City Hires New Planning, Human Resources Directors

By Press release submissionl

Jun 20, 2022

The City of Midland is pleased to announce the hiring of Jacob Kain as Director of Planning and Community Development and Rebecca (Becky) Schaefer as Director of Human Resources and Labor Relations.

Kain joins the City on June 20 as director of planning and community development. Kain holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Hope College and a Master of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Florida. Kain has worked in the field of planning and land use since 2009. Previously he held the positions of research assistant at the University of Florida, senior planner for the City of Gainesville, FL, and for the past seven years served as the assistant director of community services & economic development for the City of Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. In addition to leading the planning department for the City of Mt. Pleasant, Kain oversaw the Parks and Recreation department and various economic development initiatives for the City. Kain was an adjunct faculty member at the University of Florida and currently leads professional development and training programs for the Michigan Association of Planning.

Schaefer joins the City of Midland on June 27 as the director of human resources and labor relations. Schaefer brings more than 15 years of HR management experience to the City, including the last nine years at Central Michigan University as an Assistant Director of Staff and Faculty Resources. Before her position with CMU, Schaefer worked as a human resources coordinator for Menard’s Corporation. Schaefer holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in business administration from CMU; both include a concentration in Human Resources Management.

“The City of Midland is very fortunate to have connected with Becky and Jacob,” said City Manager Brad Kaye. “The expertise and experience brought by each will be a strong addition to the City’s leadership team, and I’m thrilled to see what they will do in their respective positions.”

For more information on the City’s Planning and Community Development department, visit www.cityofmidlandmi.gov/planning. For more information on the City’s Human Resources department, including open job positions, visit www.cityofmidlandmi.gov/humanresources.