Ethan Baker, mayor of Troy, has assumed the chairmanship of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, a Canada-U.S. treaty-based organization.
Commissioners are responsible for fostering bilateral relationships between Canada and the United States to implement a treaty called the Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries of 1954. The Great Lakes fishery, valued at nearly $6 billion annually to the people of the region, requires careful and collaborative cross-border management if the economic value is to be sustained.
Baker is responsible for ensuring that this bilateral relationship thrives. He is only the third Michigander to chair the commission since the organization was founded in 1954.
The convention directs the commission to facilitate fishery management among the jurisdictions, conduct and coordinate a science program, and implement a comprehensive program to control invasive sea lampreys. U.S. commissioners are appointed by the president of the United States and Canadian commissioners are appointed by Privy Council. The chair and vice-chair positions rotate between countries every two years.
“Although the commission is made up of commissioners from various locations throughout Canada and the United States, it was created and stationed in Michigan — the only jurisdiction in the basin to have management authority on four of the five Great Lakes,” says Jim McKane commission vice-chair from Canada. “Chairman Baker arrived during a unique time in the commission’s history, working through challenges caused by the pandemic and ongoing governance issues in Canada, but he hit the ground running and quickly assumed a leadership position as the vice-chair. Now as chair, I am confident he will lead the commission with the same inquisitive, determined, and poised demeanor he has demonstrated thus far.”
Before his appointment to the commission in 2021, Baker was elected as Troy’s mayor in 2019 and has a long history of public service. He is known for his dedication to community development and to creating safe, community-centered neighborhoods. He was re-elected as mayor of Troy in November 2023.
Baker is an attorney who specializes in elder law, estate planning, business law, and real estate. He received the 2016 Oakland County Executive Elite 40 Under 40 Award and is an advisory board member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors — a non-partisan organization of over 1,400 cities with populations of 30,000 people or more.
“The Great Lakes are binational treasures and are the major reason why people choose to work and live in this region,” says Baker. “The commission and its programs are pivotal to the success of the Great Lakes fishery and the hundreds of communities that rely on this incredible resource for employment, sustenance, and recreation. The Great Lakes represent the largest body of freshwater on the planet, and I am honored to have the opportunity to chair a commission that works to protect and improve the $6 billion fishery.”
Baker holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from University of Southern California; a JD from Whittier College School of Law, graduating magna cum laude; and a master of public affairs from the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.
