Wayne County Executive Warren Evans on His Role as a Leader, Life in Public Service

Southfield (CW50) - Growing up in a family where public service was a duty. That's one of the many things that set Wayne County Executive Warren Evans on a path to becoming the leader of Michigan's largest county.

Growing up, he was surrounded by a family full of doctors, lawyers, pharmacists, and other professional careers which took a life of higher education to pursue. At the time, it was not common for families in his community to have these jobs. Those family members preached to Evans and his siblings to serve others, as they saw the need for people within the black community to be able to support their own community.

Evans started his life of public service as a deputy in the Wayne County Sheriff's Office, rising through the ranks to eventually be appointed Wayne County Sheriff. He continued his work in public service as the County Commissioner, and ​is currently serving as the Wayne County Executive, leading a county of nearly 2 million people.

He has been honored as one of Crain's News Makers of the Year ​as well as the National Organization of Black County Official's Executive of the Year. Evans sees this as an acknowledgement of the good work he's doing for Wayne County and the members of its community.

Evans joins Lisa Germani on Community Connect, to share how his early life impacted his career and what advice he'd give to our state's future public servants.