Meet Aidan
The son of a hardworking single mother and grandson of two MEA Union representatives, Aidan learned early that overcoming hardship requires perseverance. He turned the challenges of poverty into a calling, fighting for working families to empower the communities that shaped him. Today, he brings that same tenacity to his service for the people of Ann Arbor.
Elected as the youngest Black official in city history, Aidan has spent the entirety of his tenure in executive roles on the Ann Arbor District Library Board and currently leads as its President. Under his leadership, the Board has maintained rigorous budget oversight and secured a path toward a new downtown library without an additional tax burden. This fiscal stewardship has enabled the continued success of beloved community traditions, including the Library’s signature Summer Game.
As a Human Rights Commissioner, Aidan helped navigate Ann Arbor’s pandemic recovery, advising the City Council on the equitable use of ARPA funds. Beyond this guidance, he drafted critical policy in support of the CROWN Act, pushed for greater transparency in police traffic stops, and worked tirelessly to combat Asian hate and community-wide discrimination.
At the state level, Aidan expanded his impact on the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities, chaired by Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II, where he drove efforts that successfully eliminated the COVID-19 mortality gap for Black Michiganders. This life-saving work earned the Task Force the American Public Health Association’s prestigious Health Equity Award.
As one of the youngest appointees to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Growing Michigan Together Council, Aidan helped develop strategic roadmaps for the state’s infrastructure, housing, and transportation needs. He brought a generational perspective to this planning and linked today’s infrastructure investments to the long-term prosperity of the neighbors who will inherit them.
Aidan serves on the Legal Services Corporation’s Emerging Leaders Council, where he advocates for expanded access to civil legal aid for low-income Michiganders. Through this role, he supports the Michigan Advocacy Program and Legal Services of South Central Michigan to ensure a fair day in court for at-risk residents and farmworkers.
He is a proud, dues-paying member of the NAACP Ann Arbor branch, Washtenaw County Democratic Party Black Caucus, and Michigan Democratic Party. Parallel to his civic work, Aidan works in the technology sector, launching products that help small businesses thrive in the digital landscape.
Aidan and his wife, Ena, chose to build their life and careers in Ann Arbor, settling near Esch Park. Their story, which blossomed in the University of Michigan Global Scholars Program, continues today through their active life in the neighborhood. The two can often be found visiting with friends at York or grabbing coffee at Black Diesel.
A first-generation college graduate, Aidan holds degrees from both the University of Michigan and University of Pennsylvania. During his time on campus in Ann Arbor, Aidan rose to leadership within the Big Ten academic conference and its student government groups. He championed initiatives to ease the financial burden on disadvantaged students, increase funding for sexual assault prevention, and secure essential support during the global health crisis. His dedication to equity earned him the University’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Service Award.