Speakers

Introduction of speakers:

American Association of University Women (AAUW) Grosse Pointe is an active branch located in the Grosse Pointe area, bordering northeast. Detroit. Members live in the Grosse Pointes, Harper Woods, and St. Clair Shores. We are an affiliate branch of the AAUW National organization.

Mission:  To advance gender equity for women and girls through research, education and advocacy

Vision:  Equity for all

Values:  Nonpartisan.  Fact-based.  Integrity.  Inclusion and intersectionality

Strategic Plan:

1.  Champion equal access to all levels and fields of education
2.  Ensure education at every level is free from sex discrimination
3.  Achieve pay equity by 2030
4.  Create inclusive career pathways for women, free of systemic barriers and biases, to attain economic security
5.  Deepen women’s retirement security and quality of life
6.  Bolster the participation of girls and women in leadership roles throughout their lives
7.  Advance the number of women in leadership, particularly in education and nonprofit organizations
8.  Implement best practices in governance, inclusion and organizational functioning
9.  Enhance financial sustainability by increasing and diversifying revenue

Introduction of speaker: 

Abby is graduate of the University of Michigan with a BA in History and a MA in Social Work.  She is a licenses Master Social Worker.  

The Children’s Center is home to many specialized clinical services. We lead the way in working with children who struggle with behavioral, emotional, educational, intellectual and developmental challenges or may have experienced trauma. We treat the whole child, looking at more than a single issue so we can provide the best, most comprehensive integrated care. We examine barriers in the home, school and community, working with the family who raises them and the organizations that support them. 

A champion for our children

Our vision reflects our community’s changing needs for providing care and our evolving position as a leading authority on children’s mental and behavioral health: To champion the never-ending quest for providing the best care, helping children learn to self-advocate once they’re outside the comfort of our walls, and get them on the road to a happier, more fulfilling childhood.

Introduction of speaker: Ted Everingham

Diallo Smith is the Chief Operating Officer at Life Remodeled, a Detroit non-profit focused on sustainable and equitable neighborhood revitalization. Diallo and his team repurpose vacant school buildings in Detroit into one-stop hubs of opportunity, mobilize thousands of volunteers annually to clear four square miles of blight, and provide new roofs, windows, and furnaces to homeowners.

Born and raised in Detroit, Diallo is a graduate of Cass Technical High School. He went on to pursue a bachelor's degree in finance at Wilberforce University in Ohio and then a Master's of Divinity degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. His financial expertise led him to careers at ExxonMobil, BP Amoco and IBM Consulting until he decided to return home and become a small business owner of Drive Ping Pong Bar & Grille in downtown Detroit. His passion for creating equity and providing opportunity in Detroit then led him to the work he does now with Life Remodeled.

Diallo and his wife, Dr. Jameel Smith, enjoy live music, exploring new restaurants, and raising their two children Josiah and Signe. They are both native Detroiters with a passion for serving and giving back to the city and the people they love.

Introduction of Speaker: 

The Goal of Beyond Basics is to eradicate illiteracy one student at a time.

In 1999, Pamela Good took the Joy Road highway exit to a struggling inner-city school in Detroit, delivering coats to kids who needed them. That first encounter revealed that the children needed much more than outerwear. This led Good and the late Dr. Joanne Wagerson to cofound Beyond Basics to provide enrichment activities, soon discovering that many of the children could not yet read. Beyond Basics was formally incorporated as a 501(c)3 in 2002 to develop and implement intensive one-on-one reading tutoring and literacy enrichment programs for K-12 students in Detroit and the metropolitan area. Beyond Basics’ data-driven, multisensory, structured literacy interventions help students achieve academic grade-level movement in an average of six weeks. Beyond Basics’ methods unlock the miracle and power of reading for those who need it most.

Leelanau County boasts miles of Lake Michigan coastline, rolling hills, vineyards, and apple and cherry orchards. The mostly rural county, just outside Traverse City, is proud to be the home of one of Michigan’s few national parks – Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore – which draws more than a million visitors each year – and tidy towns like Suttons Bay and Glen Arbor. But one thing Leelanau County can’t brag about is its internet service. It’s been a source of irritation for residents and visitors alike.  After several years of studying ways to extend high speed internet services to its residents, the county is on the verge of beginning construction on a two-year project that would provide most households access by the end of 2023.

Introduction of Guest Speaker:  Johann Finkelmeier

Steve Kiefer is the founder of The Kiefer Foundation whose mission is to end distracted driving and all associated traffic deaths and injuries. The Kiefer Foundation was established in 2016, in honor of his son Mitchel Kiefer, who was tragically killed by a distracted driver on September 19^th, 2016.  In July 2018, Kiefer received the Distinguished Service Citation from the Automotive Hall of Fame honoring the work he has done to end distracted driving through the Kiefer Foundation.

