Jeff Breneman

Jeff Breneman has spent over a decade in senior leadership roles at Western Michigan University under former President Elson S. Floyd and again under the leadership of President Edward Montgomery. He has also previously held strategic leadership roles in government, the private sector, and on community organizations and boards. During his tenure at Western Michigan University, the university has secured over $200 million in research funding and capital building projects such as WMU’s College of Health and Human Services Building and Dunbar Hall’s renovation. 

In addition to higher education policy, Jeff has worked extensively on policy issues related to energy and environment, advanced automotive technologies, transportation infrastructure funding, food safety, public private research partnerships, and grants for local municipalities.

Prior his private sector public policy work, his experience included eight years of service with Congressman Fred Upton before becoming WMU President Elson Floyd’s first senior leadership appointment.

Jeff’s results-focused leadership created the first internal government relations function for Robert Bosch LLC, the North American subsidiary for Bosch. In 2009, he conceptualized and originated a large non-profit trade association comprised of leading automotive suppliers which he led for over a decade.

Breneman is passionate about free speech, viewpoint diversity, and civil discourse. He helped found the WMU We Talk initiative, which promotes these ideas through community engagement. He was awarded the Heterodox Academy’s Open Inquiry Award in 2022 and is now the co-chair for WMU’s Heterodox Academy Campus Community.

As a resident of the State of Michigan for over forty years, Jeff devotes significant time and energy to the improvement of the region by serving on various community and charitable boards in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He served on the Kalamazoo County Transit Authority Board for over a decade. He currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the Kalamazoo Downtown Development Authority, a member of the Kalamazoo Downtown Economic Growth Authority, the Vice-Chair of the Discover Kalamazoo Board of Directors, and the President of the Park Club Board.