Blog Archives

Richard D. McLellan is a retired Lansing-based lawyer who served as chairman of the Michigan Law Revision Commission from 1986 to 2021. McLellan has a 50-year career focusing on public policy and politics. He is recognized as one of Michigan’s most prominent and influential citizens. The Detroit Free Press reported, “He’s seldom seen in the state Capitol and less likely to be noticed. . . . Take a look at someone who may well be the most influential person in Michigan you have never heard of.”

McLellan has served as founder of two organizations: The Mackinac Center for Public Policy and the Trust for Trauma Journalism. He has long been a supporter of the First Amendment and helped establish the McLellan Online Free Speech Library at Michigan State University and the Richard D. McLellan Prizes for Freedom of Speech and Expression at the Russell Kirk Center.

McLellan has served in a wide range of public service positions in Michigan, including chairman of the Corrections Commission, chairman of the Michigan Film Advisory Commission, member of the International Trade Authority, and member of the Michigan Jobs Commission.

McLellan served as transition director in 1990 for then-Governor-elect John Engler. Before entering private practice, McLellan served as administrative assistant to Michigan Governor William G. Milliken. He is a graduate of Michigan State University and the University of Michigan Law School.

Frank Ochberg, M.D., originated the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, served as its first chairman, and now helps journalists understand traumatic stress and traumatic stress experts understand journalists. He is a founding board member of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and a recipient of their highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award. He edited the first text on the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder after serving on the committee that defined PTSD.

Ochberg was associate director of the National Institute of Mental Health and director of the MichiganDepartment of Mental Health. At Michigan State University, he is a clinical professor of psychiatry and was formerly an adjunct professor of criminal justice and journalism. He developed, with colleagues, the Academy for Critical Incident Analysis at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Gift from Within (a nonprofit for persons with PTSD), and the Committee for Community Awareness and Protection (responding to serial-killer threats). For this latter activity, Ochberg was the first physician to receive the Law Enforcement Medal of the Sons of the American Revolution.

Ochberg served in uniform during the Vietnam era and advises several nonprofit veteran’s organizations. As a Red Cross volunteer, Ochberg assisted families at sites of earthquakes, floods, fires, and aircraft disasters.