David Hollister

David C. Hollister began his career as a high school teacher in the 1960s after graduating from Michigan State University (MSU). He was elected to the Ingham County Commission in 1968 and was a state representative from 1974 to 1993.

In 1993, Hollister ran a successful campaign for mayor of the City of Lansing and was re-elected to his third term in a landslide victory in November 2001.

During this three terms as Lansing’s mayor, Hollister facilitated the construction of the new regional transportation center downtown, brought minor league baseball to Lansing, and created a partnership with the State of Michigan that resulted in new buildings for the Legislature and the Supreme Court. One of his most memorable projects was convincing General Motors to build the Grand River Assembly Plant. When Hollister was informed that GM intended to pull production out of Lansing, his strong commitment to strengthening the local economy drove him to rally the many regional stakeholders and take whatever action was necessary to keep GM in Lansing.

Hollister also was the founder and former CEO of Prima Civitas Foundation, a Lansing non-profit that supports a regional approach to boosting Michigan's economy. The organization promotes life sciences, advanced manufacturing, alternative energy and homeland security.