Women We Admire is pleased to announce The Top 50 Women Leaders of Michigan for 2022. This year’s awardees are driving change, making considerable advances that will allow future generations of women leaders to reach beyond what is currently accessible. While some awardees are leading at well-known companies across the world, others are doing grassroots work to shift the inequalities faced by some of the most marginalized individuals in the community. These women all offer significant contributions and achievements in the industries they serve.
Among this year’s awardees are Anouchah Sanei, Chief Innovation and Science Officer for Amway, who oversees all global research and development including nearly 1,000 scientists, engineers and technicians throughout more than 100 countries and territories; Regine Beauboeuf, Senior Vice President and Director of Infrastructure and Mobility Equity at HNTB Corporation, who has 35 years of extensive experience on design build and public private partnership projects in the U.S. and Canada; and Tracy Fuerst, Vice President of Corporate Communications and Public Relations for Magna International, who leads a global team at the mobility technology company focusing on advancing mobility for everyone and everything.
We acknowledge these women for their strength, tenacity, and resilience. Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of The Top 50 Women Leaders of Michigan for 2022.
2. Annalisa Esposito Bluhm
Vice President, Northrop Grumman
Annalisa Esposito Bluhm is a Vice President with Northrop Grumman. Northrop Grumman is a global aerospace, defense, and security company. They are committed to advancing global security and human discovery in support of their customers' missions. They do so by providing leading technology and national security solutions and services to markets around the world. Bluhm is an award-winning global communications leader with nearly 20 years of experience across multiple sectors including technology, finance, automotive, not-for-profit, and public policy.
Before joining Northrop Grumman, Bluhm was a head of executive and strategic corporate communications at General Motors and before that, an instructor at Eastern Michigan University. Earlier in her career she worked with Royal Aluminum & Steel Inc. as a director of marketing and communications. Bluhm graduated from Eastern Michigan University with an MA in communication studies and an undergraduate degree in political science and international relations.
5. Tracy Fuerst
VP of Corporate Communications & Public Relations, Magna International
Tracy Fuerst is the Vice President of Corporate Communications and Public Relations of Magna International. In her roles, Fuerst leads a global team that is bringing the Magna story to life inside and outside of the company. Over the past 15+ years at Magna, she has launched a multi-channel approach to communications which includes the company’s first global-wide intranet, employee app, TV-communications system, and social media presence. Today, her global team works hard to telegraph the message that Magna is not only one of the world’s top automotive suppliers, but a mobility technology company that is advancing mobility for everyone and everything.
Previously, Fuerst was a communications manager at General Motors and before that, a marketing communications manager at Amerisure Insurance. Fuerst earned an undergraduate degree in communication and media studies from Saginaw Valley State University.
8. Anita Klopfenstein
Chief Information Officer, Little Caesars Pizza
Anita Klopfenstein is the Chief Information Officer of Little Caesars Pizza. Headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, Little Caesars was founded by Mike and Marian Ilitch in 1959 as a single, family-owned restaurant. Today, it is the third largest pizza chain in the world with stores in each of the 50 U.S. states and 27 countries and territories. Klopfenstein has over 41 years of experience. She began her career in 1981.
Before joining Little Caesars Pizza, Klopfenstein was a VP of eCommerce and consumer systems at Panera Bread and before that, a senior director of solutions architecture at Express Scripts. Earlier in her career she worked with WTHI-TV as a news producer. Klopfenstein graduated from Liberty University with an MBA in organizational design and from Indiana State University with an undergraduate degree in computer science.
9. Regine Beauboeuf
SVP & Director of Infrastructure & Mobility Equity, HNTB
Regine Beauboeuf is a Senior Vice President and Director of Infrastructure and Mobility Equity at HNTB Corporation, an employee-owned infrastructure solutions firm. Beauboeuf has 35 years of regional transportation and infrastructure experience specializing in the management of large, complex transportation projects. She has extensive experience on design build and public private partnership projects in the U.S. and Canada. She has managed and
supervised the engineering program for the Detroit River International Crossing project for the localization of the new border crossing between the cities of Detroit and Windsor in Michigan, USA, and Ontario, Canada. She has also served as the project manager for the Turcot Interchange Design/Build, the A-25 PublicPrivate-Partnership in Montreal, Quebec and the Innovate Mound Project in Macomb County where the county is looking to reconstruct and modernize nine miles of Mound Road through the cities of Warren and Sterling Heights. In her current role as director of Infrastructure and Mobility Equity, she is charged with providing technical expertise and leadership on HNTB’s ongoing efforts advancing equity through the organization’s existing work, enhancing our Partners Program, increasing opportunities for historically underutilized businesses and collaboration with industry associations.
Prior to her experience in the private sector, Beauboeuf was the supervising engineer for the Project Development Section of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). In that capacity, she was responsible for the development and delivery of all capacity improvements and new road projects for the State of Michigan and managed a delivery budget of $3 billion. Beauboeuf earned an undergraduate degree in architectural engineering from the University of Haiti and an MBA in strategic management and leadership from Davenport University.
14. Sandy Kaminski
VP of Client Development, Vensure Employer Services
Sandy Kaminski is the Vice President of Client Development for Vensure Employer Services. She first joined the company in 2021 as an associate VP of client development. Founded in 2004, Vensure Employer Services provides PEO solutions and human resource outsourcing to small and mid-market businesses. Through its subsidiaries, including VensureHR, the company processes more than $19 Billion in payroll and supports more than 526,000 worksite employees. Their services include payroll, medical and voluntary benefits, workers' compensation, risk management, and HR administration.
