 600 articles for weekly and monthly metropolitan newspapers in the United States.
Ivery was appointed to the Wayne County Airport Authority Board by Wayne County Executive Warren Evans.His term on the Airport Authority Board expires 10/1/2024.
Dennis W. Archer Jr., Esq.
Dennis W. Archer Jr., Esq.is the Vice Chairperson of the Wayne County Airport Authority Board. Archer is the CEO of Ignition Media Group, a leading integrated marketing agency based in Detroit. Mr. Archer is also president and founding partner of Archer Corporate Services. His hospitality holding company, Congress Hospitality, is creator and managing partner of award-winning Central Kitchen + Bar, located in downtown Detroit. Additionally, Archer is a real estate developer dedicated to giving back to the city of Detroit and its surrounding areas.
Archer’s civic and philanthropic involvement is extensive. He serves on the executive committee of the Detroit Regional Chamber Board of Directors and is a past chair. Archer is a founder and the chairman of the Paradise Valley Foundation. He also holds a seat on several boards, including the General Motors Inclusion Advisory Board and the Independent Bank Corporation.
Archer, a Detroit resident, received both his bachelor’s and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Michigan. He also earned a certification in the NMSDC Advanced Management Education Program from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Dennis Archer Jr. was appointed to the Wayne County Airport Authority Board by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. His term on the Airport Authority Board expires on October 1, 2026.
Michael Ajami
Michael Ajami is the Secretary of the Wayne County Airport Authority Board. Michael is the Principal Attorney and Owner of Ajami Law, PLC. He also serves as a Special Assistant Attorney General in Michigan’s Solicitor General Division, where he is a member of the Flint Water Prosecution Team.
Prior to his current positions, Ajami worked with the Wayne County Circuit Court as a judicial intern. He also interned with the Wayne County Prosecutors Office, where he reviewed police brutality cases and offered recommendations based on his findings.
Ajami, a lifelong Wayne County resident, earned his Juris Doctor degree at Wayne State University Law School and his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Wayne State University. He was appointed to the Wayne County Airport Authority Board by Wayne County Executive Warren Evans in November 2020. His term on the Airport Authority Board will expire October 1, 2026.
Marvin W. Beatty
Marvin W. Beattyis the Vice President of Community and Public Relations for Greektown Casino and was Executive Director at the Wadsworth Community Center in Detroit. He served for more than 22 years with the City of Detroit Fire Department, retiring as Deputy Fire Commissioner, and was the first African-American to hold that position in the Department's history.
Beatty currently serves as a Board member for the NAACP, Chairman of the Coleman A. Young Foundation, Downtown Detroit Partnership Board of Directors, and is active with the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, and many other organizations throughout the metropolitan Detroit area.
Beatty received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Management and is a graduate of the National Fire Academy Executive Development Program. From 1995 to 2010, Beatty served as Chairman on the Board of Zoning Appeals for the City of Detroit.
He lives in the City of Detroit and was appointed to the Wayne County Airport Authority Board by Wayne County Executive Warren Evans. His term on the Airport Authority Board expires October 1, 2029.
Lisa Canada
Lisa Canada is the Director of Special Projects for the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights. Previously, she served as the Political and Legislative Director for the Council. Canada has worked in the field of politics and organizing for a number of major unions including the Operating Engineers, the AFL-CIO, UFCW and HERE before joining the Council in 2012.
Canada currently holds a seat on the Executive Board of Labor’s International Hall of Fame and the Michigan Labor History Society. For nearly eight years, she served on the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority. Also, Canada was appointed to the Board of the Children’s Trust Fund twice before resigning in 2012.
Canada served on the transition team for Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter. She co-chaired the transition team for Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans as well.
Canada was appointed to the Wayne County Airport Authority Board by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Her term on the Airport Authority Board expires October 1, 2028.
Al Haidous
Al Haidousis a Wayne County Commissioner who was appointed by his peers to the Wayne County Airport Authority Board in October 2018. Haidous has represented the Wayne County Commission’s 11th District, which includes the city of Romulus, since November 2014.
From 2001 until his election to the Commission, Haidous served as the city of Wayne’s mayor. While in office, he implemented cost saving measures and chaired the Downtown Development Authority, as well as several committees. Haidous held a seat on Wayne’s City Council from 1993 to 2001.
Haidous is knowledgeable about transportation issues, having served as a board member for the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation—better known as SMART—since 2007. Currently, he is chairman of the SMART Board. Also, he has chaired the Southeast Michigan Community Alliance's Southeast Government Alliance, Wayne County Community Development Block Grant Advisory Council, the Conference of Western Wayne and the Central Wayne County Sanitation Authority. In 2015, he was named to the Governor's Talent Investment Board.
Prior to his career in public service, Haidous and his wife owned and operated Al's Friendly Market for 35 years in the city of Wayne. His term on the Airport Authority Board will expire on October 1, 2024.
Athina Papas
Athina Papas is the Executive Officer at the Atheneum Suites Hotel in downtown Detroit. With a career focused in hospitality and real estate, Papas manages communications and implements property-wide strategies to support the hotel’s operational objectives. She also establishes and maintains high standards for guest and employee relations. Additionally, Papas oversees company growth at Helicon Holdings, a family-owned Detroit based real estate company, where she assists in management of properties and represents the company’s holders in metro Detroit.
Papas is active in the community, serving as President of the Greektown Preservation Society. She is also on the board of Operation Give, a nonprofit organization with the mission to inspire people to make a difference in the lives of children by working with area hospitals to aid in research and/or access to health care.
Papas is a graduate of the University of Michigan. She also received a culinary degree from the French Culinary Institute in New York City. Papas was appointed to the Wayne County Airport Authority Board by Wayne County Executive Warren Evans. Her term on the Airport Authority Board expires October 1, 2026.
