Alumni Engagement

‘How will you make your mark on the world?’

stuxbury — Sat, 21 Dec 2024 19:14:43 +0000

‘How will you make your mark on the world?’ stuxbury Sat, 12/21/2024 - 14:14

Nearly 40 years after Henry Maier earned his diploma from ��-Dearborn, he attended his first campus commencement. The retired FedEx ground president and CEO skipped his own ceremony because he moved immediately after finals to begin working. On Dec. 21, he was back at his alma mater — this time delivering the keynote speech to the Class of Fall 2024.

Keynote speaker Henry Maier

“Thanks for the opportunity to finally attend — even if it is almost 50 years late,” said Maier, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in economics in 1986. “I entered ��-Dearborn as a freshman in the fall of 1972, only the second class of freshmen admitted to the university. My family couldn’t afford college, so I had to work one, two and once three jobs to pay tuition. I’m sure many of you sitting here can relate.” Maier went on to have a 35-year career with FedEx. “��-Dearborn made it possible for students like me to get not just a college education, but a Michigan education,” he continued.

Surrounded by family, friends and favorite professors, hundreds of Dearborn Wolverines were awarded 713 degrees during two 90-minute commencement ceremonies in the Fieldhouse. The morning ceremony recognized graduates of the College of Arts, Sciences and Letters and the College of Business. The afternoon ceremony celebrated graduates of the College of Education, Health and Human Services and the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

Delivering the keynote, Maier congratulated the graduates on reaching their goals. He said their hard work will continue to open doors for more opportunities. “Today you reached a milestone, but what you really have done is given yourself choices. You can choose to earn a living, what problems you want to help solve and decide what direction you want your life to go in,” he said.

Maier added that, as life unfolds, the knowledge the graduates have gained will prove important — but so will the understanding that there will always be lessons to learn and skills to grow. “If you take nothing else with you today, be curious, inquisitive and remember that your education does not end when you leave today,” he said.

Student speaker Almunthir Elhady echoed the idea that graduation is not a conclusion. The College of Engineering and Computer Science graduate told his fellow students that with each step they take, they will be called to adapt, to grow and to rise. “The future is not a destination — it is a process of becoming, a journey of constant redefinition, of striving not just for personal success, but for a world that is better for those who will follow,” Elhady said.

Student speaker Almunthir Elhady

As Chancellor Domenico Grasso certified the degrees, he told the students that he looks forward to seeing the good that they bring into the world. “I welcome you to the society of learned men and women and to the pantheon of distinguished Michigan alumni — almost 700,000 strong — who have shaped and defined the world in which we live,” Grasso said. “Today also marks the shortest day of the year in terms of daylight, but from here on, the days will gradually grow longer. Just as the light of the sun increases, so too will the light of your education — symbolized by our university seal — guide you, illuminating your futures for the rest of your lives.”

Then, students in the Class of Fall 2024 — who ranged from ages 18 to 65 and hailed from 14 U.S. states and many nations around the world — turned their tassels, marking their official transition to alumni. During the two ceremonies, 482 undergraduate, 226 graduate and five doctoral degrees were awarded.

Grasso also awarded one special diploma — to Maier. “We are going to present him with the diploma that he did not receive during his commencement,” Grasso said. “Congratulations.” Smiling, Maier accepted it with one word: “Finally.”

Chancellor Domenico Grasso and Class of Fall 2024 keynote speaker Henry Maier

During his keynote speech, Maier noted that the anthem for his generation — the Baby Boomers — was a Graham Nash song titled “Chicago.” He paraphrased the lyrics: “We can change the world. Rearrange the world. It’s dying to get better.” He encouraged the newest ��-Dearborn alums to think about their song, while also talking about what a big day it was for them both — even though their graduations were nearly 40 years apart.

“To the Class of 2024, I ask, ‘What’s your anthem? How will you leave your mark on the world?” Maier said. “What I can tell you is you have already begun.”

Story by Sarah Tuxbury. Photos by Annie Barker and Andrew Mascharka

Commencement

Alumni Engagement

College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters

College of Business

College of Education, Health, and Human Services

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Off

Sat, 12/21/2024 - 18:57

��-Dearborn awarded 713 degrees during two 90-minute commencement ceremonies on Dec. 21 in the Fieldhouse.

The Class of Fall 2024 was celebrated at two commencement ceremonies on Dec. 21. Photo by Annie Barker

Everything you need to know about ��-Dearborn’s comprehensive campaign

lblouin — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 13:24:31 +0000

Everything you need to know about ��-Dearborn’s comprehensive campaign lblouin Wed, 12/11/2024 - 08:24

You’re probably starting to hear more about the University of Michigan’s Look to Michigan fundraising campaign, which is a coordinated effort across all three campuses and kicked off its public phase in late October. But this latest comprehensive campaign has actually been going on for about three years, says ��-Dearborn Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement Casandra Ulbrich. That’s typical of big fundraising pushes, which try to raise about a third to a half of their total fundraising goal from big donors in a “quiet” or “private” phase before courting a larger base of small-dollar donors in a “public” phase. Ulbrich says campaigns are organized this way for a couple of reasons. First, a private phase is a great test of whether your message is going to resonate with people. “The majority of your giving is coming from a small percentage of people. And you’re not going to be successful unless they’re on board with your vision,” she says. Second, demonstrating that your cause already has momentum can help make public-phase donors feel more confident about supporting your cause.

This campaign differs from ��-Dearborn’s last big push — fundraising for the Engineering Lab Building — in that it’s what development staff call a comprehensive rather than a capital campaign. Ulbrich says university capital campaigns typically raise money for something very specific, often a building. Comprehensive campaigns target donors who feel passionately about a wide range of causes, and priorities typically include specific programs and scholarships, though it might also include buildings. In some ways, this makes it much easier to fundraise. “With a comprehensive campaign, we have priorities that give us guideposts, but if a donor comes to us with something they’re passionate about that falls out of the official case for support, we can likely find something within the university that they can support. So we’re not pigeonholed for what we’re raising money for," Ulbrich says.

For the Look to Michigan campaign, ��-Dearborn’s general guideposts are fourfold: student experience and success, faculty and staff excellence, holistic excellence and economic sustainability. And within that structure, Ulbrich says a few priorities seem to be especially resonating with donors. First, people are really getting behind the university’s prioritizing of need-based financial aid. The free-tuition Go Blue Guarantee is the flagship program in that area, but under the university’s new financial aid scheme, families who don’t meet the GBG’s income requirements are still often eligible for some need-based aid. Second, Ulbrich says donors are excited about the university’s practice-based learning initiative. “As soon as you talk to them about the theoretical versus the hands-on, that makes total sense to them,” she says. “And here at ��-Dearborn, that includes things like internships, study abroad, experiential learning — so there are a wide array of things donors can support.” Ulbrich says they even played up the practice-based learning theme with a soft launch gift that was mailed to recent donors and prospects. The custom Block M Lego set with a Dearborn base came unassembled so supporters could get a little taste of the hands-on ethos at ��-Dearborn.

