I am happy to share the news about our new Co-Chairs of the RCAA Program Committee. Bonita Singal and Bob Buckler have accepted the role of Co-Chairs for the next two-year term (July 2025 – June 2027). Thank you both for taking on this leadership role and know that we are here to support you.
As you know, the Program Committee works diligently to ensure engagement for our club members and our guests and prospective members. Many thanks to Dallas Dort for his role as Chair for the past two years and to the committee for their ongoing commitment to an excellent speaker program. Credit is also deserved to the many that nominate speakers – you can always nominate a speaker on our website.
Bonita Singal
Bonita Singal is a retired emergency physician and biostatistician. She practiced in
Cincinnati, Ohio before moving back to Michigan in 2003, where she practiced at The
University of Michigan and Foote Hospital in Jackson. She spent several years as the
Associate Director for Research at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital.
She is a graduate of Wayne State University and The University of Cincinnati. She
served in the Army Medical Corps from 1970 to 1972. She served two months’ long
assignments in Zenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina with the International Medical Corps in
1995 and 1996.
Bonita was selected as an American Association for the Advancement of Sciences Science and Technology Policy Fellow in 2016 and spent two years as a policy analyst at the US Department of Energy in Washington, DC. Currently, she is a Co-chair of Braver Angels of Washtenaw County and a State Representative to the Michigan Braver Angels Network.
She was married to Mitchell Singal for 39 years before his death in 2007. They have a son, Jack, who is an astrophysicist at University of Richmond. Her daughter-in-law Camilla is executive director of HECHO, an environmental nonprofit. She has twin granddaughters, Michelle and Calista, age 8.
Bob Buckler
Bob Buckler is past President and Chief Operating Officer of DTE Energy/Detroit Edison, a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. He retired in 2009 after a 35-year career with the company.
During his retirement he donated his time for the majority of 2010 as the Chief Operating Officer of the City of Detroit, working for Mayor Dave Bing, responsible for all operating functions of the city. Buckler earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
In 1993, he was awarded the school’s Alumni Society Merit Award. He is a past president of the Engineering Society of Detroit and was elected to the Grade of Fellow of the society. In 2007, he was awarded its highest honor, the Horace Rackham Humanitarian Award. Buckler is a past member of the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor national advisory board for the school of engineering and a past trustee of the University Musical Society.
He is past Chairman of the Michigan Economic Development Foundation; past Chairman of the Greater Detroit Partnership; past director of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation; past Chairman of the YMCA Camping Services Board, past Chairman of the Wayne County Economic Development Board and past Vice-Chairman of the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce. He is past chairman of the committee responsible for getting Detroit ready for SBXL and the Final Four.
He is also the former state fundraising chairman for Habitat for Humanity and the former Vice-Chairman of the Downtown Detroit Partnership. He is the past Chairman of Next Energy Corporation; a past member of the Board of Directors of Accio Energy Corporation, Algal Scientific Corporation, & Huron River Ventures. He is a past President of the Barton Hills Country Club. He is a past Chairman of the Rackham Foundation. He was recognized by Leadership Michigan with its 2009 Distinguished Leadership Award.
He has been married to his wife Victoria for 54 years; they live in Ann Arbor Mi Victoria is a competitive ballroom dancer having won the 2018 & 2024 Florida State Championship. They have two (2) children; Joshua a partner & cardiologist at Minneapolis Heart Institute and Meghan a teacher at Dexter High School.
