MSU Law Professor Singel to serve on National Board

East Lansing, MI--The United States Senate passed by unanimous consent President Barack Obama's nomination of Michigan State University College of Law Professor Wenona T. Singel to serve as a member of the Advisory Board of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC). Singel's nomination was approved by a voice vote on Thursday, March 29, 2012. ''The U.S. Department of Transportation is pleased to welcome Professor Singel to the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation Advisory Board,'' said U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary John Porcari. ''Her record of public service and experience working on major policy issues will make her an excellent addition to the board, and we look forward to her assistance in ensuring that the Seaway's waters stay clean, safe, open for navigation, and bustling with trade.'' The SLSDC, a wholly owned government corporation operating within the U.S. Department of Transportation, collaborates with its Canadian counterpart to operate, maintain, and ensure the safety and security of navigational facilities in the Saint Lawrence Seaway. Its five-member advisory board meets quarterly to advise the corporation's administrator on policies involving the operation, development, and effects of the Seaway. ''President Obama's nomination, followed by the U.S. Senate's unanimous consent is well-deserved recognition of Professor Singel's extensive record of public service and dedication to research on major policy issues,'' said Joan W. Howarth, dean of MSU College of Law. Singel is an assistant professor of law and the associate director of the Indigenous Law & Policy Center at MSU Law, where she teaches courses in the fields of federal Indian law and natural resources law. She also is the chief appellate justice for the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and the former chief appellate judge for the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. ''It's a great privilege to be able to support the Seaway,'' said Singel. ''I'm grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the environmentally sound development and management of the Seaway, whose transportation infrastructure plays a critical role in the Great Lakes and broader U.S. economy.'' Prior to joining the faculty at MSU Law, Singel was an assistant professor at the University of North Dakota School of Law and a fellow with the Northern Plains Indian Law Center. She earlier worked in private practice with firms including Kanji & Katzen and Dickinson Wright. She has served as a member of the Economic Development Commission of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and as general counsel for the Grand Traverse Resort, a tribally-owned resort in northern Michigan. Professor Singel is an enrolled member of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. She received an A.B. from Harvard College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Published: Thu, May 3, 2012