Lois Allen-Richardson, former mayor of Ypsilanti has over two decades of experience as an elected official. She was first elected to City Council in Ypsilanti in November of 2000 and held an elected role until 2022. This included eight years as mayor pro tem, as well as two years as mayor.  After being elected Lois became actively involved with the Michigan Municipal League. She first attended the Elected Officials Academy (EOA) Core Weekender training in 2001 and worked her way through all four levels of the program. In addition to being a Level Four graduate, Lois is also a past president of the EOA Advisory Board. Beyond the EOA, she is a previous member of the MML Board of Trustees and a past MML regional secretary. As a founding member and immediate past president of the Michigan Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (MBC-LEO), Lois worked to foster community and belonging among elected officials around the state. Lois recently played a key role in convening a diverse group of officials and community advocates to work on stopping gun violence in Ypsilanti.  Their work resulted in a 14-point plan that has been adopted by Washtenaw County.  Through her involvement with several other local civic organizations and 40 years as an ordained minister, Lois’ main goal is to “publish the pain of the people” and make life better for all. This includes promoting the movement of author and director A.J. Ali., because L.O.V.E. truly is the Answer.