Jack Townsley is a consultant working in Southeast Michigan currently contracted with Lenawee Now, the county-wide economic development organization in Lenawee County, Michigan.
Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Jack earned his B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Michigan in 1983 and his B.S. in Biology and teaching certificate from Eastern Michigan University in 1987. He began his professional career as a school teacher and from there transitioned into the human resources field working for Avis Enterprises, a holding company owned by Warren Avis, founder of Avis Rent-A-Car.
At Avis Enterprises Jack became the lead for group facilitation and team-based problem solving. In late 1996 Jack started a consulting organization specializing in “High-Performance Work Teams” and “Creative Collaboration,” with Avis as his first customer. As a consultant Jack had opportunities to work on projects with the City of New York, the Third Circuit Court of Michigan, the Department of Environmental Protection, Daimler Chrysler, St. Joseph’s Mercy Hospital, and Detroit Metro Airport, to name a few.
In early 2000 he transitioned to the Workforce Development field as a Business Solutions Manager for South Central Michigan Works, a tri-county Workforce Development Agency, where he helped employers recruit, hire, and train their workforce. As a Business Solutions Manager, Jack gained experience working with many different industry sectors, helping match available talent with industry needs.
In 2014 Jack reconnected with his roots in the education field by joining the Lenawee Intermediate School District as the Supervisor of Placement and Adult Learning Services at the LISD TECH Center where he oversaw work-based learning activities, placement services, and the adult learning programs for the district.
In 2018 Jack was given the opportunity to attend Cohort VII of the TPM Academy and has been managing TPM Collaboratives ever since, first as an employee of the Lenawee Intermediate School District, and upon retirement in 2022, as an independent consultant contracted with Lenawee Now.
Industries of Interest: Energy/Utilities, Healthcare
Other Specialty Areas: Analyzing Employer Collaborative Surveys, Local/State Data Availability and Usage, Partnerships with Local/State Government, Strategic/Sustainability Planning, Career and Technical Education Pathways