Fred Schaible

Fred graduated from WMU in 2005 with a B.A. in Political Science and has over 20 years of experience working in state government and advocacy efforts.

Prior to returning to campus in May 2022, Fred served as Deputy Director for Engagements at the Michigan Department of Military and Veteran Affairs (DMVA), overseeing the department’s strategic communications, government affairs, outreach and engagement efforts. In this role he also served as a key advisor to Major General Paul Rogers. He originally joined the department in January 2019 and previously served as policy and legislative advisor for DMVA, Michigan Veteran Affairs Agency and the Michigan Veteran Homes. Fred has been honored to serve as an advocate for Michigan’s military members, veterans, and their families throughout his career.

Before joining the DMVA team, Fred worked for 14 years in the Michigan Legislature in a variety of roles. His final role was that of Chief of Staff and Appropriations Coordinator for State Senator Dave Hildenbrand who served for four years as the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Fred has extensive experience in many subject areas related to state government and its budget processes. One of the top accomplishments he was proud to be involved with was the modernization of our state veterans’ homes and the approval of construction of two brand new, state-of-the-art homes in Grand Rapids and Chesterfield Township.

While on campus during his undergraduate education, Fred was active in student government, residence life, and numerous other campus activities. Returning to WMU to serve as its lead advocate at the state and federal levels of government was always an aspiration of his and he has been proud to deliver wins for the campus, including the final payoff of longstanding pension obligations and securing planning approval for a renovated and reimagined Knauss Hall.

Fred is also the instructor of the new Fall cohort of WMU’s long established Capital Internship Program. As an alumnus of this program, which was directly responsible for opening the door to his career in Lansing, Fred is excited to be leading this new expansion of the program in partnership with CIP Director Dr. Lauren Foley.

Fred is a lifelong Michigander and grew up on a family farm outside of Ann Arbor that has been in his family since 1847. He currently resides in Lansing.