Beth Friend was first elected to township office in 2004 as a Township Trustee. After serving the four-year term, she was elected in 2008 to the Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners. Subsequently, she completed another term as Township Trustee before being elected as Township Supervisor in 2016. She is in her third term as Supervisor and is a member of the Board of Public Works, Grand Traverse Metro Emergency Services Authority, and the Traverse Transportation Coordinating Initiative. Beth Friend holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics and a Master's Degree in Agricultural & Natural Resource Economics from West Virginia University.