Staff

Meet Our Team

Community Action is more than a job to us. It’s a cause we’re honored to get behind.

Brian McGrain

Executive Director

Brian McGrain has over 20 years of experience serving in leadership roles in the public sector. Most recently, he served for five years as the Director of Economic Development and Planning for the City of Lansing. In this role, Brian oversaw staff responsible for planning and zoning, building safety, development, code enforcement, and parking. He also provided guidance to the Mayor in community development, economic development, and housing policy.

Brian previously spent twelve years as the Associate Director/Chief Operating Officer of the Community Economic Development Association of Michigan (CEDAM). Brian also served five terms on the Ingham County Commission. During his tenure, he served on the Board of the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, the Ingham County Economic Development Corporation, the Ingham County Land Bank, and the Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Brian received both his bachelor’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning and his master’s degree in Public Administration and Urban Studies from Michigan State University. He is a long-time resident of Lansing, though spent most of his childhood elsewhere in the world as a self-described “air force brat.” He enjoys travel, dining out, reading nonfiction, and his ever-growing plant collection (parts of which are bound for the MCA offices!).

Rebecca Bossenbroek

Director of Finance

Bio

Rebecca Bossenbroek comes to MCA with several years of experience working with nonprofit organizations, including the Health Care Association of Michigan and EVE Inc (End Violent Encounters). She is passionate about advocating for marginalized communities and believes there is plenty for everyone when we share. A committed member of Sistrum Lansing Women’s Chorus, Rebecca serves on Sistrum’s Finance Committee and Social Justice and Inclusion Committee. She also serves on the Finance Committee with Reconciling Works.

Michelle Stevens

Director of Training and Member Services

Bio

Michelle is passionate about supporting individuals and organizations to grow and strengthen their capacity through professional development and resources. In the role of Director of Training and Member Services she works to serve member agencies and strengthen their capacity to support the work they do to address and alleviate poverty across the state of Michigan. She holds a BA in Community Services and is working to complete a MA in Eco Justice Education.

Manju Bisht

Finance Specialist

Bio

Manju has been with MCA since 2014, and she processes accounts payable and grant reporting for MCA. She hails from India and has Master’s degree in Psychology. In her spare time Manju enjoys gardening. She appreciates the extraordinary work of our member agencies working with families and individuals to overcome poverty in Michigan.

Nicole Caroen

Membership and Operations Manager

Bio

Nicole started at MCA in 2016 as a Finance Assistant and her portfolio of responsibilities has grown to include member services and training programs as well. Nicole is the lead on maintaining and updating association member data, design and distribution of the association’s emails, and website. Nicole enjoys learning about all the different ways all the CAAs help their communities and supporting their efforts.

Thomas Visco

Director of Policy and Advocacy

Bio

Thomas Visco works at the intersection of public-interest advocacy and policy impact.

For nearly a decade, he’s worked on the frontlines of nonprofit advocacy in Austin, Texas. In 2019, he worked with a coalition of stakeholders to pass meaningful legislation to begin to improve Texas’ rural broadband connectivity.

In 2020, Thomas worked as the Austin Parks Foundation’s first Advocacy Manager. He worked to increase the Austin Parks Department’s budget and helped make Austin’s 2020 Proposition B the largest single investment in Austin’s trails in history.

Thomas enjoys working in coalition with nonprofit and business partners to achieve policy impact. Most recently, Thomas worked in partnership with Austin’s homebuilder community to pass Austin’s 2022 Affordable Housing Bond, a $350 million investment in a more affordable Austin.

Thomas recently relocated to Michigan to be closer to family. In his free time, he enjoys cooking and reading at home with his wife Lauren and their new child, Theodore.