Financial aid advisor appointed to city council

For the past 11 years, Danielle Lucas has been a trusted figure for many students at Southwestern Michigan College, lending a guiding hand through the complicated maze of financial aid.

Now, Lucas will be offering her wisdom and leadership to an even larger group of people — the residents of Dowagiac.

The Dowagiac City Council appointed Lucas to join their ranks during their first meeting of 2015 Monday night. The Dowagiac native replaced outgoing councilmember Randall Gross, joining Lori Hunt in representing the city’s first ward.

Lucas was chosen from a pool of candidates applying for the vacant position, which opened up after Gross announced his resignation in December, due to the fact he was moving out of the ward.

A three-person committee, consisting of Gross, Councilmember James Dodd and Mayor Pro-Tem Leon Laylin, spent the last few weeks interviewing prospective candidates for the position, submitting their recommendation for Lucas to the rest of the council earlier this week.

A graduate of Dowagiac High School and of Southwestern Michigan College, Lucas has been a resident of the Grand Old City for nearly her entire life. A member of a military family, Lucas decided to enlist in the Army Reserves shortly after graduating high school, spending eight years stationed in South Bend.

“I learned a lot while serving,” Lucas said. “When I was younger, people would always say I was quiet. The military changed that. It built up my self esteem and gave me a voice.”

While still with the reserves, she enrolled at classes at SMC, where she received her Associates Degrees in general studies. She later transferred to Indiana University South Bend, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in business administration.

After leaving the military, Lucas found employment with Shelton’s Farm Market, working in the company’s account receivable department. When a position opened up in the financial aid office of her alma mater, she decided to apply.

In the decade since, she’s worked her way up the office, where she currently serves as the school’s financial aid systems analyst.

“It’s a very fulfilling job,” Lucas said. “I help incoming students find grants and scholarships in order to come to school here, to help improve their lives and their futures.”

Outside of her professional career, Lucas is a frequent volunteer for other community projects, including with the Cass County Relay for Life and Steve’s Run. She is also a frequenter of the city’s festivals and events, she said.

“I love being out in the community,” Lucas said. “I have a lot of cousins and nephews involved in school sports, so I’m always at some game throughout the school year.”

Despite her own lack of prior experience in public service, Lucas said she has a valuable mentor she can turn to for advice: her twin sister, Ronda Sullivan, serves as the vice president of the Dowagiac Union Schools Board of Education.

“I think it’s wonderful for both of us to be involved with the city,” Lucas said. “We both do a lot together anyway.”

In her new position, Lucas said she wants to reach out to her constituents, to listen to their concerns and relay it to her fellow councilmembers. Her main goal is to improve the quality of life for residents throughout the city, she added.

“My goal is to try and get more people involved in what’s going on our community,” she said.