EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S CORNER
HEASTER WHEELER
Biography- (updated 08/22/08)
When you peruse Heaster Wheeler's background, his commitment to community is pristine. His activism in the political, civil rights and the social justice advocacy process goes back to junior high school when he was a member of the Black Student Union. His straightforward, honest leadership style garners respect as he leaves a trail of allies from many sectors of the community.
Mr. Wheeler's extraordinary passion for doing things right has taken him from the City of Detroit's Fire Department as a Fire Fighter to a member of the Department's Community Relations Speakers' Bureau and President of the Phoenix (Detroit's Black fire fighters organization). Next, he worked as Legislative Assistant to then State Representative Carolyn Kilpatrick, managing constituent inquiries and fundraising.
When he accepted a lobbyist position as Manager of State Government Affairs for Ameritech, he managed a legislative tracking and analyst system and co-managed the Political Action Committee with a $450k budget and helped shape important public policy relating to telecommunications. Later, he lobbied for the Detroit Public Schools - Office of Government Relations and was responsible for monitoring House, Senate and Executive committees, tracking budget, policy issues, stakeholder management and all public education legislation.
Later, he worked in State government as Deputy Director of Communications for Curtis Hertel, the Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives. His responsibilities included campaign planning, literature development, budget forecasting, convening public hearings and town hall meetings, candidate recruitment and incumbent protection. He was also co-convener of the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus Summit.
Currently, he serves as the Executive Director of the Detroit Branch National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In this appointed position (since October 1999), he has tackled major issues including: regressive juvenile justice laws, driving while black, employment discrimination, the take over of Detroit Public Schools, voting rights and voter intimidation issues.
During the 2000 elections, Mr. Wheeler served on the executive committee of "All Kids First," a Michigan campaign to defeat school vouchers. This effort resulted in a 4 to 1 victory for Detroit citizens and 2 to 1 ratio statewide. He also provides very focused leadership in collaboration with the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus and NAACP leaders from around Michigan . Early in 2003, he was appointed by Governor Jennifer Granholm to serve on the Michigan Land Use Leadership Council and contributed to a set of recommendations impacting urban revitalization, transportation, land use and sprawl. In 2003, Mr. Wheeler helped coordinate and lead 57 busses to Washington D.C. and the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court to demonstrate in support of Affirmative Action. He also helped organize 15,000 people in the 40 th commemoration ‘March Down Woodward'. This was in memory of Dr. Martin Luther Kings' march and 1 st rendition of ‘I Have A Dream' in 1963. Also, in 2003, he participated in groundbreaking conversation on Mackinac Island regarding ‘Race Relations' held during the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce' Public Policy Summit. This program was taped by WDIV – Channel 4 and aired during a special showing of ‘Flashpoint'. In 2004, Mr. Wheeler provided very focused and strategic leadership and served as one of the primary spokespersons to help defeat Proposal E in the City of Detroit and restore voting rights for the school board. The proposal was defeated by 65% to 35%. In 2005, Mr. Wheeler became the chairman for the Detroit Alliance for Fair Banking. As chairman, he meets regularly with banking officials to help ensure that residents of the city are not victims of predatory lending and that banking institutions are reinvesting into the community. In 2006, Mr. Wheeler served as campaign co-chair for One United Michigan, a coalition formed to help preserve ad protect Affirmative Action in Michigan . As campaign co-chair Mr. Wheeler traversed the state and the country to inform the community about the importance of Affirmative Action. In 2007, Mr. Wheeler was a lead panelists again on Bridging the Racial Divide II, which examines the costs of segregation in Metro Detroit. These telecasts were aired on WTVS Channel 56. In 2008, Mr. Wheeler was a recipient of the “Men of Excellence” award given by the Michigan Chronicle and the UAW Pioneer Award. Family is important to Mr. Wheeler, and he is married to Jennifer and has three children, Khari, Jeneva and Jeremiah. He has four grandchildren, Kaylin, Khari II, Kennedy and Kristopher. He is a member of Fellowship Chapel Church in Detroit . In 2006, Mr. Wheeler and his wife served as co-chairs for Fellowship Chapel's 40 th Anniversary. He graduated from Wayne County Community College and Detroit Public Schools (Northwestern High). He has attended Wayne State University and Clark Atlanta University . He has received extensive training in public speaking, public policy, campaign management and strategic planning. He is also active or serves with: • Advocates and Leaders for Police and Community Trust (ALPACT); • Booker T. Washington Business Association (BTWBA) • Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending (CAPPS) • Cub Scouts. • Detroit Alliance for Fair Banking • Detroit Historic District Commision • People and Land • Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) Freedom fighting and the protection of civil rights is the cornerstone of his life's commitment. |
