Governor appoints two new members to Oakland University Board of Trustees
February 01, 2023
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has announced the appointments of Colleen Ochoa Peters, of Bloomfield Hills, and Stefen J. Welch, of Detroit, to the Oakland University Board of Trustees. Both were appointed to eight-year terms that will run through August 2030. They replace Melissa Stolicker and W. David Tull whose terms have expired.
Colleen Ochoa Peters
Peters is the founder of Meaningful Impact Consulting where she directs strategic gift planning, foundation relations, and program management for national and local nonprofits. She brings three decades of prior professional experience in the philanthropic, financial services and public sectors. During her career, she has worked with donors and professional advisors to establish endowed funds, planned gifts and donor advised funds, resulting in millions of dollars to benefit nonprofits in Southeast Michigan.
Peters also supports the Vision To Learn mission in Michigan, helping thousands of students in underserved communities across the state receive the eye exams and glasses they need to succeed in school and life, free of charge. Through her longtime affiliation with Forgotten Harvest and Lighthouse, she is focused on fighting food insecurity and building equitable communities to alleviate poverty. She serves as Vice President of the M-1 Concourse Checkered Flag Foundation, supporting transportation solutions for families through Pontiac Community Foundation’s M-1 Mobility program.
A first-generation college graduate, Peters holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Oakland University and a Master of Arts in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University. While at OU, she was active in student life, from chairing the Student Program Board to serving on Oakland University’s 25th Anniversary Committee.
She is a past Oakland University Alumni Association (OUAA) Chair, OUAA Assistant Director and a recipient of the OUAA’s Spirit Award. She has served on Meadow Brook Hall fundraising committees and was a founding advisory board member for OU’s Center for Civic Engagement.
Peters and her husband Gary are the proud parents of three adult children and are lifelong Oakland County residents.
Stefen J. Welch
