About Michael Ziri

A lifelong resident of Springfield, Mike is proud of the opportunity to serve the public on the Springfield Metropolitan Exposition Auditorium Authority (SMEAA), the eleven-member board responsible for policy and operations at the Prairie Capital Convention Center.

Mike was inspired to public service by his late grandfather, Bill Stone, who, in 1923, made the fateful Atlantic crossing from Germany to Illinois and worked in the coal mines, auto factories and industrial plants of the Midwest.  A proud member of organized labor, Bill Stone lived the American Dream, rising from poverty to the middle-class through hard work, determination, and the help of his community and country.  Through people like his grandfather, Mike learned to stand up and fight for those who are disenfranchised, and vulnerable.

In 2007, Mike put his desire to give back to his community into action by running for election to represent the citizens of SMEAA Sub-District 1.  To learn about Mike's record as a board member, click here.

Mike earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Illinois College and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Illinois Springfield.  While at Illinois College, Mike was awarded the prestigious Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Peacemaker Award for his work on campus promoting justice and peace.

In addition to serving on the convention center board, Mike has been a legal assistant at the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency from 2007-09 and now serves the people as a Dunn Fellow for the Office of the Governor.  He also is employed at McDonald's, where he started as a crew person in 1997, worked hard, and was promoted to shift manager, a position he still holds today.

Mike serves as a Democratic precinct committeeman, President of the Westside Democratic Club, and is active in several neighborhood associations and as a volunteer at the local PBS affiliate.

Now, with the convention center board embarking on a $16 million plan to renovate and modernize the facility, it's more important than ever for the board to have an independent-minded trustee like Mike serving the public interest.  As the late U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone declared, "Politics is what we create out of what we do, what we hope for, what we dare to imagine." Mike keeps that faith with the public by fighting for workers and jobs, economic development, transparency, and increased public participation at the Prairie Capital Convention Center.