David Rutledge received his undergraduate degree in Political Science from Tennessee State University and has studied at both Harvard Law School and the University of Michigan Law School.  He holds an honorary doctoral degree from Eastern Michigan University.

David’s work history includes both public and higher education experiences.  He has chaired both the Washtenaw Community College Board of Trustees in Ann Arbor, Michigan and the ACCT Board of Directors (2003-2004).  From 2011 through 2016, he served as a Michigan State Representative, and he presently serves on the faculty at Central Michigan University, holding the position of Griffin Endowed Chair in the Political Science Department. He is a Vietnam era military veteran having served in the United States Air Force as a Personnel Officer achieving the rank of Captain.

David has served on state commissions appointed by two governors from different political parties. He currently serves at the pleasure of the governor on the Michigan Veterans Facility Authority Board. Because of his leadership and service to his community and the State of Michigan, David has been honored by the Ann Arbor News as its Citizen of the Year.

David’s wife, Geraldine Simmons Rutledge, an elementary school teacher passed in 2015. They have two children, Marcus Rutledge and Felicia Rutledge Thomas, and two grandchildren, Kelton Patton of Ypsilanti and Darius Rutledge of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.