Ward 3

City Councilmember Angelita V. Gunn was born and raised in Jackson. Councilmember Gunn has been an advocate for justice and safety for crime victims since 1984. She is currently the executive director of AWARE, Inc., a multi-service agency that provides crisis services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Prior to working for AWARE, Inc., Councilmember Gunn served as associate director for the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence for 15 years. In her role, she developed and managed a broad array of programs, served as grant writer, and was a member of the public policy team where she assisted in writing position papers and testifying before legislative committees. 

She is a Quality Assurance peer reviewer for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Victim Services. Councilmember Gunn is a certified trainer for the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) on the Law Enforcement Response to Domestic Violence, and the Law Enforcement Response to Sexual Assault. In 2013, she was one of 18 women from across the nation to participate in the first LEAP (Leadership, Education and Advancement for Professionals) Project, developed by the national Women of Color Network and ValorUS, formerly the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault. 

Locally, she has participated in several community-wide collaborative initiatives and is currently a member of the Jackson County Continuum of Care and Human Service Coordinating Alliance. The councilmember has lived in Ward 3 as a homeowner since 2012, and is the primary caregiver for her 86 year-old mother. She is a graduate of Jackson High School. Councilmember Gunn studied at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus between 1981-1984 and, after a long break, completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Michigan State University in 2015. 

She was elected to serve the City's Third Ward in 2021. 

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