Detroit area civic leaders will participate in a panel discussion examining integrity in public service and corporate life on Thursday, March 20, 4-6:30 p.m., at the McGregor Memorial Conference Center, Wayne State University main campus. A reception will follow the panel discussion.

Sponsored by the College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs (CULMA), this event is made possible by the Eleanore and Mel Ravitz Integrity in Public Service and Corporate Life Endowment Fund established within CULMA in 2001.

Panelists include: Paul Hillegonds, Kathleen McCree Lewis and Bob King. Hillegonds currently serves on Wayne State University's Board of Governors and is president of Detroit Renaissance. A former member of the Michigan House of Representatives, he was the Republican Leader for several years before becoming Speaker of the House from 1995-1996. Hillegonds also serves on the board of various organizations including the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Henry Ford Health System and the Detroit 300 Conservancy. In 1996, the Detroit News named him "Michiganian of the Year."

Lewis is a partner and appellate litigation specialist at the Detroit law firm of Dykema Gossett. A life member of the NAACP, she is director of the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan, former commissioner of the City of Detroit Civic Center Commission and a former trustee of the Center for Creative Studies and its affiliate Institute of Music and Dance. In 1997, Crain's Detroit Business and the Michigan Women's Foundation named Lewis one of "Detroit's Most Influential Women."

King is vice president of the United Auto Workers (UAW) International directing the union's National Organizing Department and Competitive Shops/Independents, Parts and Suppliers Department. He was one of the original members of the AFL-CIO's "Elected Leader Task Force on Organizing."

The Eleanore and Mel Ravitz Integrity in Public Service and Corporate Life Endowment was established to celebrate, promote and encourage the study and practice of integrity in public service. For more information or to confirm your attendance, call (313) 577-5071 or e-mail: ae0809@wayne.edu.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 31,000 students in metropolitan Detroit.