DETROIT, MI.- The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) announced the election of four new board members at its November board of directors meeting: Charles E. Becker, chairman and owner of Becker Ventures, L.L.C., a private investment firm; Mark A. Douglas, president of Avis Ford; Chacona W. Johnson, recently retired chief of staff to University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman, and associate vice president for Development; and Cynthia J. Pasky, founder, president and CEO of Strategic Staffing Solutions.

“I am very pleased to welcome our new members to the DIA board,” said Eugene A. Gargaro, Jr., chairman of the DIA board of directors. “They each bring invaluable resources to the board. Now that our very successful grand opening is a year behind us, we look forward to their participation in helping to ensure the museum’s continued success.”

Charles E. Becker
Charles E. Becker is chairman and owner of Becker Ventures, LLC, a private investment firm established in 1998. Becker is a graduate of the College of Business, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has served as a board member for Collins & Aikman, Metaldyne Corporation, TriMas Corporation and the Detroit Entertainment District Association. Becker is chairman of the Karmanos Cancer Center hospital board.

Mark A. Douglas
Mark A. Douglas is president of Avis Ford, which he joined in 1998, working as assistant general manager. He holds a degree in electrical engineering from Howard University (Washington D.C.), and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Michigan.

Prior to joining Avis Ford, Douglas was employed at the GM Proving Ground in Milford and GM’s Tech Center in Warren. Douglas has served as a director for the United Negro College Fund of Detroit.

Chacona W. Johnson
Chacona Johnson has recently retired from the positions of chief of staff to University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman and associate vice president for Development. Johnson holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Ohio State University and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from St. Augustine’s College. She has held several positions at New Detroit, Inc., including director of the Black Applied Resource Center and director of Youth Development. She has also served as a consultant to the Hudson-Webber Foundation.

Cynthia J. Pasky
Detroit resident Cynthia Pasky is the founder, president and CEO of Strategic Staffing Solutions, a staffing company specializing in technology workers for firms with medium- to long-term engagements. Since 1990, the company has expanded to 21 branches in the U.S. and Europe. Strategic Staffing Solutions donates time and funds to support children, women’s issues, health, and social services through various branch offices. Its Detroit office of has sponsored the Motor City Shakedown Run on Belle Isle to support My Sister’s Place, has participated in Detroit’s Adopt-a-School program, and provided support for the Detroit Zoo’s Sunset at the Zoo live auction. Pasky currently serves on the board of directors for United Way and the Detroit Economic Club.