Dayne advanced a vision for a sustainable Flint and led the city forward into the 21st Century. He served as Mayor from 2009 to 2015. Under his leadership the City adopted the Imagine Flint comprehensive master plan and developed collaborative initiatives in public safety, infrastructure, development, sustainability, and volunteerism to address the deep challenges in a deindustrialized city and with the water crisis.

With the understanding that new jobs and a more equitable economy are the keys to our future, he attracted major federal, state, and foundation grants and also private investments for all nine wards of Flint. As Mayor, Dayne chaired the Economic Development Corporation, the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, the Downtown Development Authority, the Energy Committee of the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the National Manufacturing Alliance of Communities while also serving on the Executive Committee of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the Michigan Community Service Commission.

Before becoming Mayor, Dayne worked for U.S. Representative Dale Kildee and DC Mayor Anthony Williams. He was the founder and first Executive Director of Flint Club, a membership network of people who care about Flint. He was the owner and principal of 21PMC, a values-based management consulting company that worked with nonprofits, businesses, faith-based organizations, and universities. Today, he is the Director of Public Policy and Government Relations for Insight, a Flint-based healthcare and community development network with facilities in Michigan, Illinois, and Iowa.

Dayne was a Rhodes and Truman scholar, an Aspen Rodel fellow, and an AmeriCorps alum. He also is a doctoral candidate in geography at the University of Minnesota. Dayne’s research interests include urban redevelopment, the politics of scale, regional equity, infrastructure, and sustainability, particularly in Midwestern cities. He is now an adjunct faculty in geography at Central Michigan University, and has previously taught classes or offered talks at Albion College, Baker College, Mott Community College, Kettering University, Michigan State University, Saginaw Valley State University, University of Dayton, University of Michigan-Flint, University of Michigan Ford School & Taubman School, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and Vanderbilt University.