Brian Mosallam

Brian Mosallam

Democratic Party

Prior offices

Michigan State University Board of Trustees

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Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Michigan State University

Personal

Birthplace

Dearborn, Mich.

Profession

Financial Advisor

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign YouTube

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Brian Mosallam (Democratic Party) was an at-large member of the Michigan State University Board of Trustees. He assumed office on January 1, 2012. He left office on January 1, 2021.

Mosallam (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for an at-large seat of the Michigan State University Board of Trustees. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Mosallam completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Brian Mosallam was born in Dearborn, Michigan. He earned a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University in 1996. Mosallam's career experience includes working as a financial advisor. He has served as a co-chair with the Detroit-Wayne County Stadium Authority.

Elections

2020

See also: Michigan State Board of Regents election, 2020

General election

General election for Michigan State University Board of Trustees (2 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Michigan State University Board of Trustees on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pat O'Keefe (R)	24.2	2,377,241
✔		Rema Vassar (D)	24.1	2,364,939
		Brian Mosallam (D)	23.7	2,329,011
		Tonya Schuitmaker (R)	23.4	2,301,355
		Will Tyler White (L)	1.3	123,719
	Submit photo	Janet Sanger (U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan)	0.9	87,637
		Robin Laurain (G)	0.8	74,495
	Submit photo	Brandon Hu (G)	0.7	66,409
	Submit photo	John Sanger (U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan)	0.6	60,077
	Submit photo	Bridgette Abraham-Guzman (Natural Law Party)	0.5	46,193

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,831,076
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Michigan State University Board of Trustees (2 seats)

Incumbent Brian Mosallam and Rema Vassar advanced from the Democratic convention for Michigan State University Board of Trustees on August 29, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Brian Mosallam (D)
✔		Rema Vassar (D)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican convention

Republican convention for Michigan State University Board of Trustees (2 seats)

Pat O'Keefe and Tonya Schuitmaker defeated Ken Stanecki in the Republican convention for Michigan State University Board of Trustees on August 29, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Pat O'Keefe (R)
✔		Tonya Schuitmaker (R)
	Submit photo	Ken Stanecki (R)

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Green convention

Green convention for Michigan State University Board of Trustees (2 seats)

Brandon Hu and Robin Laurain advanced from the Green convention for Michigan State University Board of Trustees on June 20, 2020.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Brandon Hu (G)
✔		Robin Laurain (G)

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Michigan State University Board of Trustees (2 seats)

Will Tyler White advanced from the Libertarian convention for Michigan State University Board of Trustees on July 18, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Will Tyler White (L)

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Natural Law Party convention

Natural Law Party convention for Michigan State University Board of Trustees (2 seats)

Bridgette Abraham-Guzman advanced from the Natural Law Party convention for Michigan State University Board of Trustees on July 30, 2020.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Bridgette Abraham-Guzman (Natural Law Party)

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan convention

U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan convention for Michigan State University Board of Trustees (2 seats)

Janet Sanger and John Sanger advanced from the U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan convention for Michigan State University Board of Trustees on July 25, 2020.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Janet Sanger (U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan)
✔	Submit photo	John Sanger (U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan)

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

To view Mosallam's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Brian Mosallam completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Mosallam's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a family man, a small business owner, a realist, pragmatic and practical, a leader, humble and blessed. I am compassionate yet do not back down from anyone. I know my faults and I know who I am. I know who really likes me and who tolerates me because of my title. I have never lost my sense of reality.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Need to continue to reform MSU
• Need to make MSU the national model on student safety
• Work with the survivor community to make everyone whole

   Featured local question

Explain your views on campus sexual assault and how the university can best protect all students.

My reform plan called on MSU to be proactive and to protect the victims of sexual assault. Many of my reforms have been adopted, including a policy of all Title IX reports to go to the Board, the creation of an Audit, Risk and Compliance (ARC) Committee and hiring of a Chief Compliance Officer who reports to the ARC. I am honored to have the support of Nassar survivors and their parents. I am seeking reelection because there is unfinished business to make MSU the national model for student health and wellness and to regain the public's trust.

   Featured local question

How do you feel about the university’s current tuition level? What strategy should the university pursue concerning tuition?

