DEARBORN – Winning a spot on the Michigan State University Board of Trustees has been a longtime dream for the city’s Brian Mosallam, an area financial adviser and the chairman of the Dearborn Education Foundation, and one that seems more and more possible by the day. 

Mosallam speaking at the Democratic state convention which was held this year at the Cobo Center in Detroit on March 10. Photos courtesy of Brian Mosallam

After exploring the possibility of running several times in the past, the time has finally come for the former Michigan State football offensive lineman to step to the forefront, and his endorsement at the March 10 Michigan convention by the state’s Democratic Party has given his campaign a major boost heading toward the November 6 general statewide election.  

“I’m extremely honored and humbled by the fact that I’ve been endorsed by the Michigan Democratic Party, it’s a tremendous honor and an honor to our community,” he said. 

Mosallam was introduced at the Cobo Hall event in March by his fellow former offensive linemen, highlighting the football angle in a unique twist that brought a dose of energy to the convention.  

Since then, he’s been all over the state, meeting with Michiganders from Temperance in the southeast all the way up to the Upper Peninsula and near the “thumb” area of the state, who have recognized him from his playing days at Michigan State. The football angle continues to work for him. 

“Sports is just different than everything else, it transcends race, religion, et cetera,” said Mosallam. “They are something that Americans easily identify with and that gives me an advantage in a state where I’m running such a large campaign.” 

The campaign has been launched as part of a bid to win one of two open seats among four challengers, a field including current trustees Joel Ferguson and Melanie Foster, as well as fellow new challenge Jeff Sakwa, a real estate broke from Farmington Hills, on the eight-seat board. Foster and Ferguson are up for re-election because of term limits; all Michigan registered voters may cast ballots in the race. Ferguson was also endorsed by the Democratic Party and voters will be able to choose two candidates regardless of party affiliation in November. 

Mosallam (C in suit) poses with former football teammates and supporters after being endorsed for MSU Trustee at Michigan’s Democratic convention in March.

Mosallam played at MSU in the mid-90s and became a team co-captain in 1996 and a two-year starter on the offensive line. Life lessons learned from football also transferred to the classroom, as he became a three-time Academic All-Big Ten Conference member and a District IV Academic All-American. 

Following his playing days, Mosallam has become a financial adviser for Dearborn-based AXA as well as the chairman of the Dearborn Education Foundation, where he’s helped raise more than $1.2 million for area kids in a system that has been hit hard by government cuts.

“I believe that what I do for a living could be a tremendous asset to the board,” Mosallam said, citing his ability to scrutinize a budget, analyze revenue flows and to seek alternative methods to generate revenue in order to lower tuition costs. He also said that he has a strong knowledge of pension costs, healthcare costs, benefits and more. Mosallam knows that tuition costs are the number one concern with many parents and students alike, which is why he’s made it the focus of his campaign. 

“Tuition has gone up 40% over three years in the state of Michigan, it’s skyrocketing out of control, the question is how do we contain those costs, that is the million-dollar question,” he said. 

Mosallam said he has about 5,000 clients and about 75% of them haven’t even begun to contribute to their childrens’ college funds. 

“Besides the questions about retirement, the number one question is, ‘How much is college going to cost for my children?’” he said, with many of them afraid of how high costs may rise. 

“It’s like the 800-pound gorilla in the room that no one wants to talk about,” he said , adding that over 1/3 of all student loans in the state of Michigan are owned by people 60 years old or older. 

Mosallam also was able to secure the support of organized labor through his time as a financial adviser, particularly the UAW and Vice President Cindy Estrada. He thanked both the UAW and campaign manager Dennis Denno for their support. Denno is a fellow Arab American who fell short in a campaign bid for a seat in 2010 and has helped Mosallam’s campaign to gain the traction it has today. 

The former Michigan State football leader hopes he can do the same for both MSU and for the local Arab American community in Dearborn and beyond. 

“It’s bigger than me, it’s really about the community,” he said. “If I win, the community wins, Dearborn wins and our kids win…It would be very beneficial and influential to have someone on the board when it comes to admissions, academics and policies at MSU,” he said. 

It’s also about his drive to give back to the school that gave him so much.

“The love I have for my alma mater makes this a very special moment for me,” Mosallam said after receiving the Democrats’ endorsement. 

Mosallam will hold a fundraiser on Wednesday, May 23. Visit VoteMosallam.com for more info or to contact the campaign.