DETROIT — President Barack Obama has announced his intent to nominate longtime Ann Arbor-area environmental activist Lana Pollack as commissioner of the International Joint Commission, which advises the U.S. and Canada on Great Lakes matters.

The White House announced the decision Friday.

Pollack was president of the Michigan Environmental Council from 1996 until 2008. She also is a former Democratic state lawmaker who was elected three times and served in the state Senate from 1983-1994.

Pollack currently chairs the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board, which annually directs discretionary public funds to protect, purchase and enhance parkland and open space for preservation and recreation.