Next Meeting
October 22–Mark Heppner, President and CEO of Eleanor and Edsel Ford House
Mark Heppner was named to his present position as President and CEO of the Ford House in February, 2019. He had previously served for the last seven years as vice president of historic resources and most recently, interim chief of operations over both Ford House and Fair Lane. In his new role, Heppner provides leadership and direction to Ford House as the organization looks to the launch of the new buildings and beyond, while continuing to oversee daily operations. Ford House is in the midst of a major expansion with the construction of two new buildings set to open in May 2020 – a 40,000-square-foot state-of-the-art visitor center and 17,000-square-foot administration building. The project is the first new construction in 25 years and the largest since the estate was built in 1929.
With nearly 30 years of experience in museums and historic sites, Heppner previously held the position of vice president of museum services division at American Alliance of Museums (AAM)-accredited Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens in Akron, Ohio, before he became the executive director of the Des Moines, Iowa Salisbury House & Gardens. A native of Ohio, he earned a B.A. studying history at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, and an M.A. in American history from Cleveland State University. Heppner is also a graduate from the Seminar for Historic Administration, and further built his museum expertise in the AAM-sponsored International Partnerships Among Museums exchange program, spending a month in Thailand. Heppner is a graduate of the Leadership Akron program as well as the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute and has served the community in several leadership roles, including his current tenure on the boards of the Michigan Museums Association (MMA) and MotorCities National Heritage Area. He is also an active member of Rotary. As a dedicated steward of local and state history, Heppner can be found assisting other museums and historical societies with various projects and challenges in administration, collections management, education, marketing and many other capacities. Heppner resides on a small farm in Hartland, Mich. with his wife and three children.
About Edsel & Eleanor Ford House Edsel & Eleanor Ford House is located at 1100 Lake Shore Road in Grosse Pointe Shores. The historic lakeside estate was the family home of Edsel Ford – Henry and Clara Ford’s only son – where he lived with his wife Eleanor and their children beginning in 1929. Since 1978, Ford House has welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to share in Eleanor Ford’s vision of preserving the estate for future generations to enjoy through interpretive tours, family activities, lectures, exhibits and gardens and grounds events. Ford House was named a National Historic Landmark in 2017, a prestigious honor from the National Register of Historic Places. For more information, visit fordhouse.org or call 313.884.4222 and connect with the Ford House on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Upcoming Speakers (subject to change)
Nov 12 Isaiah “Ike” McKinnon–former Detroit Police chief and university professor, inspirational speaker
Below you will find a form for you to evaluate our speakers and we encourage you to respond. This provides us valuable input for selecting future speakers. Thank you for your participation.
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Pointes Area Assisted Transportation Service
(PAATS)
Available to SMCGP for Lunches and Events
- Need transportation assistance from your home to and from the GP War Memorial for a reasonable price?
- Service area – anyone bounded by 11 Mile Rd, Gratiot, Alter, and Jefferson
- Pricing – within Grosse Pointes or Harper Woods is $3.00 each way
- 8 Mile to 11
