Marie McCormick

Member Group Representative
Friends of the Rouge

Marie joined the Environmental Council Board of Directors in 2022. She serves on its policy committee.

As the executive director of Friends of the Rouge, Marie leads the protection and betterment of the Rouge River Watershed, which spans west Metro Detroit, east Washtenaw County and southern Oakland County. Friends of the Rouge's methods of doing so are scientific, educational and restorative. It monitors the watershed, teaches residents and students how to be good stewards of it, and improves the watershed's land and water.

In addition to her Environmental Council leadership role, Marie also serves in four voluntary leadership positions. She serves on Plymouth Pollinators, which increases pollinator habitats. She chairs the Rouge River Advisory Council, which oversees the delisting of the Rouge Watershed as an Area of Concern. She is an executive committee member of the Sustainable Business Network of Detroit. And she is a member of the Rotary Club of Plymouth.

Marie's close ties to southeast Michigan towns gives her a unique perspective on the Environmental Council board. She uses that perspective and her experience to find hope and solutions toward a clean, healthy community and environment.

Before moving to Plymouth, Marie cut her teeth as director of the Oak Creek Watershed Council, as a plant and seed technician, and as a garden program supervisor, all in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Rounding out Marie's experience are a bachelor's degree in English from Aquinas College and a master's degree in sustainability studies from Northern Arizona University.

Naturally, Marie loves to spend time in the Rouge River Watershed when she's away from work. She can be found gardening with native plants, practicing yoga, enjoying the beauty of the Rouge River, finding small green space nooks, and spending time with her husband and two young children.