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Detroit Public Schools Community District board member Sherry Gay-Dagnogo is set to resign her post to become the city of Detroit’s next ombudsman.
The Detroiter was selected for the post by a 6-3 vote during the City Council’s formal session on Tuesday. Council members Scott Benson, Angela Whitfield-Calloway, and Gabriela Santiago-Romero cast their votes for other contenders — Gail Barnard and Tiffany Tilley, respectively — after the field was winnowed to three finalists from a ballot with 10.
Gay-Daynogo, 58, had a strong showing of support during public comment from people including DPSCD Superintendent Nikolai Vitti; Board of Police Commissioners members Darryl Woods and Linda Bernard; and the Rev. Wendell Anthony, president of the Detroit Branch of the NAACP, among others.
“This is my roots, this is my mecca, this is my coming home to serve the residents of Detroit,” Gay-Dagnogo told BridgeDetroit after the vote as she tearfully embraced her supporters.
Gay-Dagnogo says she’s still committed to schools
She told BridgeDetroit that she intends to formally submit her resignation on Tuesday. Her formal appointment date as ombudsman has not yet been set. Although her tenure with the school board will be ending, Gay-Dagnogo said she’s still committed to the schools and families, which are “the same constituencies.”
“My heart continues to remain with our schoolchildren, our citizens. I continue to fight and field complaints from all social institutions, not just DPS. That won’t stop,” she said. “I have a number of colleagues that I work with and will continue to work with in making sure education is still a cornerstone, even of the ombudsman’s office.”
Gay-Dagnogo, who worked for Detroit when Gil Hill was the council’s president, said she began her career in city government at age 27 and is looking forward to coming back into the fold.
“Our city has grown. It has been through a lot. We have emerged. We will have new mayoral leadership. It’s a great, historical time to be working together in tandem with our City Council and our next mayor,” she said.
The ombudsman performs an often overlooked but influential role in city government. The ombudsman is responsible for investigating citizen complaints, working as a liaison between residents and the government. The salary is listed at $199,500. Ombudsman Bruce Simpson’s appointment expires Oct. 5. Gay-Dagnogo’s 10-year appointment will run through the fall of 2035.
Gay-Dagnogo told BridgeDetroit that she crafted a 90-day plan in preparation for her tenure.
She said her efforts will begin by sitting down with council members and their staffers and all of the city’s 25 department heads. She stressed the central pillars of her leadership and advocacy will continue to be social justice, education, seniors, and criminal justice reform. She touted her “institutional memory” and the ability to unite and build a bridge, even to DPSCD.
“There are a lot of common issues we have,” she said.
Gay-Dagnogo lauded as a tireless advocate, ‘Megatron’
Gay-Dagnogo pointed to the crowd who attended Tuesday’s meeting to back her bid for ombudsman, including Vitti.
The superintendent, during his allotted speaking time, said that during his nine years as DPSCD’s leader, there hasn’t been another board member who has worked as tirelessly on behalf of residents as Gay-Dagnogo. He noted her history of service to Detroiters and her efforts to challenge emergency management and uplift literacy, blight concerns, and school programs.
Gay-Dagnogo, Vitti said, works to “connect us as a city,” even though the two officials haven’t always been in alignment.
“I don’t always agree, but I’m here because I respect her,” he said.
Woods, who sits on the Board of Police Commissioners, called Gay-Dagnogo a “proven leader” whom he met while incarcerated.
“She’s a person who has dedicated her life to educating students, dedicated her life to citizens across the state of Michigan in the state Legislature. She sacrificed herself as a leader and gives her heart and soul to this community,” he said. “I go to church with her, I’ve prayed with her, and I have seen her passionately love on this community.”
Bernard, another BOPC member, added that Gay-Dagnogo has “served our entire community for her entire adult life.”
“She is actually, in my opinion, a Detroit Megatron. She’s a smart, gifted … alpha female in every respect. Sherry will bring true honor to our city,” she said.
Ombudsman restricted from serving on boards
Gay-Dagnogo, a former teacher and state lawmaker, has served on the school board since 2020 and was reelected to the board in 2024. In 2022, she made a failed run for the 13th Congressional District, a seat ultimately secured by Democrat Shri Thanedar. Recently, she applied to be the state’s next school superintendent, but did not advance to the semifinals.
Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, the council sought procedural clarity from its legal team about next steps for two ombudsman candidates if they were selected for the job. Gay-Dagnogo and Tilley, a member of the Michigan State Board of Education, were not named in the memo but are the two serving on boards.
The council’s Legislative Policy Division memo states the ombudsman can’t simultaneously serve on boards or hold positions that provide a form of compensation while serving out their 10-year term.
The City Charter bans the ombudsman from holding any other “office of trust or profit.” Though the charter doesn’t define those offices, the LPD determined it applies to membership on education boards.
According to DPSCD’s policy manual, the board must take steps to replace Gay-Dagnogo. The board must seek and interview qualified candidates and ultimately make an appointment by a majority vote.
The district last went through that process and chose a new board member in July.
Christine Ferretti is the managing editor for BridgeDetroit. You can reach her at cferretti@bridgedetroit.com
