John T. Reurink

Publisher, MIRS co-owner

A former Director of Communications for the Michigan Manufacturers Association, John brings to his post over 15 years in and around the state capitol including service as a staffer in the director's office, Michigan Department of Management and Budget.

Kyle Melinn

News Editor, MIRS co-owner

Kyle comes to MIRS after serving as a free-lance writer for the Boston Herald and as a senior editor for SchoolSports.com, the high school sports affiliate of ESPN.com. Melinn has also written for the The Daily Citizen, in Dalton Georgia, The Yuma Daily Sun, in Yuma Arizona. Melinn has won the Associated Press Managing Editors Story of the Year Award, Class A Division in Georgia.

Jerry Crandall

Covering the executive branch

A former State Lottery Commissioner, Crandall has nearly 30 years of experience in and around the capitol. Crandall has worked in both the House and Senate in a communications capacity, as well as having served as a television news reporter and serving as then Senate-Majority Leader John Engler's Chief of Staff.

Tim Skubick

Senior Capitol Correspondent, free-lance writer for MIRS

Skubick brings over thirty years of experience to the staff of MIRS.

John H. Reurink

MIRS co-owner

John H. Reurink brings to the newsletter experiences gathered from a career in state government that spans more than 25 years including service as a Deputy Director at the Department of Commerce and Associate Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Susan J. Demas

Senate reporter

Susan J. Demas is a 2006 Knight Foundation fellow in The Fourth Estate and the Third Sector program for nonprofits investigative journalism through Marshall University. Demas is a political analyst for Michigan Information & Research Service (MIRS) covering the Senate and presidential election. She writes a syndicated political column for the Detroit News, Lansing State Journal and Battle Creek Enquirer, where she served as Assistant Metro Editor.

Laurie Mwakanandi

Laurie is a veteran of the House Fiscal Agency and graduated with a degree in Political Science from Calvin College.

Emily Lawler

Emily previously wrote for Capital News Service, The State News, Spartanedge and Lansing Online News. She served as Editor in Chief of The Big Green, and worked for MSU's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Communications producing audio and video stories. She will be covering the administrative boards and the state bureaucracy, among other assignments.

Rita LaMoreaux

Executive Assistant

Rita is responsible for generating MIRS legislative action reports and assisting customers with technical web issues.

Alisha Green

House of Representatives Correspondent

Green was a multimedia reporter at the Lansing State Journal for the past year. She graduated from the School of Journalism and Honors College at Michigan State University in May with a B.A. in journalism and a specialization in Peace and Justice Studies.

A graduate of Grand Ledge High School, Green is passionate about covering Michigan news and politics. During college, Green was a reporter and blogger for Spartanedge before becoming editor-in-chief of the weekly multimedia website. She was also an undergraduate research assistant for the School of Journalism, covering sustainable farming issues with articles and multimedia.

Mitchell Bean

Economic Correspondent

Bean served as the Director of the Michigan House Fiscal Agency, a nonpartisan agency within the Michigan House of Representatives. Agency personnel provide confidential, nonpartisan assistance to the House Appropriations Committee and all other members of the House on legislative fiscal matters.

Mitch was one of three voting members of the Michigan Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference which, by law, determines the official economic and revenue forecast that serves as the basis for the state budget.

Prior to his appointment as Agency Director, Mitch was the Chief Economist for the Michigan House of Representatives. He has extensive experience in forecasting Michigan's tax revenue, and has produced numerous publications on related topics. In addition, he has been a regular participant in discussions at the Midwest Economic Roundtable, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.