DETROIT (WXYZ) — Mayor Mike Duggan announced today the appointment of Anthony Zander as the director of Detroit’s Civil Rights, Inclusion & Opportunity department after the departure of Kimberly Rustem in March. Zander’s appointment follows Thursday’s unanimous vote by the the city’s Human Rights Commission to appoint him.
In this role, Zander will lead all efforts to promote equity, inclusion, and business opportunities in Detroit, including monitoring community benefits ordinances and the mediation of civil rights complaints. He will also oversee CRIO’s Office of Disability Affairs, led by director Christopher Samp, and the Office of Marijuana Ventures & Entrepreneurship, led by director Megan Moslimani.
Prior to this appointment, Zander was a member of Mayor Duggan’s Lean Continuous Improvement team where he supported city departments in improving internal processes, including developing processes for new programs and leading cross-departmental projects. As a member of this team, Zander most recently led efforts to streamline business licensing processes by removing barriers for small businesses to become compliant, an integral part of executing an equitable marijuana program. Through these projects, Zander will help to ensure the most vulnerable populations in business are positioned for economic success.
“Processes don’t mean much if they aren’t efficient and working for the people they are meant to help,” said Mayor Duggan. “That’s why having Anthony lead CRIO is so important right now. With his proven experience in improving the delivery of important services, I have complete confidence that he will make sure our department of civil rights, inclusion and opportunity is operating effectively on behalf of all Detroiters.”
Zander, Detroit-native, studied political science at Michigan State University and is a current political science graduate student studying public administration and urban politics.
Prior to joining CRIO, Zander worked in Washington D.C., Lansing and Detroit in roles focusing on humanitarian policy, and eventually led a non-profit’s statewide quality assurance and regulatory affairs efforts.
