Democracy Consultant
August began his public service career volunteering for Congressman David Bonior his senior year of High School and running for Precinct Delegate his freshman year of college at the age of 19. After graduating from James Madison College at Michigan State University with a degree in Political Economy, August joined the staff of then Minority Whip Congressman David Bonior. August held several positions with the Michigan Young Democrats including several terms as National Committee Member.
After Congressman Bonior’s retirement, August went to work in the Macomb County Elections department where he administered school board elections in various parts of Macomb County, until he accepted an appointment as Deputy Clerk of Brownstown Township, MI. August left clerking and served as Director of Public Affairs for State Senator Buzz Thomas of Detroit until the Senator was term-limited out of office. Several issue advocacy positions with Al Gore’s RePower America, the LGBTQ+ civil rights UNITY Michigan Coalition, and the Detroit Institute of Art’s Art is for Everyone campaign followed.
August returned to the clerk world by accepting a position as Elections Director of Commerce Township, MI in 2012. Following the Presidential election that year, the City of Hamtramck brought him in as an Elections Consultant, which led to his appointment as Deputy Clerk, and he was named City Clerk of Hamtramck in February 2014. August left the City of Hamtramck in May of 2021 to accept a position as the City Clerk of the City of Clawson in Oakland County, MI, and after years of working as an informal consultant, officially joined the Activate Detroit team in August of 2022 with a focus on the team’s Democracy work. August is a certified election official with the State of Michigan and has been a Certified Michigan Municipal Clerk (CMMC) since 2015.
In January 2017, August was named to the Board of Directors of Detroit Friendship House and is a 2018 graduate of the FBI Citizen’s Academy.