Butzel attorney Kurtis T. Wilder elected Chair of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
DETROIT, Mich. – Butzel attorney Kurtis T. Wilder has been elected Chair of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He will serve a one-year term beginning January 24, 2023. Last year, he was named to the Executive Committee. The Michigan Chamber of Commerce is Michigan’s leading statewide business advocacy organization with more than 5,000 members.
“The Michigan Chamber team, Board of Directors and members, and our state’s businesses, communities and families will benefit immeasurably from Kurtis Wilder’s leadership as chair,” said Jim Holcomb, Michigan Chamber President & CEO. “His range of expertise, keen policy insight, willingness to listen, understand and dig in, and spirit of service are the perfect mix to help lead our work in 2023.”
Former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Wilder is a shareholder with Butzel. He concentrates his practice in litigation, appeals, and mediation and facilitation. He serves as a Neutral Mediator/Arbitrator with New Era ADR, a digital advanced dispute resolution platform. He has been a Senior Lecturing Fellow at Regent University School of Law and has appeared as a commentator on Dan Abrams Live.
He served on the Michigan Supreme Court following his appointment by Governor Rick Snyder on May 9, 2017. Prior to that time, Justice Wilder served as a judge for 25 years on both the Michigan Court of Appeals and the Washtenaw County Trial Court.
Justice Wilder, the 112th Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, graduated from the University of Michigan with an A.B. degree in Political Science in 1981, and from the University of Michigan Law School with a Juris Doctor degree in 1984.
Notably, Justice Wilder was named to Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s Hall of Fame Class of 2021. He also is included in The Best Lawyers in America, Appellate Practice, 2021-2023 and DBusiness magazine’s Top Lawyers in Metro Detroit, Appellate Law, 2020-2022; Arbitration, 2020-2022.
In 2021, Justice Wilder was elected Chair of the Interlochen Center for the Arts Board of Trustees. Previously, he served as First Vice-Chair and Chair-Elect. He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan.
Justice Wilder has served as Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and as a member of the Boards of Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars and The Children’s Foundation. He is a member of the Chairs’ Advisory Council of the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan.
Moreover, Justice Wilder is an Elder and Chancel Choir member at First Presbyterian Church of Plymouth and has memberships in the Fellows of the Michigan State Bar Foundation and is a Detroit Bar Association Fellow. He is a Past President of the Michigan Judges Association, and Past Chairman of the State Bar of Michigan Judicial Conference.
