There’s a wealth of knowledge to be learned from people who have worked tirelessly to advocate for Detroiters during the economic downturn and subsequent upturn. This session will touch on the inspiring stories of those working to ensure that Detroit’s revival does not come at the cost of displacing the generations that have paved the way and built the city of Detroit. Join us in hearing from those who are working towards equitable and sustainable solutions in Detroit.
Sirene Abou-Chakra (Deputy Chief Development Officer, City of Detroit) serves as Director of Development and leads the development and fundraising of Mayor Mike Duggan’s top priorities with public, philanthropic and corporate investment. A Michigan native and University of Michigan alum, Abou-Chakra served for ten years as a Manager and Account Executive at Google, working internationally on media strategy, messaging and fundraising for election campaigns the company advised on, as well as leading groundbreaking digital strategies across the Google and YouTube platforms to creatively amass grassroots donors. She also served as Google’s liaison to Detroit and in 2017 as a leader in Google’s Global Customer Care team. While at the University of Michigan, Abou-Chakra co-founded “Doors of Opportunity,” a nonprofit that works to increase the enrollment of Arab students at top universities.
Tonya Allen is the president & CEO of The Skillman Foundation. Her two-decade-long career has centered on pursuing, executing and investing in ideas that improve her hometown of Detroit and increase opportunities for its people, particularly its children, who live in under-resourced communities. Allen has been instrumental in many successful philanthropic, government and community initiatives, including: the 10-year, $120-million Good Neighborhoods Initiative, which increased graduation rates by 25 percent, youth programming by 40 percent, and reduced child victimization by 47 percent; the creation and expansion of Grow Detroit’s Young Talent, which increased summer jobs for youth from 2,500 to 8,200 paid positions; co-chairing the Coalition for the Future of Detroit Schoolchildren, which successfully advocated for $667 million for the Detroit Public Schools Community District, return of an elected school board, and more charter accountability; and serving the boys and men of color field as chair for Campaign for Black Male Achievement and co-chair for My Brother’s Keeper Detroit and Executives’ Alliance for Boys and Men of Color.
Raquel Castañeda-López, a lifelong Detroiter, made history in November 2013 by becoming the first Latina elected to the Detroit City Council. A social worker by trade, Castañeda-López has over ten years of experience in the non-profit sector and is committed to working toward social justice to improve the quality of life for all Detroiters. She developed a strong resident service program through grassroots organizing and a mobile office, helping residents and businesses cut through the “red tape” in order to access services and resources. Castañeda-López is working to ensure Detroiters have a voice on City Council championing policies that promote access, inclusivity and equity.
Monica Lewis-Patrick is a mother, educator, entrepreneur and human rights activist/advocate. She is co-founder of We the People of Detroit and has served as Director of Community Outreach & Engagement since 2009. She is an active member of the People’s Water Board Coalition, US Human Rights Network, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and HOW (Healing Our Waters)/Equity Advisory Council, among other organizations dedicated to clean water initiatives. As a former Lead Legislative Policy Analyst, Lewis-Patrick has authored legislation, conducted research and delivered constituency services to tens of thousands of city residents. She attended the historic Bennett College, and is a graduate of East Tennessee State University where she earned a Bachelor of General Studies degree in Social Work and Sociology, a Masters of Arts of Liberal Studies degree with a concentration in Criminal Justice/Sociology and Public Management and was a Ron McNair Scholar.
Barbara Jones (moderator) is a lifelong Detroiter, community activist, organizer, youth-violence prevention advocate and gun violence victim survivor who specializes in leadership roles such as a trainer/facilitator in conflict and dispute resolution, alternative dispute resolution, restorative justice and victim/offender reconciliation dialogues. She serves as the Community Dispute Resolution Specialist and Faculty Instructor for the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies Program at Wayne State University (WSU). Jones also serves as the Program Director for the Ralph Bunche Summer Institute, a program at the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies at WSU that delivers expertise training in a higher learning academic setting. This program provides high school youth development services that focus on civic engagement, conflict resolution intervention, violence prevention, bullying, diversity, civil rights, race relations, negotiation, leadership, international affairs, diplomacy, social justice and crucial life skills that teach students to individually and collectively foster peace within their own schools and communities. She mentors and advocates for the youth in Detroit and in the metro Detroit area in schools, as well as with community organizations. Jones has a B.S. in Mass Communications from Rochester College.
Session tags: activism, civic engagement, economic empowerment, philanthropy
Location: Plaza Ballroom A