Denise Ilitch was born on November 1955 and is a Detroit-area businessperson, lawyer, and member of the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan.
13 Facts About Denise Ilitch
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Denise Ilitch was chair of the board from 2020 to 2021.
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Denise Ilitch is a second-generation Macedonian American, the daughter of Mike Ilitch and Marian Ilitch, co-founders of Little Ceasars Enterprises Inc She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in 1977, and her Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit in 1980.
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Denise Ilitch was later president of Ilitch Holdings, a privately held business that manages the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings, Little Caesars, the Fox Theatre, and other Detroit-area businesses.
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Denise Ilitch is the owner and publisher of Ambassador magazine, and the owner of Denise Ilitch Designs.
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Denise Ilitch is "Of Counsel" at the law firm Clark Hill, where she advises clients in the areas of business practice, corporate law, and government policy.
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Denise Ilitch serves on the boards of many business and community organizations in the Detroit area.
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Denise Ilitch is a past member of the board of directors for the Detroit Branch NAACP, the ACLU of Michigan advisory committee, the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the board of directors of the Detroit Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
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On November 5,2008, Denise Ilitch was elected statewide to an eight-year term on the Board of Regents of the University of Michigan.
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Denise Ilitch made controlling university tuition costs a centerpiece of her campaign.
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Denise Ilitch was one of only two members of the Board of Regents to vote against a tuition hike in July 2009.
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Denise Ilitch was reelected in 2024, defeating Palestinian American activist Huwaida Arraf who challenged her for the Democratic nomination in August and going on to win the November general election alongside Republican Carl Meyers.
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Denise Ilitch met with the Democratic Governors Association while in Washington DC She announced the following month that she would not enter the race, citing the compressed campaign schedule.