MARQUETTE — Casey Cadieu Hoffman, J.D. of Menominee was appointed executive director of the Marquette Alger Resolution Service (M.A.R.S.) in a unanimous vote by the board of directors following a nationwide search. Hoffman leads a team of 29 trained mediators who processed 425 cases in 2022, including divorces, child custody issues and consumer disputes. His first day was July 3.

Hoffman holds a Juris Doctor from Marquette University Law School where he studied dispute resolution and was actively involved in restorative justice initiatives inside the Green Bay Maximum Security Prison. Hoffman was one of six full-ride McCormick Scholars selected to study at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in 2016 where he reported on restorative justice practices in the Chicago judicial system.

Hoffman additionally holds a bachelor of arts in business management from Albion College where he graduated with honors from the Gerald R. Ford Institute for Leadership in Public Policy and Service. Hoffman worked on Capitol Hill for former Congressman Bart Stupak following Stupak’s vote passing the Affordable Care Act into law. In 2022, Hoffman ran for the Republican nomination for state representative in Michigan District 108. Hoffman brings experience as a legal research lawyer, substitute teacher and community organizer who has served on the governing boards of nine different nonprofit organizations.

“Casey’s legal acumen, fundraising abilities and experience in nonprofit management make him the ideal leader to propel us forward,” says President of the M.A.R.S. Board of Directors Rick Sanville. “We hired a restorative justice expert who is also a personable fifth- generation Yooper,” says Sanville, “Casey’s winning combination of competency and kindness will be well-received in Marquette and Alger Counties.”

Hoffman says that M.A.R.S. is “a lighthouse for Yoopers in stormy seas” and that assuming the role of executive director is an act of public service. “The Marquette Alger Resolution Service is consistently on the front lines of democracy helping kids, families and vulnerable populations resolve conflict,” says Hoffman, “leading that fight is a sincere privilege.” Hoffman’s family has lived in the Upper Peninsula for 132 years. Hoffman has a primary residency in Menominee and second home in Marquette.