ANN ARBOR—Sally J. Churchill, assistant general counsel at the University of Michigan, will be recommended as vice president and secretary of the University. Her selection was announced today (April 18) by U-M President Mary Sue Coleman and Rebecca McGowan, chair of the Board of Regents. Churchill’s appointment will be voted on by the full Board of Regents at their April 21 meeting.

The vice president and secretary is a member of the senior executive management team, and works with the president and Board of Regents to support the board in carrying out its governance activities in concert with the University’s administration. The vice president and secretary serves as liaison between the board, the University community and the public, and works with individuals throughout the University and wider community to further institutional goals.

"We are delighted to recommend Sally Churchill for this critical role," Coleman said. "She is widely known and respected by her colleagues for her rigorous and insightful interpretations of law and policy, her nuanced understanding of complex issues, and her comprehensive perspective on the University."

"We selected Sally Churchill after a rigorous search during which we considered a number of candidates experienced and effective in many University departments," McGowan said. "Sally’s particular expertise in corporate governance, together with her wide portfolio of issues across the University, were key to her selection. She is, additionally, a terrific person who will bring energy and good judgment to this responsibility. President Coleman and I are very pleased to recommend her to our colleagues."

Churchill joined the U-M General Counsel’s Office in 1996. In her position as assistant general counsel, she has provided expert advice and counsel on corporate governance, the Regents Bylaws and Regents Ordinance, and constitutional autonomy, as well as election law, business and finance, construction, real estate and regulatory compliance.

Prior to joining the University, Churchill worked in the field of environmental law, including positions with the Michigan Office of Attorney General, the Michigan United Conservation Clubs, the Little Traverse Conservancy, and the law firms of Rosi, Olson & Levine in Traverse City and as a partner at Honigman, Miller, Schwartz & Cohn in Detroit.

She has continued her work in environmental compliance and law, professionally as assistant general counsel and academically as adjunct professor in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Program in the Environment and the School of Public Health, where she teaches environmental law.

Churchill received her bachelor’s degree in general studies from the University of Michigan in 1977, a master’s degree in land use and environmental policy from Tufts University in 1980, and her J.D. degree from the U-M Law School in 1987.

Churchill’s appointment as vice president and secretary will be effective May 1 upon approval by the Board of Regents.

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