About The Airport  ::  Board Members

James U. Settles, Jr. is Chairman of the Wayne County Airport Authority Board. Settles is a United Auto Workers (UAW) Vice President. His UAW career spans over 30 years beginning in 1968 when he joined UAW Local 600. Settles is a lifetime member of the NAACP and a member of the Detroit Branch NAACP Executive Board. He serves as a Board Member of the Economic Alliance of Michigan, Board Secretary of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, and Board of Trustees Music Hall. He serves on a number of Detroit area community and civic organizations including Blue Cross/Blue Shield Provider Relations and Health Care Delivery and Cost Committees and the Michigan Round Table for Diversity & Inclusion. Settles is a resident of Detroit and was appointed by Wayne County Executive Robert A. Ficano. His term on the Wayne County Airport Authority Board expires in October, 2010.

Charlie J. Williams is Vice Chairman and Secretary of the Wayne County Airport Authority Board. Williams has served in Wayne County Executive Robert A. Ficano’s administration, as well as the administrations of the late Edward H. McNamara and the late Coleman A. Young. During his years of public service, Williams has served in various positions including Deputy County Executive, Assistant County Executive, Director of Personnel (Wayne County and Detroit), Chief of Staff (Detroit), and Director of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. Williams currently is President and Chief Executive Officer of MPS Group, Inc., a certified minority business enterprise specializing in resource management, total facilities management and total waste management. Williams is a resident of Detroit and was appointed to a six-year term by Wayne County Executive Robert A. Ficano. His term on the Wayne County Airport Authority Board expires in October, 2012.

Renee C. Pipis Axt is President of RCP Associates, a business development and governmental relations consulting services firm providing services to private, public and non-profit organizations. Pipis Axt previously held various positions in the Wayne County Executive office of the late Edward H. McNamara, as Project Manager for Strategic Planning, Capital Improvement & Special Projects and Assistant Director, Children & Family Services. Pipis Axt holds a master’s in Public Administration from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University. Since 2004, Pipis Axt has served on the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Board of Directors. Pipis Axt is a resident of Detroit and was appointed to a six-year term by Wayne County Executive Robert A. Ficano. Her term on the Wayne County Airport Authority Board expires in October, 2014.

James B. Nicholson is President, Chief Executive Officer and Principal Shareholder of PVS Chemicals, Inc., an international manufacturer and marketer of water treatment and other chemicals products. Before joining PVS in 1972, Nicholson held positions at the First National Bank of Chicago offices in London, England and Dublin, Ireland. Active in numerous civic organizations, Nicholson has served on the Huron Clinton Metropolitan Authority, the council of the graduate school of business at the University of Chicago, and is affiliated with the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit and the United Way Community. Nicholson lives in Grosse Point Farms and was appointed to an eight-year term by former Governor John Engler. His term on the Wayne County Airport Authority Board expires in October, 2010.

Samuel A. Nouhan is a partner in the national law firm of Bowman and Brooke LLP’s Detroit office. His practice areas include product liability, commercial and municipal litigation. Nouhan previously served in the office of the Wayne County Corporation Counsel and as a clerk to two federal judges. Nouhan is a graduate of the University of Detroit-Mercy School of Law and previously served on the Grosse Pointe Park City Council. Nouhan is a resident of Dearborn Heights and was appointed to a six-year term by Wayne County Executive Robert A. Ficano. His term on the Wayne County Airport Authority Board expires in October, 2014.

Bernard F. Parker, Jr. has been a Wayne County Commissioner for District 2 on Detroit’s east side since 1990 and has dedicated his entire life to community and public service. In 1971, Parker co-founded Operation Get Down (OGD), a grassroots community-service organization located on the eastside of Detroit. Commissioner Parker sits on numerous boards of directors, some of which include New Detroit, NAACP and St. Johns Hospital. Parker is a resident of Detroit and was appointed to a four-year term by the Wayne County Commission. His term on the Wayne County Airport Authority Board expires in October, 2010.

Mary L. Zuckerman is Executive Vice President and Chief of Business Operations for the Detroit Medical Center (DMC). Before joining the DMC in January 2004, she spent ten years with Wayne County. During her tenure, Zuckerman held various executive level positions, including Deputy County Executive. Additionally, Zuckerman served as Wayne County’s project manager for the Tigers and Lions stadium development teams and oversaw the opening of the McNamara Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport. Zuckerman earned her master’s degree in Public Administration from Northern Illinois University and a bachelor’s degree from Winona State University. Zuckerman is a resident of Livonia and was appointed to a six-year term by Governor Jennifer Granholm. Her term on the Wayne County Airport Authority Board expires in October, 2014.