Michael Busuito (pictured, left) and Mark Gaffney (pictured, right) were sworn in as the newest members of the Wayne State University Board of Governors on Tuesday evening in the atrium of the McGregor Memorial Conference Center surrounded by family, friends and university officials.
The two men, who are friends, will serve eight year terms expiring in 2024. They were sworn in by judges of the Michigan Supreme Court. Their first meeting will be on Friday, Jan. 27.
Busuito, a Republican and lifelong Detroiter, is a second-generation descendent of Sicilian Catholic immigrants and a product of the public education system in Michigan. He received his bachelor’s in 1976 from the University of Michigan and his M.D. from the WSU School of Medicine in 1981. Following medical school, he completed a five-year residency in general surgery and a two-year residency in plastic surgery.
Since beginning his plastic and reconstructive surgery practice, Busuito has continually been involved in research as well as teaching medical students and surgery residents. He is proud of his affiliation with Wayne State and currently serves as clinical associate professor of surgery, a voluntary position. In addition to his busy practice, Busuito frequently lectures in his specialty and is internationally published.
He is the father of six children, all of whom participate in community service.
Gaffney, a Democrat, is currently employed by Teamsters Local Union #214, the largest Teamsters Local in Michigan with statewide jurisdiction for the public sector. He represents and negotiates on behalf of municipal and education workers in all walks of life, putting into practice the principles of positive labor management relations whenever possible.
He recently retired after serving 12 years as the President of the Michigan AFL-CIO, an association of 40 national labor unions representing more than 700,000 active and retired union members in Michigan. In this role, Gaffney became one of the leading political, legislative and labor figures in the state.
For the last five years, Gaffney has served as an adjunct professor in WSU’s Employment and Labor Relations program. He is a lifelong Michigan resident and has three children.