MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. (WOOD) — A new council will work to make Michigan an attractive place to live and grow the state’s population, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Thursday.

The Growing Michigan Together Council will develop a strategy to attract talent, upgrade transportation and water infrastructure, improve education and boost the economy in the state. It will advise the governor on specific policies.

“The work will not be done in 3.5 years, when I leave office and a new person takes the oath,” Whitmer said at a Thursday conference. “But the work’s got to start now in earnest, and that’s what we’re undertaking with this council.”

Shirley Stancato and former U.S. Ambassador John Rakolta Jr. will serve as bipartisan co-chairs. The council will comprise 28 members in total, including state legislators and governor-appointed representatives of various interests, such as the private sector, education and philanthropy.