UPDATE: A copy of Cotter’s resignation letter, which board members received during their meeting, can be read below.
It was shared by Dana Whithead-Hopper, the daughter of former Mott Trustee Janet Couch. Couch resigned in 2025 shortly after racist social media posts on her Facebook page were unearthed and shared by members of the public. Whitehead-Hopper is also a real estate agent who sold Mott President Shaunda Richardson-Snell her house when she moved to Genesee County, leading to conflict of interest accusations by some members of the Board of Trustees.
Original story:
The Mott Community College Board of Trustees voted to remove Dianne Cotter from her role as parliamentarian and assistant to the secretary of the Board of Trustees at a special meeting on September 22.
Cotter, an attorney, was hired in the role through Entech Staffing Solutions in August of 2024 according to information provided by the college after a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was filed in October of 2024.
The board’s action comes in response to an alleged altercation between Cotter and acting Board Chair Wendy Wolcott after a meeting on September 10, although the recording of the meeting cuts off before that incident took place. Wolcott is Vice Chair of the board, but has been serving as Chair in place of Jeff Swanson, who has been unable to attend meetings due to a medical issue.
During the special meeting, Trustee Art Reyes II pushed back against the word “alleged” being used, stating that the incident, “happened in public, there were witnesses to it occurring, you (Wolcott) reported it in real time, so there was no alleged.”
After a motion was made during the meeting by Trustee John Daly III, PhD, and seconded by Reyes to remove Cotter from those roles with the board, an email from Cotter announcing her resignation was sent to board members. Board members became aware of it during the discussion with the motion on the floor (at approximately the 20 minute mark of the video).
After a 5-minute recess to allow board members to read the email, the board did not accept the resignation and instead voted 4-0 to dismiss her.
Carey DeWitt, the board’s attorney, advised trustees that his legal opinion was the board should accept the resignation.
“It resolves the question as to whether the decision was made voluntarily by the employee,” DeWitt said. “I always think that’s superior.”
Reyes pushed back on that opinion, though, saying, “Except when an expression of dismay is warranted, of disappointment is warranted, due to the disrespect of not only the behavior, but the tone and tenor of the letter.”
The board then voted 4-0 (Daly, Reyes, Wolcott, and Trustee Santino Guerra voted in favor, Trustees Swanson, Candice Miller, and Kenyetta Dotson were absent) to relieve Cotter of her role with the board. The full contents of the letter were not yet publicly available at the meeting, but as she voted in support, Wolcott noted that Cotter made pointed comments within the resignation letter.
“I was called a coward and petty in this email due to the fact that somebody didn’t like my decision or the way that I supported somebody, so hands down that’s an aye for me,” Wolcott said.
Cotter’s job description provided by the college in 2024 described the position as “part-time, temporary.” Responsibilities included coordinating meetings, preparing agendas and official records, handling related administrative functions with a high degree of diplomacy, tact and confidentiality, notifying trustees of meetings, preparing and distributing agendas and minutes, attending meetings and recording minutes, preparing official documents, and carrying out other duties directed by the Board Secretary.
The Board of Trustees technically only has one employee it oversees, the college president, so Cotter was technically employed by the college through Entech rather than by the board. This action just severs her ties working directly with the board, not necessarily with the college.
Cotter’s background includes working for controversial former Michigan Secretary of State candidate and former Michigan GOP chair Kristina Karamo, who campaigned heavily on election and other conspiracies and whose short leadership tenure with the state party was marred by accusations of financial mismanagement before she was ousted by members of her own party.
Cotter also once objected to the Michigan Supreme Court adopting language that respected the gender identity of attorneys and parties in front of courts, writing, “There is no rational reason to confound the English language in support of gender-deniers.”
Others at the meeting pointed to more reasons Cotter’s presence in close proximity to the board was problematic. Daly hinted at other issues.
“This action is not the result of a single event, there have been several events,” he said, although he did not elaborate specifically.
Several public commenters at meetings since her employment have pointed out that Cotter often seemed to overstep her authority. In Robert’s Rules of Order, parliamentarians typically are in place to help with procedure, but not to provide advice or counsel to members of a board. At meetings over the years, Cotter could be seen whispering to board members.
“The person in question has a tendency to overstep boundaries all the time,” said Carrie Devone, a Mott faculty member and union member, during public comment. “They’re (parliamentarians) not supposed to interject their personal beliefs or thoughts or remind you how you’re supposed to vote or whisper at you during the meeting to steer you in the right direction. All of those things happen and it’s infuriating.”
UPDATE: The Mott Community College Education Association (MCCEA), the college’s faculty union, released a statement in support of the board’s decision:
“MCCEA supports the MCC Board of Trustees’ decisive action during the September 22 special meeting to terminate the employment of Administrative Assistant and Parliamentarian Diane Cotter.
“For too long, administrative overreach and boundary-stepping have fueled division and distracted from our core mission. While Ms. Cotter labeled the Board environment “toxic,” in her resignation letter, her own actions heavily contributed to that very friction.
“This termination is a necessary step toward restoring integrity and underscores why the upcoming November election is so critical. This is why MCCEA has endorsed Quentin Groce and Santino Guerra for the MCC Board of Trustee. Together, we can restore sound governance and put the focus back where it belongs: on our students.”
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