Compared to past fundraising efforts, Ulbrich says the current campaign is leaning more heavily on the support of standout alumni like Anthony Williams (left), pictured here at the Look to Michigan campaign launch event in October with College of Business Dean Frédéric Brunel. The '03 COB alum and CEO of Corktown Health is making a difference in Detroit and beyond as he works to provide comprehensive and affirming health care to the LGTBQ+ community. Williams was also recently appointed by Governor Whitmer to the state's first LGBTQ+ Commission. Photo by Carolyn Noble

So who exactly is our donor base this time around? Ulbrich says this campaign is a little different in that we’re relying most heavily on alumni support. “This has changed a lot at Dearborn over the years,” she says. “Our fundraising used to be more heavily skewed toward corporations and foundations. But a lot of corporations have cut back on giving, and foundation money has become much more competitive. Now, the majority of our fundraising comes from individuals, the vast majority of whom are alumni of the institution. Larger gifts also tend to be alums.” She says most large donations come in the form of planned gifts, where donors pledge to give a certain amount of their wealth after their deaths. “This is an attractive option for a lot of people because it allows them to support something they believe in and be recognized for it without having to reorient their finances while they're alive,” she says. Ublrich also expects this fundraising campaign could have a different shape than the typical donor pyramid: The rule of thumb is that 80% of your fundraising comes from 20% of donors. But with a little more grassroots support from smaller donors, Ulbrich says the donor pyramid “might start to look a little more like a rectangle.” So far, Ulbrich says we’ve raised about $26 million, which puts us “ahead of where we’ve been in past campaigns.”

With the public phase in full swing, the development team will continue to seek out big-dollar donations, but a lot of energy will now turn to social media, newsletters and direct mail efforts that court small-dollar donors in the wider ��-Dearborn-connected community, especially alumni. Another big thing to look forward to: On May 1, the university is hosting a gala at the newly renovated Michigan Central Station. “We decided on a soft launch for the public phase for a couple reasons. We didn’t want to compete with the 50 events happening in Ann Arbor. But we also wanted to have an event at a location that was significant historically for us, and with our connection to Ford, we had our heart set on Central Station. With the renovation, they simply weren’t ready for us,” Ulbrich says. Details for that event are still forthcoming, but Ulbrich says they’re planning to have a discounted faculty-staff ticket price.

In fact, though alums make up the lion’s share of the donor base, Ulbrich doesn’t want faculty and staff to overlook their role in supporting the campaign. One of her talking points with bigger donors is that a large number of people who work at ��-Dearborn also choose to give. “Faculty and staff giving is hugely symbolic, because it’s a show of faith in the institution,” she says. “I give to the Go Blue Guarantee. And so I can say that to a donor and explain why it's important to me to give. To show a donor that the people who know the institution best are willing to support it with their own dollars — that can be very persuasive.”

###

Ready to make a gift? Find a cause you're passionate about and donate now. Story by Lou Blouin

Accessibility or Affordability

Experiential Learning

University-wide

Alumni Engagement

Institutional Advancement

Off

Wed, 12/11/2024 - 13:24

It’s beginning to look a lot like . . . fundraising season. We answer your top questions about the university’s Look to Michigan campaign, which recently entered its public phase.

So far, ��-Dearborn has raised about $26 million during its Look to Michigan fundraising campaign.

The art of living a courageous life

stuxbury — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 17:38:33 +0000

The art of living a courageous life stuxbury Wed, 11/06/2024 - 12:38

If someone doesn’t know how to swim and a friend suggests a white-water rafting trip, the answer is likely going to be a resounding no. Unless you’re ��-Dearborn alum Sheri Hunter.

In 2009, Hunter was busy raising her two children with her husband Mannard and staying active in their church. Despite this active life, Hunter was looking for some adventure and community. So, when Hunter’s friend suggested the rafting trip, she, the friend and one other pal packed up the car and headed to West Virginia. On the banks of the Gauley River, the group tightened their life jackets, grabbed an oar and plunged in. Literally.

Sheri Hunter and her Dave Divas friends went on many adventures together.

It was the start of their many adventures together. The trio christened themselves the “Dare Divas” (and even trademarked the name) and embarked on trips that would push their comfort levels, pump up their adrenaline and solidify bonds that only form when tackling scary things. Along the way, Hunter embraced the recognition that getting through tough moments and giving yourself the space to work through your fear can be a powerful catalyst for personal growth.

Adventure Speaks in Many Ways

The rafting trip was the start of many adventures with the Dare Divas and the beginning of deep friendships. The women have tackled skydiving and race car driving, and even hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. But in 2012, tragedy struck. Hunter’s husband died suddenly, leaving her in shock and deep sorrow. “I was trying to figure out the path for my children, keeping them well and whole and also managing my own emotions,” Hunter, an accomplished writer, marketer and public speaker, recalls. “I went back to what really gave me some sort of respite, which is my writing.” She journaled through her anger, her fear, and feelings of uncertainty. “Being able to write helped me order my emotions a little bit, and be able to say what I need to do, because so often you don't really know what to do, but you know you have to move forward.”

She also found comfort and support through her faith and her Dare Divas. The group continued their adventures, injecting joy into Hunter’s life amid the grief. “Doing those different activities following Mannard’s death felt surreal, because I shouldn't be laughing and feeling a sense of glee following his death,” Hunter says. “But it was the one thing that allowed me to shake things up and not become so dire.”

Through it all, she kept writing, chronicling her journey to find joy again. Her experience became a book, “Daring to Live: How the Power of Sisterhood and Taking Risks Can Jump-Start Your Joy.” The book has resonated with many people, much to Hunter’s delight, and it was recently optioned by Amazon Films. “I think, secretly, there’s a number of people who want to do similar types of feats,” she says. “The book kind of stirs something up inside of individuals that want to be daring in some aspect of their life.” Doing things that scare you doesn’t necessarily mean jumping out of an airplane, she explains — being daring might mean going back to school or applying for that job that seems like a stretch.

In addition to the book, Hunter also helps others break out of their comfort zones and fight feelings of imposter syndrome through public speaking engagements and professional meetings. “So often when imposter syndrome arises, it's because some new feat is happening that is outlandish or you've just accomplished something enormous, and everybody is giving you accolades, and you're like, ‘I don't even know how I did that,” she observes.

She says the key to dealing with these bouts of uncertainty is to give yourself a beat and reflect. “There are certain situations that just arise that make you question who you are,” she says. That’s where stepping back is key: “What are the conversations I have with myself? Why am I stymied from moving forward? Why am I allowing these certain situations to impact how I feel and view myself?” While imposter syndrome doesn't necessarily go away, Hunter says taking a moment to comfort your inner self can help you go after the things that really matter.

Hunter says her first lessons in being open to change — and seeing how that can take your life in a positive direction — came in college.

