DETROIT, April 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Lutheran Social Services of Michigan has appointed Patricia Hartig of Trenton as director, Advocacy and Public Policy, and Josie Ciccone of Northville as director, Employee Relations and Compensation.

Working from offices in Detroit and in Lansing, Hartig will develop and nurture advocacy efforts for the organization, establish and maintain close relationships with key elected officials and government leaders at local, state and federal levels, and work to advance initiatives critical to Lutheran Social Services' mission and strategic plan.

Hartig has extensive legislative and community experience, including a term as mayor of Trenton, Mich. and service as assistant attorney general for the State of Michigan. She is a licensed attorney, most recently in private practice. She has also served as the Southeast Michigan manager of Lutheran Engagement for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, managing $7 million in grants to Michigan churches and nonprofit organizations. She was district director for U.S. Representative John Conyers, working with constituents and acting as a liaison with state, federal and international organizations.

She is a graduate of Oakland University in Rochester, Mich. and the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing. She has received several awards, including Friends of the Detroit River Founder's Award, the Detroit Audubon Society Environmentalist of the Year Award and the Midwest Natural Resource Managers Award.

Ciccone comes to Lutheran Social Services of Michigan from Planned Parenthood of Mid and South Michigan, where she was human resources and employee relations manager. She previously worked for the Nonprofit Personnel Network and for HAVEN, Inc., a nonprofit organization providing shelter and counseling for abused women.

Ciccone holds a degree in business management from Northwood University in Midland, Mich.

Lutheran Social Services of Michigan is dedicated to creating communities of service that meet the needs of people, upholding human dignity, advocating equality and justice. Established in 1934 and affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Lutheran Social Services of Michigan spans the Lower Peninsula with more than 70 programs in 40 cities. Lutheran Social Services provides a wide variety of services for children and families, senior adults, refugees, and persons with disabilities. Lutheran Social Services of Michigan serves all persons, regardless of race, religion or national origin, as an expression of the love of Christ. Visit our website at www.lssm.org and register for our free newsletter.

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SOURCE Lutheran Social Services of Michigan