Michigan is 50th in the country in investing in higher education. For the past 18 years the legislature has balanced the state's budget on the backs of higher education. For three years in a row I voted to freeze tuition. I support the policy of families living below the poverty level having the ability to go to MSU for free. I would also like to see those who graduate and stay in Michigan have the income tax they pay from their Michigan based job applied to their student loans. This will encourage our graduates to stay and work in Michigan.

   Featured local question

How much authority should the board delegate to the university president? Please be specific.

The president has been hired to be the CEO of the university. The board's role is to have fiduciary oversight over how the president governs. Since the Nassar incident, based on my recommendations, the board has increased its oversight, creating the Audit and Risk Committee. This allows the Chief Compliance Officer to bypass the president on issues that he or she determines to be pertinent.

   Featured local question

How much should the board involve itself in the matters of the athletic department or academic departments?

The Board should have oversight, yet should not be involved in the day-to-day activities of the athletic department. The Board hires the university president who hires the AD.

   Featured local question

How would you propose to reduce university costs?

We need to eliminate the redundancy in higher education. We need to centralize legal, HR and IT. We need to reduce the amount VP titles that do not oversee budgets, cut down on travel, expense accounts and conferences. We need to refinance all bonds, temporarily reduce new construction and defer maintenance for the time being until we get on more solid financial footing.

   Featured local question

Why are you running for the university board? What qualities make you more qualified than the other candidates?

I was one of the few in leadership who was very critical of MSU's response to the Nassar scandal. In May 2018, I issued a plan of reform. Many of my initiatives have been adopted, including a policy of all Title IX reports to go to the Board, the creation of an Audit, Risk and Compliance (ARC) Committee and hiring of a Chief Compliance Officer who reports to the ARC. I am honored to have the support of Nassar survivors and their parents. I am seeking reelection because there is unfinished business to make MSU the national model for student health and wellness and to regain the public's trust.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Higher education. As a Trustee, I believe the budget is the most important aspect of our jobs, because our budget represents our values.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The MSU Board of Trustees has oversight over the President and the budget.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My father is my hero. I owe everything to him. He served in the 82nd Airborne in between the Vietnam and Korean wars. He worked 12 hours a day raising four kids and stressed education. He would mop the floor at our family business to remind me there is no shame in work. His dad left him at five years old yet he took care of his father until the day he died.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

No just ask me. I have been an open book for eight years. I just call it like it is. I do not dodge the people or the media. I have been forthright, honest and accommodating.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

A successful office holder needs to be honest and transparent. He or she can not lose their sense of reality. We answer to the people. A successful officer holder needs to be able to reach across the aisle. I have done that by working with fellow pragmatists like current MSU Republican board member Dan Kelly. We have tremendous respect for one another. We both serve in the best interest of the University and there is zero partisanship when it comes to our decisions.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I stayed true to myself, made my dad proud, honored my mother's legacy in doing as she had taught me which was "to be a friend to the friendless and a voice for the voiceless." I have done just that by advocating for survivors, students and University employees. Win, lose or draw, I can sleep at night because I know I did the right thing.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember President Ronald Reagan getting shot. I was seven at the time.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Financial Advisor. Same job out of college but now I own my own wealth management firm.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Muhammad Ali The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey. The sacrifices he made for a cause during a tumultuous time in our nation's history were so profound I could never comprehend. He was reviled at one point in his life, only to die as one the most popular and beloved figures in the world.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Superman. I want to fly.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Happier by Marshmello, Bastille.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Dealing with the passing of my mother and my dad's failing health. Very hard topics for me.

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

Fiduciary oversight, which includes financial and governance issues. It is our job to hold the president and administration accountable for their actions. The only personnel decisions we are responsible for is hiring the president.

But the most important function of the Board is to create policies to make MSU the model for student health and wellness as well as financial oversight.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Yes, these positions hold constitutional autonomy. We hold the strongest form of office in that we can form our own laws without a true checks and balance. This can be good and bad of course. It is incumbent upon Trustees to hold each other accountable.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Institutional knowledge, understanding university structures, cultures, academic governance, finance and budget forecasting. Having empathy and compassion. Budgets are a value driven document. It showcases what is most important to you as an institution.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Usually I do not but in coming out of the Nassar scandal in this instance I absolutely do. The institutional knowledge that I have and knowing what needs to be fixed can not be acquired. You would have to have lived it to understand it. I also have the trust of many Nassar survivors and their parents. That did not happen overnight. It took three years to build that trust.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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2020 Elections

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