The Power of ��-Dearborn

There were glimpses of Hunter’s adventurous leanings even when she was a kid growing up in Detroit. Afternoons were spent on her bike, riding around the neighborhood and occasionally tackling jumps off dirt ramps. Family vacations to Cedar Point were a childhood treat, and Hunter relished the mixture of joy and fear she felt riding roller coasters. “I feel like I had a really great childhood,” she says. “I grew up with very little, but I always felt so loved, wanted and cared for.”

Between bike rides, Hunter was drawn to writing. In the fourth grade, she won a schoolwide writing contest. “That was the first time I felt like I was really good at something,” she says. The writing bug stayed with her in college. “I think you tend to pursue those things which you really feel that you’re good at and that you also enjoy. I went down that trail for a minute, including at ��-Dearborn,” she recalls.

Her decision to attend ��-Dearborn was an easy one. “I always wanted to be part of the Michigan family,” she says. After visiting both the Ann Arbor and Dearborn campuses and weighing the associated costs of both school and living expenses, she says that Dearborn was the winner. “It's a nice opportunity to develop and grow on a smaller campus,” she says. “I just think that Dearborn is so cool — we're close enough to Detroit, so we have that flavor, and we're close enough to Ann Arbor where we can get a taste of that environment.”

As a first-year student, she was awarded a bank-funded scholarship that provided a four-year tuition award in exchange for interning. Throughout her schooling, Hunter balanced a full class load with 20 hours per week at the bank. The internship made her consider a career in business, but she felt conflicted. “I just didn’t like it,” she recalls.

While talking with her political science professor, Helen Graves, Hunter confessed that she wasn’t happy studying business but felt like she needed a career that would make money. Graves, who retired in 1995, pointed out how well Hunter was doing in political science and suggested focusing on that. “She counseled me and said, ‘You can go in so many different ways with this: You can go into law, you can go into journalism, if you want to reevaluate and go into business, give yourself a beat to assess what’s really best for you,’” Hunter remembers. That conversation gave Hunter the permission she needed to follow her passion and reinforced the importance of trusting yourself.

After graduation, Hunter thrived in various careers, including journalism and banking, and she eventually made her way back to business. She earned her MBA from Lawrence Technological University and today is a marketing and public relations specialist for the City of Birmingham, as well as the president of Lyons, Hunter Media Group.

She has continued to be involved with ��-Dearborn since graduating. In the past year, she was the master of ceremonies for the Alumni Difference Makers Awards and she serves on the Alumni Society Board. Her gift of service reflects her appreciation for her undergraduate experience.

“I look at all of the values and mission that represent what ��-Dearborn is and what it meant to me, and it just really has shaped who I am as a human being, being on that campus,” Hunter says. “And because I value the programs that they have, I value the professors, the teaching, the knowledge base that is there, I feel like being involved with the board is a form of paying it forward.”

As for her adventures with the Dare Divas, the group is committed to both intrepid, physical activity and thoughtful acts of service. Last year, the group went to Africa and volunteered their time and resources to the children and caregivers in a local orphanage. “Wherever we go, we don’t want it to just be a place where we go there, do an activity and leave,” says Hunter. “We hope that when we leave, we’re leaving something that will be meaningful to the community.”

Story by Sarah Derouin

Alumni Engagement

College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters

Off

Wed, 11/06/2024 - 17:36

Sheri Hunter, ’89 alum, shares her insights on the power of adventure and the importance of giving yourself space to grow.

Sheri Hunter's book "Daring to Live: How the Power of Sisterhood and Taking Risks Can Jump-Start Your Joy” was recently optioned by Amazon Films. Photos courtesy of Sheri Hunter

‘Let’s save our families’

stuxbury — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 13:49:50 +0000

‘Let’s save our families’ stuxbury Mon, 09/30/2024 - 09:49

Looking for a place to eat in Detroit that shows off some local dishes? Carlos Parisi — Detroit-scene food enthusiast, entrepreneur and ��-Dearborn alum — has several.

“If you want a good coney dog, go to Duly’s Place; it’s a classic dinner that hasn’t changed much since the 1960s. If you have a pizza craving, head to Michigan and Trumble; it’s a perfectly baked square pizza full of flavors that work,” said Parisi, a 2011 College of Business grad. “Mike’s Famous Ham Shop is where to go for a sandwich and soup. It’s purely a Detroit original.”

And if you want great chips and salsa while supporting a ��-Dearborn business, give Aunt Nee’s a try. A staple at Detroit’s Eastern Market and available for purchase in specialty grocery stores, the business strategy behind Aunt Nee’s started in the university’s Fairlane Center South Building.

Parisi, who was born in Mexico City and raised in Detroit, and fellow College of Business student Pat Schwager were at an American Marketing Association meeting together and began discussing their situations at home. It was during the 2008 recession and both of their families had experienced job cuts. They wanted to save their families from home loss and other financial issues.

Parisi recalled that Schwager said his mom, Lydia Alcala-Schwager, made salsa that everyone loved. Known in her family as Aunt Nee, she sold spice packets at local markets and street fairs. So the Dearborn Wolverines — both of whom grew up cooking authentic Mexican food with their parents — thought of ways they could upscale her home-based hobby. “We were these students who were like, ‘we know how to do sales and marketing, we love food and we’re Mexican. Let’s save our families’,” Parisi said.

Through Aunt Nee’s, that’s exactly what they did. “We knew we had a great product. We got advice from professors. We went door-to-door, store-to-store, basically everywhere to get our salsa packets in front of people. We built connections from the ground up,” said Parisi, whose company transitioned to making fresh salsa a few years later. “When we were still students, we got our product into (stores in) 25 states. Our business saved us.”

Schwager ultimately went on to pursue other interests, so today Parisi is the sole owner. In addition to his business, Parisi has branched out into other ways to celebrate food.

Parisi — who gained exposure through podcasting, networking and his social media accounts — is a regular correspondent on the HBO Max show “What Am I Eating?” with actor Zooey Deschanel. He hosts the YouTube-based Chef RV, where he travels the nation in a camper van, gets tips from highly-rated restaurant chefs where he stops and cooks their signature dishes in his RV kitchen. Parisi partners with other Michigan-based chefs to create fusion-style dishes — for 313 Day this year, he and restaurateur Omar Anani, who has Palestinian and Egyptian heritage, partnered to make tacos Árabes as a nod to the history of Arab-Mexican food influence in the region.

Parisi is also in the ��-Dearborn classrooms, working with students. For the past three years, he’s been a regular in Business Administration Lecturer Tim Davis’ entrepreneurship classes. “It’s important to provide our students industry-focused experiences to show them the problems and solutions they may encounter,” said Davis, COB’s Experiential Learning and Engagement assistant dean. “Partnering with Carlos and Aunt Nee’s for project-based learning courses gives our students even more than insider information on how a successful business is run — it’s also a catalyst for inspiration.”

Earlier this year, Parisi worked with “Business Policy and Strategy: 441” students on a class project that explored the most efficient and cost effective distribution systems for Aunt Nee’s. Parisi said he enjoyed hearing the students’ fresh perspectives and sharing his story with the class.

