BWL Governance: Board of Commissioners	View printable version

Semone M. James-Howes
First Ward
Semone M. James-Howes is the First Ward Commissioner for the Lansing Board of Water and Light.  She currently serves on the Board’s Executive Committee, and as an alternate member of the Finance and Human Resource Committees.  She has previously served as the Chair and Vice-Chair for the Board of Commissioners and as Chair of the Finance, Nominating and Ad Hoc Committee regarding the Rules of Administrative Procedure.

Commissioner James-Howes works as an Investment Specialist for the State of Michigan, Department of Treasury, Bureau of Investments' Administration Division. She has worked over 15 years for the State of Michigan, having served in various managerial and analytical capacities for the Department(s) of Labor and Economic Growth, Transportation, and Treasury.

Commissioner James-Howes, her husband and two children are life-long residents of Michigan. For over 15 years, she has enjoyed living in Lansing and believes it to be an exceptional place to live and raise a family. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from Eastern Michigan University with dual majors in Finance and Real Estate. She is a State of Michigan licensed real estate broker and Certified General Appraiser. Currently, she is pursuing the Member of the Appraisal Institute designation and serves on the Board of Directors for their Mid-Michigan Chapter. Commissioner James-Howes is also of service to several other community and faith-based organizations, where she volunteers her financial and real estate expertise.

Julee M. Rodocker
Second Ward
Julee Rodocker is the Second Ward Commissioner for the Lansing Board of Water & Light, and currently serves on the Finance Committee.  She previously served as the Vice Chair for the Board of Commissioners, Chair of the Human Resource Committee, and was a member of the Executive Committee.  

Commissioner Rodocker joins the Board of Water & Light team with 19 years of experience in the retail industry. With a diverse background in several areas of the retail industry, her responsibilities have included department team leader, corporate specialist, general merchandise lines team leader, and food lines team leader.

Commissioner Rodocker’s current responsibilities include running the food lines area at Meijer, Inc., working closely with all levels of leadership in order to enhance team member engagement, and drive company performance.

Commissioner Rodocker is a lifelong resident of South Lansing and is currently attending Michigan State University, majoring in Food Industry Management/Department of Agricultural Economics.

Commissioner Rodocker was appointed to the Board of Commissioners on December 4, 2006 and her term expires June 30, 2010.

Frank B. Lain
Third Ward
Frank B. Lain is the Third Ward Commissioner for the Lansing Board of Water & Light. He is the Chair for the Board of Commissioners, and previously served on the Human Resource Committee and was an alternate member of the Finance Committee.

A resident of Lansing, Commissioner Lain is a retired engineer/firefighter with the Lansing Fire Department. He is a veteran of the United States Navy. Commissioner Lain has also had managerial experience in the construction industry and has been a licensed real estate agent.

Commissioner Lain remains involved in an array of community service groups. He is the Chair of Lansing’s Citizen Action Team for the South Side Community Center; a member of Lansing’s Diversity Celebration Team; a member of Lansing’s South Precinct Advisory Police Board; a member of the Greater Lansing Area Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission; President of the Averill Woods Neighborhood Association; and a former member of the City of Lansing’s Board of Zoning Appeals.

Commissioner Lain was appointed to the Board of Commissioner on December 3, 2007 and his term expires June 30, 2011.

Sandra Zerkle
Fourth Ward
Sandra Zerkle is the Fourth Ward Commissioner for the Lansing Board of Water and Light. She is the Vice Chair for the Board of Commissioners, and serves on the Human Resource Committee.  She previously served as Chair of the Human Resource Committee and was a member of the Finance Committee.

Commissioner Zerkle has been a lifelong resident of Lansing.  She graduated from Lansing Eastern High School and attended Lansing Community College.

Commissioner Zerkle has been employed 17 years at the AFL-CIO. She works in a federally funded displaced workers program with Michigan Human Resources Development, Inc. (HRDI).  HRDI is a program to upgrade job skills for laid-off workers. Previously, Commissioner Zerkle worked at Job Corps for 4 years. Job Corp is a youth education and training program for low-income individuals. Commissioner Zerkle also worked for Michigan Bell Telephone Co for 16 years and then transferred to AT&T, where she worked three years.  

Commissioner Zerkle worked on Proposal C (insurance proposal), a successful statewide ballot proposal petition drive.

Commissioner Zerkle was appointed to the Board of Commissioners on December 4, 2006 and her term expires on June 30, 2008.

Robert W. Cochran
At-Large

Bob Cochran is an At-Large Commissioner for the Lansing Board of Water & Light, and currently serves on the Finance Committee. He previously served as a member of the Executive and Human Resource Committees.

Commissioner Cochran has a long and distinguished history in the military and space and defense industries. He served in the United Sates Air Force from 1957 to 1979. Among other assignments, he watched over material dollars flowing to subcontractors on the Air Force A-10 Aircraft Program.

Following Commissioner Cochran's discharge from the Air Force, he worked for defense contractor Martin Marietta for eight years, and later served as Director of Operations for the Littleton Times Newspaper in Littleton , Colorado . After moving to Lansing in the early 1990s, Commissioner Cochran was an owner of a residential contracting firm. He is presently retired.

Cochran served as co-chairperson of Mayor Virg Bernero's transition Technical and Infrastructure Committee prior to his BWL Commissioner appointment. “I think the BWL is one of Lansing's greatest assets,” Cochran said following his confirmation to the BWL Board of Commissioners. He said he was motivated to volunteer for service on the Board as a way of giving back to the community that has supported his quality of life in the past.

Commissioner Cochran was appointed to the Board of Commissioners on February 20, 2006 and his term expires on June 30, 2009.

Tony DeLuca
At-Large
Tony DeLuca is an At-Large Commissioner for the Lansing Board of Water & Light and currently serves as the Chair for the Human Resource Committee.

Commissioner DeLuca has 11 years of trade association experience and more than a decade of legislative experience. He is employed by the Associated Food and Petroleum Dealers, Membership Services.

A resident of Lansing, Commissioner DeLuca is active in public service. He is President of the Italian American Club of Lansing; Chairman of the Enrollment Committee at St. Therese Elementary School; a member of the Education Commission at St. Therese; and a member of Lansing’s Diversity Commission.

Commissioner DeLuca was appointed to the Board of Commissioners on December 3, 2007 and his term expires June 30, 2010.

Peter W. Kramer
At-Large
Peter W. Kramer is an At-Large Commissioner for the Lansing Board of Water & Light. He currently serves as Chair of the Finance Committee and as a member of the Human Resource Committee.

Commissioner Kramer is a Vice President and Partner of The Christman Company of Lansing.

A Lansing resident, Commissioner Kramer served more than eight years in the United States Army. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in mechanical engineers from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.