BOARD PRESIDENT

Dr. Gersh began with GCN in 2020. She is a lifelong Ann Arbor resident with 30 years experience in educational programming for marginalized populations. She was a member of the Mayor's Task Force to create a Police Oversight Commission (Ann Arbor) and also served on the Washtenaw County Sheriff's 21st Century Policing Compliance Commission. Anna has a background in grants management and extensive experience facilitating public events designed to support civic engagement and the arts.

BOARD VICE PRESIDENT

Greg started with Groundcover back in 2011 and has served the organization in various capacities since then, beginning as an MSW Intern, working as operations director, and then serving as the Board President for 8 years before moving into the Vice President role this year. Greg is a Lecturer in community-based social work practice and program evaluation at the University of Michigan School of Social Work, and also works as a consultant in program evaluation for various non-profits in Metro Detroit. An Ann Arbor native, Greg is committed to the sustainable success of Groundcover News and has had the honor of seeing the organization grow over the past 13 years.

Jack Edelstein arrived in Ann Arbor in 1980 as a graduate student in Urban Planning. He has been a volunteer board member of Groundcover News since 2017. Dr. Edelstein supports progressive efforts in Ann Arbor and beyond to improve the lives of underserved people, including Groundcover and Kiva.

BOARD TREASURER

Jessi (she/her) currently works with the Washtenaw Housing Alliance, a housing advocacy alliance in Washtenaw County whose mission is to end homelessness through the collaboration of more than 25 member agencies and other local, state, and national partners. In addition, she intersects her housing justice work with her efforts as a volunteer (since 2020) and board member (since 2023) at Groundcover News; as a volunteer on the Voices of Freedom Planning Committee for Freedom House Detroit, an organization supporting asylum-seekers with shelter and legal services; and as a board member on the Disability Action Board, a 501c4 affiliated with Detroit Disability Power launched to expand the political work needed to ensure disabled Michiganders are getting what they need from candidates and elected officials.

I’ve been active as a volunteer with Groundcover News almost from its start. Through the years there have been many changes, but its mission remains the same. Groundcover’s involvement in the community is what keeps me part of it for nearly ten years. I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1975. Through the decades my background in the visual arts served to be a useful tool maneuvering in a self-employed business world. That world changed and I found myself needing a permanent break from the stress and long working hours. This brings me to the city of Ann Arbor, a city I wished to be part of and who provided a direction for ambitions that included service to the community. This has become a meaningful purpose and brings joy and happiness to my life.

BOARD SECRETARY

Karen Prochnow is a lifelong Ann Arbor resident with a MS in Public Health. She has served on the GCN board for three years and currently serves as Board Secretary. Her primary work focus is Environmental Consulting. She sees Groundcover News as an essential and growing opportunity to serve the Washtenaw County community by providing low barrier entrepreneurial opportunities and a purposefully linked community of support for vulnerable individuals in Washtenaw County.