“When I was a student at ��-Dearborn, I don’t remember talking about what previous alums did — but I’ve since learned there are a lot of successful entrepreneurs that have come out of ��-Dearborn,” Parisi says. Additional ��-Dearborn-alum businesses include Litter-Robot, Pop Daddy Snacks and Huda Beauty. “As a young business owner, it was always really cool to see and talk with people about why they started their business, their challenges and what they’ve done to find success. Hearing from others has helped drive focus and growth in myself. I want students to see what’s possible.”

Parisi said he also wants students to realize they don’t have to know exactly what they want to do now — but he does want them to see that to be successful, there is a love that needs to go into a product or service and it needs to make a mark in the community. He said you also need to be ok with “living life like every day is a fire drill.” “Thick skin is needed. Take in criticism, but know when to take it to heart and when to let it slide off. Even when you think you are doing everything right and everything you can, there is always a need to regroup your strategy and hone it back in,” he said. “It’s hard work, but when you love what you do, it’s fun too.”

Parisi said his professors at ��-Dearborn helped prepare him for where he is today and he gave shoutouts to Marketing Associate Professor Crystal Scott, Accounting Lecturer Susan Baker and Business Administration Lecturer Mike Callahan, who retired in 2020. He also said student organizations like the American Marketing Association and Students in Free Enterprise helped him better understand how businesses are run. The student orgs also connected him with life-long friends.

When it comes to joy and success, Parisi said it can be found anywhere — but the roots of his are right here in, and at, Michigan.

“It’s seeing the faces of people who try my chips and salsa at Eastern Market. It’s giving local recommendations when friends come into town. It’s about being your authentic self and making a living at what you love to do,” Parisi said. “My mom raised me as a single parent and wanted the best for me. She thought a Michigan education was the answer and ��-Dearborn gave me the opportunity to stay close to home. I wouldn’t be where I am today without ��-Dearborn. It left a mark on me so I could go out and make one in my community.”

Story by Sarah Tuxbury

Alumni Engagement

College of Business

Off

Mon, 09/30/2024 - 13:49

During the recession, alum Carlos Parisi launched a business plan for Aunt Nee’s salsa in a College of Business classroom. He credits his continued success to a love of food, family and Detroit, as well as his ��-Dearborn education.

Calos Parisi sells Aunt Nee's chips and salsa at Eastern Market on Saturdays. Photos by Sarah Tuxbury

Alum Zaineb A. Hussein has found her place

lblouin — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 15:42:32 +0000

Alum Zaineb A. Hussein has found her place lblouin Tue, 09/24/2024 - 11:42

The week after 9/11, 17-year-old Zaineb A. Hussein and her mother, Mariam, who had immigrated to Dearborn in 1977 with her husband during the early years of the Lebanese Civil War, were shopping at an estate sale on the west side of the city. Zaineb didn’t share her mother’s love of rummage and garage sales, but when she spotted a pair of ice skates that she simply had to have, she was glad she had tagged along. Her mother led a friendly negotiation over the price, until an elderly woman interrupted and told her mother to “go back to your country.” Zaineb instantly filled with anger. “My mom is my heart. You come near my mom and I see red,” she says. Zaineb was just about to lay into the woman when her mother urged her to hold back. “I was, like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ But my mom said, ‘Stop — she doesn’t know better.’” Then her mother turned to the woman and declared simply, “I am an American citizen and we are proud to be here.” The host of the estate sale, apparently mortified by the encounter, offered her the ice skates for free. They decided to leave without them.

Hussein recalls the encounter as one of her early formative lessons in politics. First, it showed her that, even though her mother had been born elsewhere and would always be viewed as a “foreigner” by some people, she still had so much pride in her identity as an American. Her mother’s roots here mattered to her, and she felt them as strongly as any other American. Second, Hussein says it taught her that you can’t always “meet fire with fire.” “If you really want to see a change in people, you have to be able to demonstrate that in a way that will be received,” she explains. Hussein says that lesson was reinforced again and again over the next few years as a student at ��-Dearborn, where she majored in history and political science. On a diverse campus, her classmates were hardly a monolith when it came to faith, values and politics, and her classes gave her countless opportunities to hone her skills in communicating with people who had views different from her own. More importantly, she developed a working view of human nature, one which makes it feel not just like a political cliché when she extols the virtues of trying to understand others’ views, even ones you might detest. “I think at ��-Dearborn, I really learned that my interpretation of something could be very different from another person’s — even if we were looking at, say, the same historical events,” she says. “I think that’s when I realized just how much our life experiences make us who we are. If you and I lead very different lives, we’re going to have different perspectives, different stories, different values. So if you want to communicate with someone, you have to start there.”

That perspective is certainly part of what has helped Hussein build a dynamic career alongside some of the biggest names in Michigan politics. Post-graduation, she initially headed to Lansing, where she worked for a half decade with the Michigan Department of Human Services and as a director of constituent affairs for then-Michigan State Senator David Kzenek. After burning out on the Lansing political culture, Hussein welcomed an opportunity to return to Wayne County, where she worked as the county’s director of diversity and inclusion and deputy director for external affairs for the county executive. She never thought she’d return to Lansing. But after a conversation with a colleague led to an unexpected opportunity in the Secretary of State’s office, she took a position working as Jocelyn Benson’s deputy chief of staff, where, among other things, she spearheaded minority group outreach initiatives during the 2020 election.

Hussein declares with an understandable amount of pride that she’s rarely had to apply for a job — she’s usually been recruited — and her current position is yet another example. When her longtime friend Abdullah Hammoud, a fellow east Dearborn native and ��-Dearborn alum, expressed interest in running for mayor of Dearborn, Hussein was all in — first answering Hammoud’s call for help with the campaign, and later, when he won, taking on the role of his chief of staff. Alongside Hammoud, Hussein says she’s found a place and a team that makes her feel like she could stay awhile. She sees the work Hammoud is doing as mayor as historic. Indeed, as the first Arab American to be elected mayor in the city’s history, the charismatic young executive is regarded as a symbol of the growing political power of Arab Americans not just locally but nationally. But more than that, Hussein insists what makes Hammoud special is how focused he is on doing the actual work of healing a young, demographically diverse city whose history has been pocked by multiple periods of anti-Black and anti-Arab racism. For example, shortly after Hammoud took office, the administration decided to host the first ever Dearborn-Detroit block party along the cities’ shared border. Hussein remembers more than one instance of a Black Detroiter coming up to the mayor, remarking that it was the first time they ever felt welcome in Dearborn. “I think with this administration, you’re seeing a team that’s actively coming to terms with our history and that’s trying to rectify many past practices that have hurt people in our communities,” Hussein says. “I do think we’re at an inflection point. When I was growing up, it was Arab Americans on the east side and white residents on the west side. But now, almost anywhere you go, you’re finding a diverse group. And people increasingly see our diversity as our strength.”

