Life Directions Announces New Development Director

From Life Directions: Life Directions announced today that the Hon. Fred Mester, (retired) has been named Development Director. The Detroit, Michigan-based non- profit serves the Detroit community by providing peer to peer motivation and mentoring to at-risk young people. The newly-created position was established recently as part of Life Directions’ strategic growth plan.

“We’re truly blessed and delighted to have someone with Fred’s experience and background fill this important role for us. The critical part he will play in the foundation on which we’re building and Life Directions’ future can’t be over-emphasized, nor can the dedication and passion for community service he brings,” said Fr. John Phelps, CEO, Life Directions.

As Development Director, Mester will lead Life Directions’ fund-raising efforts and head a group of Life Directions board members who are focused on raising the awareness of Life Directions on the part of corporate donors, as well as achieving the organization’s fundraising objectives for 2017. The heightened focus on fundraising is being driven by growing requests from Detroit schools and neighborhood communities for Life Directions’ unique, peer-to- peer programs and complementary community services.

“I am excited and proud to be part of the Life Directions team and humbled by the legacy of what Life Directions has accomplished over their 43-year history,” Mester said. “When you look at groups making a difference in our communities, Life Directions is one – and one that consistently hits above its weight class in terms of the positive impact it makes on the lives of young Detroiters.”

Mester’s experience with and support for solutions to the problems facing Detroit youth spans decades and he is well-known throughout south east Michigan for both his professional and philanthropic accomplishments. A former Oakland County Circuit Court judge, Mester was appointed in May 1982 and retired from the Sixth Circuit Court in 2008 after 26 years on the bench. He is a former President of the Federal Bar Association, Detroit Chapter; National First Vice President, Federal Bar Association; and Former Chairman, Advisory Committee to the Professional Committee, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Mester is currently in private practice in Birmingham where he specializes in arbitration, facilitation, mediation, and consultation services.

Mester has a lifelong history of philanthropic support and community service including serving or having served as: Founder and President of the Pontiac Alumni Foundation; Chairperson of the William Booth Legal Aid Clinic; President and Founder of Reading to Reduce Recidivism; member of the Board of Directors for the Salvation Army (Pontiac Division); Common Ground Sanctuary; and a Charter Board Member of the Center for the Study of Citizenship at Wayne State University. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Oakland University in the Political Science Department, and as an Adjunct Instructor in the Paralegal Department of Oakland University and Oakland Community College.

Mester is a proud 1959 graduate of Central Michigan University and former President of the Central Michigan University Alumni Association.

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