Paul Tait
Executive Director, Southeast Michigan Council of Governments
Paul Tait is the executive director of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), where he oversees a staff of 64 employees and a budget of $9.5 million. Through Tait’s leadership, SEMCOG is responsible for planning and intergovernmental problem solving on a variety of multi-community and regional issues, including transportation, water quality, air quality, solid waste, land use, community and economic development, and data analysis.
Tait joined SEMCOG in 1972, serving in a variety of planning and administrative capacities before being named executive director in 1998. He also serves as the president of the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition, a coalition of business, labor, government and education that is a catalyst for addressing some of Southeast Michigan’s most pressing issues.
A graduate of the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Leadership Detroit program and a Certified Association Executive, awarded by the American Society of Association Executives, Tait has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in health planning, both from the University of Michigan.