Greg joined the Office of Government and Community Affairs as Director of State Relations in November 2008. As Director of State Relations, Greg serves as the primary contact and principal lobbyist for the University in its relationship with the Governor, the State Legislature, and state departments and department officials.

Prior to joining Wayne State, Greg spent more than 12 years in state government working in the Executive Branch, both chambers of the legislature and in the Office of the Attorney General. Most recently, Greg held the positions as Press Secretary to the Speaker of the House and Director of Communications for the Office of the State Budget.

Greg has also spent time working on political campaigns at the local, state and federal levels. He holds a BA in Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy from Michigan State University’s James Madison College.

Victor Green
Director of Community Relations
(313) 577-8863

Victor joined the Office of Government and Community Affairs as the Director of Community Relations in April 2005. In this capacity, he is the liaison between the university and the metropolitan area Detroit. He promotes the urban mission of the University through building, developing and sustaining partnerships in the community.

Prior to joining Wayne State, Victor served as an inspector of internal affairs and community relations for the Kalamazoo Police Department. He was a board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters in Kalamazoo, an adjunct professor at Kalamazoo Valley Community College Police Academy and Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, MI, and a congressional assistant to Congressman Howard Wolpe and Congressman Fred Upton. Victor is a native of Detroit and a graduate of Renaissance High School. He holds a BS and Master of Public Administration from Western Michigan University.

Kevin Jefferson
Director of Federal Affairs
(202) 488-7267

Kevin joined the Office of Government and Community Affairs as Director of Federal Affairs in August 2008. As Director of Federal Affairs, he is the lead advocate for the University in its relationship with members of Congress, federal agency and department officials, and officials in the executive branch.

Prior to joining Wayne State University, Kevin’s served as Special Assistant for Policy for Mitigation at FEMA, Protocol Visits Officer at the U.S. Department of State, Special Assistant to U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman, U.S. Department of Labor’s agency representative to the White House Community Empowerment Board, and Executive Director of the DNC’s Voting Rights Institute. Kevin holds a Master of Divinity from Howard University, a BA in Journalism and Political Science from Bowie State University, and studied public policy at Georgetown University and international law and trade at Antioch School of Law.

Karen Vest
Business Manager
(313) 577-1262

Karen joined the Office of Government and Community Affairs in December 2001 as the executive assistant to the vice president. In her current position as the office’s business manager, she is responsible for the day-to-day financial operations of the office, supervision of the administrative staff, human resources management and training. She is the liaison with staff in the President’s office and the Secretary to the Board of Governors. She assists at events sponsored by the office on campus or, at times, in the community.

Prior to joining Wayne State, Karen served as the senior government relations specialist for Kmart Corporation in Troy, MI. There she researched, analyzed and monitored multiple federal, state and local legislative and regulatory issues in 35 states. She represented the corporation on the boards of state and national retail associations, and was a board member and legislative representative for Kmart on the Troy, MI, Chamber of Commerce. Karen holds an Associate Degree in Business Administration from Oakland Community College and is working toward a BA in Public Administration at Wayne State University.