Surrounded by friends and family, Bryan Barnhill II and Anil Kumar, the two newest members of the Wayne State University Board of Governors, were officially installed on Jan. 17 during a ceremony in the McGregor Memorial Conference Center.
Barnhill and Kumar were elected in November and are serving eight-year terms that expire at the end of 2026.
Barnhill currently works in Ford’s Smart Mobility City Solutions Group, where he plays a critical role in shaping the creation of Ford's urban eco-system for mobility innovation in Detroit.
Prior to joining Ford, Barnhill worked in Detroit Mayor Michael Duggan's administration as the chief talent officer. Prior to that, he was the campaign manager for the Duggan for Detroit campaign. As campaign manager, Barnhill led the historic write-in campaign victory for Duggan. He has also served as chief of staff and director of policy and legislative affairs in the Detroit City Council President's Office. Barnhill has also worked at Southwest Housing Solutions in Detroit, and at Kushner Companies in New York.
Barnhill has a bachelor's in government from Harvard University, with coursework in corporate financial accounting from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has a M.B.A. from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business with a concentration in finance and entrepreneurship.
Barnhill is a Detroit native and he lives in the city with his wife and their two children.
Kumar has been a practicing urologist in metro Detroit for the past 30 years. He is the owner and CEO of the Kumar Surgery Center and practices medicine in Rochester Hills, Pontiac and Troy. He is also chief of staff at Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital.
Kumar serves as a clinical assistant professor for Michigan State University and as site director for the urology residency program at Crittenton Hospital. He has been a lifelong teacher and has published numerous articles.
He received his bachelor of science, bachelor of medicine and master of surgery education from the University of Bombay. Kumar was appointed as a research fellow at Wayne State in the Department of Urology. After completing his residency in Urology, he did a fellowship in transplant surgery.
Kumar met his wife when she was a Wayne State medical student. Both of his sons attended Wayne State for their undergraduate degrees; his eldest son also earned his medical degree at Wayne State. Kumar resides in Bloomfield Hills.
Kumar has served on the boards of the Oakland County Medical Society and the Michigan State Medical Society. He has also been chief of staff at the North Oakland Medical Center and chief of surgery at Crittenton Hospital. He was previously part owner and chairman of the board at Doctor's Hospital in Pontiac.