Kiefer recently retired from General Motors, after nearly 40 years of experience in the automotive industry, including leadership positions in major markets around the world. Kiefer’s most recent position was President, GM International, a position he has held since November 2019. Kiefer was a member of the GM Senior Leadership Team. In this role, he was responsible for GM operations outside of North America and China.  His mandate was to deliver profitable growth in the 60+ international markets in which GM competes. 

Prior to this role Kiefer spent five years as Senior Vice President, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, where he delivered $2B of annual cost reductions for 5 consecutive years, while significantly improving supplier relationships.  Kiefer joined GM in September 2013 as Vice President, Global Powertrain, after more than a decade of senior leadership roles with the automotive supplier Delphi. 

Kiefer has deep cross functional expertise in all areas of the automotive business, including engineering, sales, purchasing, supply chain, operations, finance, government relations, corporate strategy and general business management. Throughout his career, Kiefer has focused on product innovation to drive customer value and profitable growth. Kiefer is a member of the Michigan Governor’s Traffic Safety Advisory Commission and the Michigan State University College of Engineering Alumni Association Board. He was GM’s key executive at Michigan State University and previously served as a member of the Berkeley Engineering Advisory Board, the Supervisory Board of Adam Opel AG in Germany and the board of directors of United Way for Southeastern Michigan.Kiefer received a master's degree in business administration from the University of Michigan. He earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University, which included engineering studies at RWTH Aachen University in Germany.

MISSION STATEMENT
To provide a facility and service for the community, where lost pets, stray and injured animals can be sheltered and receive veterinary care until they are reclaimed or evaluated and re-homed. We will seek foster homes and permanent placement for unclaimed pets through our adoption program and humanely euthanize those that are critically injured, untreatable, or unadoptable. We will provide counseling and training necessary to assure a good adoption experience and proper care of the animal.

Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and state-licensed animal protection facility. GPAAS is the only state-licensed animal shelter serving all The Grosse Pointes and Harper Woods. For more information about our 501(c)3 non-profit tax filing visit our GuideStar profile.

GPAAS was founded in 1991. Incorporated as an official 501(c)3 in 1996. GPAAS has found adoptive homes for about 8,000 rescued animals We have sheltered over 4,000 animals from the municipalities we serve since the opening of our original intake facility in March 2012. The original location still serves as a state-licensed animal protection intake facility for unvaccinated stray pets found by local public safety departments.

Michael began his career in 2005, working in a public relations capacity for the Michigan Oil and Gas Association while still a student at Central Michigan University. In 2008, Michael accepted a communications position at the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, helping connect communities with the services and resources available to them as they dealt with the impacts of the Great Recession.
From 2012-2015, he was Assistant Manager at the Village of Elk Rapids, a small waterfront community on the East Grand Traverse Bay. There, he worked to enhance Village services while maintaining or reducing millage rates; staffed the Downtown Development Authority; managed human resources and succession planning efforts; developed an asset management process for the village; and administered grants. During this time, Michael successfully brought groups with longstanding divergent interests to the table to discuss future planning for the Elk Rapids community.
Michael rejoined SEMCOG in 2015 to work on legislative issues important to local communities; assist local governments with operational assessments and strategic planning; and ensure that SEMCOG’s governance processes are transparent and effective.  Michael lives in Grosse Pointe Park with his wife Annie – a librarian at GPPL – and their sons Walden and Isaac. He has a B.A. in Political Science and Journalism, and a Master’s in Public Administration, both from Central Michigan University.

 

Phil began working with the Anton Art Center as Grant Coordinator in 2009 and assumed his current role as Executive Director in October 2015.

Phil studied photography and ceramics, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Northern Michigan University in 2005, and a Master of Public Administration from Wayne State University in 2013. Phil has served in leadership roles in the Mount Clemens Art Association, Mount Clemens Kiwanis Club and Macomb County Pride, and serves on the Marketing and Programs Committee of the Macomb County Chamber of Commerce and Program Councils for Leadership Macomb and Junior Leadership Macomb programs. In 2019, Phil was appointed by Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel to the Macomb Art Institute Authority, and in 2020 Phil was appointed by Mayor Laura Kropp to the Board of the Mount Clemens Downtown Development Authority.

As a nearly life-long resident of Mount Clemens, Phil is passionate about making a difference in his community through the arts and focuses on creating opportunities for people throughout Macomb County to experience creativity firsthand. He takes interest in how the arts support education, health, community and economic development, and the role that arts play in different cultures and communities.