PR
YAN
During an April 10 public meeting, the Henry Ford College Board of Trustees announced the appointment of David M. Knezek, Jr. as the seventh president of Henry Ford College, pending contract negotiations. Knezek, currently serving as Chief Operating Officer of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and as an elected Wayne County Commissioner, will assume the presidency later this year, succeeding Interim President Dr. Lori M. Gonko.
“After an extensive national search, the Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that we have selected David Knezek as the next President of Henry Ford College,” said Jamal Aljahmi, Chair of the HFC Board of Trustees and Chair of the Presidential Search Advisory Committee. “The search drew more than 120 candidates, and we were very pleased with the quality and professionalism of the semifinalists and finalists.
Mr. Knezek is well qualified for this role, and we are confident in his ability to lead the College forward in the years to come. All of us look forward to working with David as he begins his presidency later this year, following contract negotiations.
“I want to express the Board’s deep gratitude to the Presidential Search Advisory Committee, which represented HFC students, faculty, staff, and our community.
The Committee members volunteered countless hours over the past three months, working with diligence and integrity to recommend finalists for this critical role. We were also pleased to see the strong participation of the College and our local community during the Presidential Finalists’ campus visits and in communicating their feedback to us as a Board.
“As we successfully conclude the Presidential Search, I also want to personally thank Dr. Lori M. Gonko for her extraordinary leadership as Interim College President since July 2025. It has been a pleasure to work with her. We will take time as a community to thank her for her service and congratulate her on her new role before she leaves in June.”
A Distinguished Record of Public Service and Executive Leadership
Knezek brings to HFC an exceptional record of executive leadership, policy achievement, and community investment rooted in Wayne County and the state of Michigan. As Chief Operating Officer of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services — the state’s largest department, with 16,000 employees and a $39 billion annual budget — he has overseen significant operational transformation, including the launch of the department’s first AI platform, which produced a 20% increase in staff timeliness and a 60% increase in complete applications from program beneficiaries.
He spearheaded a first-of-its-kind government and higher education partnership to provide leadership development to county office staff.
Simultaneously, Knezek has served since 2020 as an elected Wayne County Commissioner for the 8th District, representing more than 115,000 residents across Dearborn Heights, Garden City, and Inkster.
He has secured significant public investments for Western Wayne County, including $10 million for flood mitigation along the Ecorse Creek as Commissioner, and $30 million for the University of Michigan-Dearborn’s School of Engineering during his time in the Michigan Senate.
Knezek served in the Michigan Senate (2015–2018) and the Michigan House of Representatives (2013–2014), where he was the sponsor or co-sponsor of 139 bills signed into law. His legislative accomplishments include bipartisan measures on veterans’ employment preferences, service animal protections for veterans with PTSD and traumatic brain injury, extended statutes of limitations for criminal sexual conduct, and school safety legislation establishing the Office of School Safety within the Michigan State Police. He also served as Director of Legislative Affairs for the Michigan Department of Attorney General.
A United States Marine Corps veteran, Knezek completed two deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, rose to the rank of Sergeant and Platoon Sergeant overseeing 40 Marines, and was honorably discharged in 2012 after earning more than 25 medals, ribbons, and awards for exemplary service and leadership.
Knezek holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, with distinction, from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. He is a board member of Special Olympics Michigan and a Silver Life Member of the Detroit Branch NAACP. His civic honors include the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan David M. Campbell Leadership Award and the UM-Dearborn Young Alumnus of the Year Award.
“Henry Ford College has always been a vital institution for the people of Dearborn and the surrounding communities I have been privileged to serve,” said Knezek. “My own non-traditional academic journey fortified a deep belief in the transformative power of higher education and the role that community colleges play as engines of economic opportunity, workforce development, and upward mobility.
I am deeply honored by the trust the Board has placed in me, and excited to work alongside HFC’s outstanding faculty, staff, and students to build on the College’s remarkable legacy and advance its mission for many years to come
