Southfield Councilman Lloyd C. Crews passing

The city of Southfield regrets to report the passing of Southfield City Councilman Dr. Lloyd C. Crews. Crews has been a councilman since 2014. His term expired in November.

Long interested in matters of diversity and inclusion, Dr. Lloyd C. Crews had been actively involved in many efforts. Most notably, he coordinated the first Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Convocation at OCC in addition to creating SAFE Zones on campus for LGBT students and serving as chairperson of the Sustainability Committee. He was awarded the Cultural Diversity Award by the Michigan College Personnel Association and the Diversity Champion Award from the Bloomfield/Birmingham Diversity Taskforce. In 2014, Dr. Crews received the 40 under 40 Awards from both Oakland County and the Michigan Chronicle.

Dr. Crews had also been involved in various external service organizations, including his service on the boards of the Boys and Girls Club of South Oakland County (Field Zone), American Red Cross of Southeastern Michigan, and as President of the Southfield Rotary Club. He was a member of the Southfield Partnership Council, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., MLK Jr. Diversity Taskforce, and is past president of the Michigan College Personnel Association.

Recognized for his work with mentoring young males throughout Oakland County, he's the founder of the OCC Man Up program which is in its 9th year. Crews was a highly sought after speaker, giving numerous presentations at both the state and national level on issues of diversity, education, mentoring and leadership. Crews was dedicated to keeping Southfield a vibrant, attractive, and sustainable city, and feels Southfield is a city that is too good not to be great! He resides with his 16-year-old son who attends Southfield A&T.

Dr. Crews held a Bachelor and Master of Arts degree in Political Science from Clark Atlanta University and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Wayne State University. He also held a graduate certificate from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in Strategic Leadership in Government. He worked in the field of higher education for more than 20 years, beginning at Wayne State University followed by a position at Oakland Community College (OCC) where he served as Dean and Executive Director for 12 years. In August of 2014, he took on a new role as a tenured professor of Political Science at OCC to more fully pursue his role as a public servant.

Viewing will take place at Clora Funeral Home located at 5801 Seven Mile East in Detroit on Sunday, November 2 from 3-6 p.m. The funeral will take place at Second Ebenezer Church located at 14601 Dequindre in Detroit on Monday, November 3 at 11 a.m. The public is welcome and invited to attend.

For more information, contact Southfield Administration at (248) 796-5110.