This moment of transition hasn’t always been smooth. Hussein says there are still outlier voices in the city who aren’t on board with this vision. The past year, in particular, has presented its share of challenges. The war in Gaza thrust Dearborn, which is home to one of the larger Palestinian diasporas in the U.S., into the national spotlight. Some of the old tropes about Arab Americans and Dearborn quickly found new life online and in the press, including a Wall Street Journal op-ed titled “Welcome to Dearborn, America's Jihad Capital,” which drew national backlash, including forceful criticism from Hammoud and ��-Dearborn Chancellor Domenico Grasso. As chief of staff, Hussein got used to handling death threats against Hammoud, sifting out which ones to bring to his attention and which to let the police address quietly in order to not cause him added stress. The team has also wrestled with how to use the spotlight to potentially exert their influence on the national conversation over the war. From the start, Hammoud has been outspoken in his criticism of the assault on Gaza and of the Biden administration, a view that’s shared by many in the city. Earlier this year, the collective frustration morphed into a much-talked-about political liability for Biden, as the then-presumptive Democratic nominee risked losing an important part of his coalition in a tightly contested must-win state. In January, Biden’s campaign manager reached out to Hammoud for a meeting. Hammoud turned them down, telling them he would be open to talking with actual policymakers, but not campaign operatives. A few weeks later, the administration followed up by sending several high-ranking officials to Dearborn.

When Hammoud and his advisors were making decisions about these events, Hussein says there was a surprising amount of unity in the room. It’s one of Hussein’s main jobs, of course, to keep the team tight, and working behind the scenes like this is definitely an underappreciated political craft. For Hussein, it’s about being able to spot great thinkers to put around the mayor, but also knowing how to rein them in when a decision must be made and there’s only a couple hours to do it. It’s about pushing talented people past their limits to get something that’s just a little bit better — and not making them hate you for it. And it’s also about being extremely politically aware of opportunities and political landmines. “I try to see things through all possibilities and outcomes, whether I agree or disagree with the approach,” she says. “If one word in a statement we’re putting out could be interpreted differently, then we have to have a plan to address that if that happens. That’s why we labor so hard over words and ideas. Everybody sees the world a little differently.”

Hussein has made her career working behind the scenes for other people, but she’s made enough of an impression that she now gets asked semi-regularly about whether she’ll run for office some day. “Never” is her quick response on the day we talk. Her explanation is that she doesn’t like talking about herself, and she thinks she can have far more impact by using her talents to elevate others, rather than just herself. It’s a nice sentiment, and rings as sincere, if a bit self-deprecating and deflecting. But I then ask if she has anyone in her life that disagrees with this self-assessment. “There are a few people,” she says, noting that one of them is an influential mentor. I then point out that her logic seems sound if she’d be running for legislative office, but her self-described talents — pushing people, helping diverse teams gel, taking pace and crises in stride, anticipating all possible consequences of a decision, listening to diverse constituents — sound like a nice toolbox for an executive. “I guess you never say never,” she says.

Hussein did run for office — once. She was elected junior class president of Fordson High School. Her slogan was “Ask not what Zaineb Hussein can do for you. Ask what you can do for Fordson.” “I know, super cliché. But I thought it was very cool,” she says, smiling. As a person who puts a lot of stock in the power of words, no doubt she’d come up with something better next time.

###

Story by Lou Blouin. Photos by Annie Barker.

Inclusion or Diversity

Student Success

Alumni Engagement

College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters

Social Sciences

Off

Tue, 09/24/2024 - 15:41

The chief of staff for Dearborn’s first Arab American mayor talks about why she loves making change from behind the curtain and why she’s still a hard ‘no’ on running for office herself.

Helping underrepresented kids see themselves through stories

stuxbury — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 16:04:32 +0000

Helping underrepresented kids see themselves through stories stuxbury Wed, 09/11/2024 - 12:04

In recent years, there has been a push for greater diversity in children's publishing, with an understanding that young readers from all backgrounds need to be able to see themselves as the hero of the story. Yet there are still stories that are too seldom told, kids who don't often find themselves represented in colorful picture books -- especially children with multiple underrepresented identities.

��-Dearborn 2005 College of Arts, Sciences and Letters alum Reda A. Taleb hopes that by telling a story inspired by her own, kids growing up with an incarcerated family member will finally see themselves on the page.

"I was grateful to draw upon elements of my own lived experience to help me cultivate a nuanced perspective on the impact of incarceration on families, their needs, and what community care for all youth inside and outside the classroom ought to be," says Taleb, who is also an entrepreneur and is the founder and CEO of Dream Catchers Innovations, which serves people and organizations focused on advancing social justice and equity through grant writing, project management, startup development and more.

In Taleb’s book “Noura's Extraordinary Superpower,” illustrated by Abira Das, she describes the story of a little girl from a LebaneseAmerican community who learns how to activate the innate superpower of empathy in order to help her and her family heal, forgive and remain close while they are separated by a loved one’s incarceration.

In addition to representing the perspective of families impacted by incarceration, Taleb roots Noura's story in her culture, as both the character and author are Muslim.

"All children need books where they can see themselves represented in the characters who share their lived experiences — intersecting identities, dreams, ideas, culture, faith, pain, trauma, challenges, grief, love, hope, family, belonging and the journeys associated with all of these experiences." says Taleb, whose father — unlike Noura’s in the book — died in prison. "Like many others from the MENA (Middle Eastern and North African), SWANA (Southwest Asian and North African) and Muslim community, I yearned to see myself and my community's lived experiences authentically and accurately represented in the books and curriculum used throughout my schooling — but I didn't."

Taleb says that the response to “Noura's Extraordinary Superpower,” which was published in 2022, has been overwhelmingly positive. "People from all walks of life, ages, backgrounds, parts of the country have shared the affirming and transformational experiences that the book has offered them, their students, and their communities," she says. "And for me, if Noura’s story can change one life, then perhaps I’ve done my work well."

To continue the work, Taleb published a sequel,“Noura’s First Visit: A Book To Help Youth Prepare For Visits With Incarcerated Loved Ones” in August. She will celebrate at a book launch event on Oct. 22 at Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn, which is free and open to the public.

Taleb hopes that her books will spur students to become critical thinkers about social justice “and see themselves as agents of systemic change. Books are a powerful tool for that.”She says education is a powerful tool too, and credits her ��-Dearborn professors for helping get her to where she is today. Taleb says she was “challenged to be a critical thinker by some of the most brilliant and devoted minds in the country."

She especially credits three professors for having a profound influence on her life as an author and advocate. Political Science Professor Emeritus Ronald Stockton pushed her to expect excellence from herself. "He had no tolerance for laziness, lack of effort or subpar work — and if you did submit such work, you definitely got the grade for it. I took that level of discipline with me to law school,” says Taleb, who went on to Cooley Law School in an effort to more fully understand the justice system.

Taleb says History Professor Marty Hershock cultivated the importance of knowing U.S. political and social history, especially in Michigan. "His passion for the subject matter, couched within his supportive teaching style was transformational,” Taleb says. “He was and remains one of the most exemplary advocates for students on campus."

