Green and White Council

Green & White Council Charter

Objective and purpose: The Green and White Council includes some of Michigan’s foremost business and civic leaders coming together to champion bold initiatives that amplify MSU’s role as Michigan’s state university and address the state’s biggest challenges. The Council is one of President Guskiewciz’s signature initiatives. 

Harnessing MSU’s distinctive assets and the unparalleled expertise of its members while focusing on what matters most for Michigan, the Council will: 

• Develop talent for in-demand jobs across the state and equip Spartans with skills of the future.
• Connect Spartans to great companies and careers in Michigan.
• Leverage MSU’s cutting-edge research and intellectual property to propel Michigan’s economy.

Criteria for initiatives: The Council will launch approximately 2-3 initiatives that are: 

• Bold and impact-driven: Initiatives will address the most important opportunities in workforce development, entrepreneurship and research and innovation, with measurable results within the first two years.
• Strategically aligned: Initiatives will align with MSU’s strategic plan and complement and accelerate existing state efforts. These initiatives will be points of pride for Spartans and Michigan.
• Championed by Council members: Council members will actively sponsor and advocate for these initiatives, ensuring successful launch and scalability. 

Membership and expectations: The Council will include approximately 15-20 distinguished leaders with experiences reflecting the diversity of Michiganders and a commitment to MSU’s values and the state’s prosperity. Council members are expected to participate in three to four in-person working sessions in 2025, periodic engagement with MSU stakeholders (~2 hours/month) and ongoing implementation. 

The Council is co-chaired by Matt Elliott and Sanjay Gupta. Elliott most recently served as Sustainability Executive and Michigan Market President of Bank of America. He chaired the 2023 Mackinac Policy Conference and is the immediate past chair of the Detroit Regional Chamber Board of Directors, the chair of the Michigan Israel Business Accelerator and a board member of the Detroit Economic Club. Gupta is Dean Emeritus and the Eli Broad Endowed Professor of Accounting and Information Systems at the Eli Broad College of Business. He has consulted for the Big Four public accounting firms, the U.S. government and Fortune 500 companies and serves on for-profit and non-profit boards of directors. 

Timeline: The Green & White Council will convene three to four times between spring-winter 2025 to brainstorm, prioritize and select signature initiatives. By the end of 2025, the Council will finalize approximately 2-3 initiatives to be launched immediately. Beyond 2025, the Council may continue convening as an advisory group while supporting implementation and scaling.