MARQUETTE — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer this week announced appointments to a number of state boards and commissions, including the Michigan Community Service Commission, to which a pair of Upper Peninsula residents were appointed

• Zosia Eppensteiner, of Marquette, is the chief executive officer of the Community Foundation of Marquette County. Eppensteiner also serves as a board member of the Council of Michigan Foundations, MSHDA Statewide Housing Partnership, Community Development Association of Michigan, the Community Foundation Committee, and the Statewide Equity Fund Work Group with the Council of Michigan Foundations. She is also a Marquette County Ambassador through the Lake Superior Community Partnership and a board member of the Marquette Food Co-op. She holds a Master of Science in mathematics and Master of Arts in sociology from the University of Gdansk in Poland. Eppensteiner will be appointed as an expert in the delivery of human, educational, environmental or public safety services to communities and persons for a term commencing Oct. 2, 2026, and expiring Oct. 1, 2029. Eppensteiner will succeed Darnishia Morris, whose term will expire. 

• Chairman Austin Lowes, of Sault Ste. Marie, is the elected chairperson of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Lowes also serves as president of the United Tribes of Michigan. Previously, Lowes worked as a medical social worker for MyMichigan Medical Center. As a social worker, Lowes worked with several communities, including the Sault tribe, the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, and the Bay Mills Indian Community. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Lake Superior State University and a Master of Social Work from Michigan State University. Lowes will be reappointed as a representative of Native American Tribes for a term commencing Oct. 2, 2026 and expiring Oct. 1, 2029. 

These appointments are not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.