And African and African American Studies program co-founder and Professor Emerita Gloria House — who’s a poet and essayist — inspired her as a student and continues to play an active role in her life today. House, who taught at ��-Dearborn from 2003 to 2014, is an activist, who began her work during the Civil Rights Movement. "From the moment I stepped into Dr. House’s women’s literature class, I was instantly teleported to another realm of both critical and creative awareness that I had never experienced before," Taleb says. "Dr. House was not only my professor, she became my mentor and is now my dear friend. I’m honored, proud and eternally grateful that Dr. House is the editor of my books." (House is also known by her African name, Aneb Kgositsile.)

Taleb, who is a member of the CASL Advisory Council, says her experiences as a child, student and author drive her advocacy work. In 2023, Taleb was featured as the keynote speaker for the National Education Association's Minority Leadership and Women's Leadership training seminars to advance racial and social justice. Her book has been highlighted on WDET and in ��-Dearborn’s Center for Arab American Studies’ Seen Jeem Podcast. She’s spoken at numerous universities, schools, libraries and community organizations, which she says created opportunities to be in community through healing circles, to work on policy and advocacy initiatives, and to reimagine a more just and equitable world together.

"I hope youth struggling with parental incarceration will see themselves in this series, learn agency over their feelings and circumstances, reclaim their joy, dream of their greatest potential in life and strive towards accomplishing it, and feel enveloped in the community care they deserve," she says.

Story by Shaun Manning.

Student Success

Alumni Engagement

College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters

Off

Wed, 09/11/2024 - 15:59

��-Dearborn ’05 alum Reda A. Taleb's picture book, “Noura's Extraordinary Superpower,” explores growing up with an incarcerated parent.

Alum Reda A. Taleb has written two children's books that focus on parents and children separated through incarceration. Graphic by Violet Dashi

��-Dearborn alum shines on the Detroit Lions Drumline

lblouin — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 18:07:29 +0000

��-Dearborn alum shines on the Detroit Lions Drumline lblouin Wed, 01/10/2024 - 13:07

DeAndre Hicks (’21 B.S.) has already made quite a few memories in his rookie year with the Detroit Lions Drumline, but Thanksgiving Day likely tops the list. A few hours before gametime, he and other members of the percussion group were warming up when their director, Todd Ohme, found Hicks and nudged him to take a peek at Ohme’s phone. “My wife just got a physical copy of today’s paper, and look who’s on the front,” Ohme said, presenting Hicks with a screenshot of the front page of that day’s Detroit Free Press. There was Hicks, a picture of cool, wearing his six-drum marching kit, head-to-toe Lions garb and black sunglasses, aiming a drumstick right at the camera. Hicks says he remembers the moment the photographer took the shot, and when the guy circled back and asked his name, Hicks thought there might be a chance he’d end up in the story. But in an era of digital news, landing on an actual front page was still a thrill. He immediately called his mom — the woman who bought him his first drum kit when he was 2 years old in an effort to nurture his talent and save her pots and pans. All weekend, his phone was blowing up with messages from friends.

Scoring a spot on the Lions Drumline, a crew of percussionists who’ve become fan favorites for their entertaining pregame and in-game performances at Ford Field, has been one of Hicks’ dreams since he was in middle school. He distinctly remembers his reaction to first seeing an early incarnation of the Lions Drumline at a football game and the Pistons Drumline on the local news. “That. I want to do that,” he told himself. Still, figuring out how to live that dream wasn’t obvious. Drumline, which has its roots in military marching music, is a niche musical discipline. It’s related to, but still somewhat distinct from, the marching band tradition. And unlike the latter, there aren’t ample opportunities for young people to learn the craft and compete through their schools, particularly outside the southern U.S., where many HBCUs have reinvigorated the tradition. Hicks ended up with an opportunity by geographical accident. His freshman year of high school, his family moved to West Bloomfield, where his street address put him just inside the boundaries of the Walled Lake school district. By chance, Walled Lake had one of the best drumline programs in the state.

Hicks played and competed with the drumline his remaining three years of high school, but after that, he put drumline on the back burner to focus on his college studies. “Then — and this would have been probably in January of last year — I went to a Lions game with one of my best friends, and I see that a good portion of the drumline are actually friends of mine or people I know,” Hicks says. “And I just looked at my friend and said, ‘You know, I think I’m going to audition for Lions Drumline next year.’” A few months later, he bumped into an old friend, Rico Ortiz, who’s a member of the drumline. Ortiz walked up to Hicks and simply ordered him to try out: “‘Yo, what’s up? Audition for Lions drumline.’ That’s literally how Rico started the conversation,” Hicks says, laughing. After one video and one in-person audition, Hicks had earned his spot on the crew.

Hicks takes the field during the Lions game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sept. 17, 2023. “I was telling one of my friends just how wild Ford Field is pretty much for every home game,” Hicks says. “I don't know if it feels different because I’m on the field now or because of the season the Lions are having, but it’s fever pitch at this point. It’s funny because when I’m playing, I tend to tune out how many people are in the stadium, but then all of a sudden I’ll look up, and you see everyone fully invested in what’s going on. It’s absolutely wild and overwhelming.” Photo courtesy Detroit Lions

Hicks, who also works full-time as a social media specialist at U-M’s Center for Academic Innovation, certainly picked a good time to join the drumline. The Lions’ 2023-24 season, which included 12 wins and the first ever playoff game at Ford Field, has been downright cathartic for fans and ignited an electric atmosphere at home games. The drumline is also playing an increasingly important role on game days. The group typically starts their performances outside the stadium, revving up fans in Pride Plaza and Gate A, after which they work their way inside for additional pregame and in-game performances that are part of the Lions’ official entertainment package. “The drumline is incredibly popular,” says Rebecca Smoker, the team’s director of entertainment, who helped retool the Lions drumline with Ohme several years ago. “The rhythm and the beats — it’s just one of the rawest forms of music — and there’s something about that that people really respond to. So we’re constantly trying to find new ways to embed them in the actual game itself.”

Smoker says Hicks has added a lot to the crew this year. “The first thing I liked about DeAndre is that he has a very personable, authentic, genuine, humble nature about him, and when he’s performing very intensely, that still comes across,” Smoker says. “It’s hard to find people who can be very approachable, but very intense and have superior skills. I’m not a drummer, but I’ve been around the block a little bit in this career, and we really want great musicians and entertainers but we want great people and ambassadors, too. DeAndre brings all of that. He’s well liked by the fans. He’s got good moves. I think everything DeAndre embodies — that’s where our drumline is headed.”

###

Story by Lou Blouin

Student Success

Alumni Engagement

Off

Wed, 01/10/2024 - 18:06

The Lions' breakout season is making DeAndre Hicks’ first year with the team’s “Honolulu Boom” percussion group a memorable one.

DeAndre Hicks entertains Lions fans outside Ford Field ahead of the Sept. 24, 2023 game with the Atlanta Falcons. Photo courtesy Detroit Lions

Celebrating diversity, mentorship and the Class of Fall 2023

stuxbury — Sat, 16 Dec 2023 21:51:57 +0000

Celebrating diversity, mentorship and the Class of Fall 2023 stuxbury Sat, 12/16/2023 - 16:51

��-Dearborn alum and Class of Fall 2023 keynote speaker Bill Anaya has 25-plus years of global government relations experience that’s given him the opportunity to travel the world, build relationships and grow his cultural knowledge.

The 1993 College of Arts, Sciences and Letters graduate worked in the White House, with the Alibaba Group and for Motorola. He’s currently the vice president of global government affairs for Coupang, a major e-commerce company that Fortune magazine called the “Amazon of Asia.”

Addressing the Fall ’23 graduates, Anaya says he credits this path to an alma mater they now share: ��-Dearborn. The university awarded 684 degrees to the newest Dearborn Wolverine alums during commencement ceremonies on Dec. 16. The morning ceremony recognized graduates of the College of Arts, Sciences and Letters and the College of Business. The afternoon ceremony celebrated graduates of the College of Education, Health and Human Services and the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

Read Anaya's keynote address here.

“This place bet on me 34-and-a-half years ago — a childhood janitor with Latino roots and limited resources,” said Anaya, who, as a high school student, was selected to receive the Chancellor’s Scholarship. He was able to share that news with family before his father’s passing from cancer.

“Because of ��-Dearborn’s decision to grant a full academic scholarship to me, I would be able to earn an otherwise unobtainable world-class education and so much more,” Anaya told the graduates.

Listening to Anaya share his experiences as a hard-working, first-generation student from an underrepresented community, some of the graduates nodded their heads in recognition. The ��-Dearborn student body, according to Fall 2023 data, is 47% first-generation and 46% Pell-eligible.

Anaya also spoke about the ways ��-Dearborn shaped his life through mentors, dedicated professors like Political Science Professor Emeritus Helen Graves, internships and overall support.

Chancellor Domenico Grasso praised Bill Anaya, a 1993 alum who delivered the keynote address, for his remarks to the Class of Fall 2023.

“These internships and caring leaders made all the difference in my life,” he said. “And Dearborn was at the heart of it all. Always training me, always propelling me, always encouraging me. Always making my life and circumstances different.”

Student speaker Nour Haj Salem, a Computer Engineering and Computer Science graduate student from Tunisia, said she’s thankful to have earned a ��-Dearborn degree and to learn from the opportunities that came with it.

“Inspired by my grandfather's wise words, ‘eli bela fi haja ydirha,’ which means, ‘if you truly desire something, you must do what it takes to achieve it,’ I became the first in my family to venture alone to the U.S. for graduate studies,” Haj Salem said. While at ��-Dearborn, she completed an internship at CBRE as a software engineer. She also worked as a research assistant studying machine learning with Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Science Foyzul Hassan.

“Let us take a moment to express our deepest gratitude to the professors, mentors and all the dedicated staff who have been our guiding lights,” she said. “Their support, patience and wisdom have been crucial to our success.”

Haj Salem also talked about the welcoming atmosphere she experienced at ��-Dearborn when she traveled 5,000 miles from Tunisia to attend grad school in the U.S. She said the diversity on campus, the halal food offered in the Renick University Center’s McKinley Cafe and volunteer-based public engagement opportunities reflect the community she chose to study within.

Student speaker Nour Haj Salem congratulated the Class of Fall 2023, while also welcoming her family to the U.S. They traveled from Tunisia to see her graduate.

“Being part of this university is a source of pride, as we embrace and celebrate our differences together,” she said. “Looking ahead, this experience will guide our future work. We'll carry teamwork, empathy and the appreciation of diversity into our careers.”

The university’s commitment to both inclusion and practice-based learning was on full display at the ceremony, with the debut of new name-reading software developed by Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Hafiz Malik and four of his CECS graduate students. The software allowed students – or, if they chose, partners, parents or even their kids – to record their names exactly how they should be pronounced. As each student walked across the stage, one of Malik’s students scanned a card featuring a QR code, which triggered the system to play the graduate’s audio recording and display their name on the big screen.

Professor Hafiz Malik, center and taking a bow, and his CECS graduate students debuted a new name-reading software at the Dec. 16 commencement ceremonies.

After the last name was announced, rows of students waited for the moment to turn the tassel and make it official. Chancellor Domenico Grasso then announced it was time to stand up, move it from the right to the left of their mortar boards and celebrate.

“I welcome you to the society of learned men and women and to the pantheon of distinguished Michigan alumni — more than 670,000 strong who have shaped and defined the world in which we live — now it is your turn,” Grasso said. “I wish you every good fortune and success.”

Earlier, as Anaya congratulated the graduates on this milestone, he said he’s looking forward to the difference they will make in their chosen fields and the world. He encouraged them to combine their education with the lessons gained through their challenges and perseverance.

“For yourself and for someone you see around you during your career, get in the business of transport — from disadvantage to fulfillment. Be a center of gravity around that idea,” he said. “Make your approach contagious and part of the DNA of any organization where you are now or where you will be. Provide the special brand of care, the Dearborn brand of care.”

See more photos of the big day or watch the recorded ceremonies on YouTube and Facebook.

Article by Sarah Tuxbury.

College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters

College of Business

College of Education, Health, and Human Services

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Off

Sat, 12/16/2023 - 21:40

The university awarded 684 degrees to the newest Dearborn Wolverine alums during the commencement ceremonies on Dec. 16.

Class of Fall 2023 graduate Brianna Bryant, a first-generation college student, celebrates on the graduation stage. Photos by Shannon Schultz/Michigan Photography

Class notes

lblouin — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 14:45:46 +0000

Class notes lblouin Mon, 08/14/2023 - 10:45

College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters

1980s

Michigan Assistant Attorney General John Pallas (’85 B.A.) was named 2023 International Prosecutor of the Year by the International Association of Prosecutors.

Edward Stencel’s (’88 B.A.) Unexpected Craft Brewing Company in Oak Park made its Michigan Brewers Guild Fall Beer Festival debut in October 2022.

1990s

In Fall 2022, Tom Hopkins (’93 B.A.) became a full-time faculty member in the Communication and Media program at Henry Ford College.

Carla Testani (’95 B.S.) was awarded the 2023 Mary S. Coleman Award by the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan. The award honors a member of the judiciary whose leadership, talent and significant contributions to women provide a role model to women in the profession and women in general.

2000s

Tracee Glab (’01 B.A.) was appointed executive director of the Flint Institute of Arts.

Mary Arraf (’02 B.A.), head of diversity, equity and inclusion and communications at Continental North America, was named a 2022 Automotive News Notable Champion of Diversity.

Orlando Gregory (’09 B.G.S., ’14 MPA) was named executive director of the Wayne County Jail Outreach Ministry. WCJOM is an interfaith nonprofit that provides religious services for inmates during their stay at the Wayne County Jail, regardless of denomination.

2010s

Abdullah Hammoud (’10 B.S.) and Narmin Jarrous (’18 B.A.) were named to Crain’s Detroit Business’ 2022 “40 Under 40” list. Hammoud is the mayor of Dearborn. Jarrous is chief development officer for Exclusive Brands, a marijuana and cannabis dispensary with locations across Michigan.

United States Air Force Captain Maysaa Ouza (’13 B.A.) served as grand marshal of the City of Dearborn’s 2023 Memorial Day Parade. Captain Ouza made history by becoming the first Air Force JAG Corps officer to wear a hijab while in uniform after successfully petitioning the Air Force to change its nationwide policy regarding religious accommodations.

2020s

Leona Medley (’20 B.A.) has been named executive director of the Joe Louis Greenway Partnership. She will lead development of a 27.5-mile-long network of urban pathways and parks connecting the Detroit Riverwalk to neighborhoods in Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park and Dearborn.

Ziyad Muflahi (’21 B.A.) was awarded a NASA Michigan Space Grant Consortium Graduate Fellowship for his project titled “Long-distance Space Exploration Teams and Cognitive Integration.” He is pursuing his Ph.D. in industrial-organizational psychology at Wayne State University.

College of Business

1980s

David Cunningham (’82 B.B.A., ‘92 MPA) was named chief financial officer and vice president of finance at SER Metro-Detroit, a workforce development nonprofit that operates in Michigan, Illinois and Texas.

1990s

Cindy Abbott (’94 B.S.A.) was honored by the Detroit Red Wings as a 2023 Women’s History Month “Game Changer.” She is the CEO of Warrior Sports, a Shelby Township-based manufacturer of equipment, apparel and footwear for hockey and lacrosse athletes.

2000s

Tiffany Gunter (’03 B.B.A., ’10 MPA) was named deputy general manager of the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation.

Anne Marie Zettlemoyer (’03 B.B.A.) was named one of Cyber Express’ 50 chief information security officers to watch for 2023.

Carl Hessler (’04 MBA) joined Hytrol Conveyor Company as director of core product engineering.

Elena Arroyo Taylor (’06 B.B.A.) joined Dawn Food Products as vice president of national accounts.

2010s

Ali Baydoun (’10 B.B.A., ’14 M.S.Acct) was promoted to managing director of UHY Advisors in the Great Lakes. Baydoun is a past recipient of the Rising Star Award from the Arab American Professionals Network.

Hassan Khalife (’10 B.B.A.), global director of marketing technology strategy and solutions at General Motors, was named to the 2023 DBusiness “30 in their Thirties” list.

College of Engineering and Computer Science

1990s

Scott Montesi (’98 M.S.E.), former vice president of the Americas at Plastic Omnium, was named president of Davco Technology.

Joseph LaRussa (’99 B.S.E.E.E., ’03 M.S., ’03 M.S.E.) joined Android Industries as plant manager at their Hazel Park facility. In 2017, he was elected as a member of the Farmington City Council and currently holds the position of mayor pro tem.

College of Education, Health, and Human Services

2000s

Chandra Madafferi (’03 M.Ed.), a longtime teacher in Novi Community Schools, was elected president of the Michigan Education Association. Her three-year term began in July 2023.

Michelle Clarke (’08 B.A., ’08 Teach.Cert.) and Matthew Mutschler (’04 M.A.) were 2023 Teachers of the Year for Warren Consolidated Schools. Clarke is a teacher at Holden Elementary in Sterling Heights. Mutschler teaches history at Middle School Visual and Performing Arts at Butcher Educational Center in Warren.

###

Have something you want to brag about? Email your Class Notes to umdearborn-legacy@umich.edu.

Alumni Engagement

Off

Mon, 08/14/2023 - 14:39

These Dearborn Wolverines achieved big things in 2022-23.

Small businesses are too big to fail

lblouin — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 18:03:54 +0000

Small businesses are too big to fail lblouin Thu, 08/10/2023 - 14:03

If you have a favorite Detroit-area small business that made it through the last few tumultuous years, chances are you have Wafa Dinaro to thank. When COVID hit, Dinaro was the director of economic development for Wayne County and led a program that provided millions in support to small businesses, most of them minority and/or women-owned. These efforts did not go unnoticed. When Pamela Lewis, the highly regarded executive director of the New Economy Initiative, announced she was leaving the organization, she personally tapped Dinaro to replace her. NEI has been the leading advocate for metro Detroit’s small businesses since its founding in 2007, and in her new role, Dinaro oversees the organization’s program and grantmaking activities, as well as its policy work.

Given her stature in the small business community, it’s surprising that Dinaro entered this field by accident. When she joined Wayne County in 2018, her job was to sell the county’s excess real estate holdings. Prior to that, she worked in corporate marketing and as a trainer and Middle East specialist for the Department of Defense — a job the ’04 political science grad learned about through a campus job fair. Small business work became part of Dinaro’s portfolio when she was named the economic development department’s director, but it was the pandemic that really put it front and center. “Small businesses were struggling,” she recalls. “In a very short time, we did $70 million in grants to small businesses, just to give them cash flow, to be able to pay their rent, to be able to pay their employees.”

At that time, Dinaro began talking to Lewis about expanding NEI’s work countywide, and that’s when Lewis recommended Dinaro apply for her job. It took some convincing, but now, she says she’s not looking back. “The organization just does really incredible work, and I get to impact my own community. I get to do economic development, which I absolutely love, and I really get to see the impact of my work on a daily basis,” she says. This impact extends far beyond the businesses themselves. “More than half of employees are employed by small businesses,” Dinaro observes. “When we’re looking at incentives for large corporations, we always look at, ‘How do we bring 100 jobs? How do we bring 200 jobs?’ When you invest even a relatively small percentage of that funding into small businesses, you’re still creating those jobs. But you’re creating them in the neighborhoods. They’re hiring people. Once the money in communities gets spent in the communities, it really helps to build the individual communities.”

Which is not to say the difference she’s made in the lives of business owners hasn’t made a mark. “I literally would have business owners call me sobbing on the phone that I saved their business,” Dinaro says. “Being able to reduce that stress and being able to give people a little bit of optimism and hope was everything.”

###

Story by Kristin Palm

Alumni Engagement

Off

Thu, 08/10/2023 - 18:03

Wafa Dinaro created a pandemic lifeline for neighborhood businesses.

Alumni Engagement

‘How will you make your mark on the world?’

Everything you need to know about ������-Dearborn’s comprehensive campaign

The art of living a courageous life

Adventure Speaks in Many Ways

The Power of ������-Dearborn

‘Let’s save our families’

Alum Zaineb A. Hussein has found her place

Helping underrepresented kids see themselves through stories

������-Dearborn alum shines on the Detroit Lions Drumline

Celebrating diversity, mentorship and the Class of Fall 2023

Class notes

College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

College of Business

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

College of Engineering and Computer Science

1990s

College of Education, Health, and Human Services

2000s

Small businesses are too big to fail

Everything you need to know about ��-Dearborn’s comprehensive campaign

The Power of ��-Dearborn

��-Dearborn alum shines on the Detroit Lions Drumline