Prior to joining Vensure Employer Services, Kaminski was the owner and HR consultant for HR Maxim, a full-service human resource consulting organization. She previously served as the director of HR and operations for Macomb Benefit Consultants. Kaminski graduated from Walsh College with an undergraduate degree in marketing and an MBA.
16. Vicki Harris
SVP of Global HR & Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Our Daily Bread Ministries
Vicki Harris is the Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Our Daily Bread Ministries. Our Daily Bread Ministries is a global ministry with 38 offices around the world. They are a non-denominational, non-profit organization focused on helping millions of people around the world connect with God each day. For more than 80 years, their purpose has remained the same: to reach people with the life-changing wisdom of the Bible. Harris joined the organization in 2013.
As a global human resource professional, Harris travels around the world sharing her passion to help and training staff members in various topics such as team effectiveness, human resource disciplines, diversity equity and inclusion, as well as other organizational and leadership development programs. Before joining Our Daily Bread Ministries, Harris served in human resources for over 20 years with another Christian publishing house and Legal Search Firm. She is also the leader of Global Women Who Lead, a program designed to train and inspire female leaders to pursue their God given gifts and talents to the world. She holds a dual master’s degree in human resources and business administration. She received two honorary doctorate degrees in humanities.
17. Wendy Zelond
SVP of Finance for Utilities Segment, AltaGas
Wendy Zelond is a finance executive with over 20 years of experience in the energy, airline, and public accounting sectors. She is currently the Senior Vice President of Finance for the Utilities Segment of AltaGas, which includes Washington Gas, Semco Energy and Enstar located in Washington DC, Michigan, and Alaska, respectively. She is a Certified Public Accountant and holds an MBA from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas.
Zelond’s passion is people, with a love of developing teams and creating a space that allows all team members to flourish. She engages broadly throughout the organization by sponsoring employee resource groups and mentoring individuals to help them achieve their aspirations. Her approach to leadership has been shaped by years of working in various industries, really listening to her team, continuous self-improvement and seeking opportunities outside of her comfort zone. As Zelond continued to grow in her career, her passion for building teams coupled with a desire to reach more people led her to publish her first book, We Talk, We Lead: A Reflection of One Women’s Stories to Inspire and Empower Others.
View the complete list of awardees.
20. Cathy Griffin
Senior Vice President, Brown & Riding Insurance Services
Cathy Griffin began her wholesale broker insurance career in 1985. She has been specializing in the placement of Environmental Insurance since then, starting with the emergence of asbestos removal contractor’s insurance. Today, she serves as the Senior Vice President for Brown & Riding Insurance Services. Based in the Midwest but placing business throughout the country, she was a leader in the development of mold insurance in the early 2000’s when there were large multi-million-dollar lawsuits being paid and few insurance companies willing to write the exposure. She has developed several environmental insurance programs and her expertise in evaluating forms, coverages and exposures in this field have given her a strong insurance agency following and solid reputation amongst the top environmental insurance carriers.
Before Brown & Riding Insurance Services, Griffin was a VP at Partners Specialty Group and before that a VP at Stewart Smith Group.
22. Megan Ahee
Chief of Staff, Autobooks
Megan Ahee is the Chief of Staff for Autobooks. She first joined the company in 2022. Autobooks works with financial institutions to deliver what small businesses need including cash flow management, payment services, and financial reporting integrated directly into current banking channels. They provide a simple, yet automated approach to small business banking. Their solutions make accounting and payments easy to understand, which helps small businesses in their day-to-day, giving them more time to do what they do best. Autobooks creates opportunities for established business owners, as well as emerging micro, lifestyle, and gig economy entrepreneurs.
In addition to her role with Autobooks, Ahee is the co-founder of Sunday’s Best, a Metro-Detroit breakfast catering business, and the founder of Philotimo Co. She previously served as a development manager and senior manager of mission delivery for the American Diabetes Association. Ahee graduated from Wayne State University with an undergraduate degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing.
23. Shelley Fiore
President & Chief Operating Officer, MassMutual Great Lakes
Shelley Fiore is the President and Chief Operating Officer of MassMutual Great Lakes LLC. She chose to build a career in the financial services industry over three decades ago after realizing it gave her the ability to help thousands of Michigan men and women realize their financial dreams. Fiore made the decision to accept the leadership role at MassMutual in Michigan in 2010 and is one of a select few females in the industry to hold a similar position. She believes her experience as an advisor for more than a quarter century gives her the understanding and credibility to teach new financial professionals as well as help veteran financial professionals launch to a higher level.
Considering her vast knowledge of business continuity planning, tax reduction strategies, investment planning and estate planning, Fiore has also become an internationally sought-after speaker with audiences that have ranged from 50 to over 10,000. She has spoken for various insurance companies as well as The American College and The Million Dollar Round Table Main Platform. She is a Licensed Insurance Counselor, Chartered Life Underwriter and Chartered Financial Consultant, multiple time recipient of the Southeast Michigan GAMA Agent of the Year Award, the first woman to hold the presidency of MassMutual Agent’s Association and the third woman to qualify for MassMutual’s Exceptional Level of In-Force. A lifelong Michigan resident, she graduated from Michigan State University in 1982 after studying business and accounting.
26. Sandra Brooks Henriquez
Chief Executive Officer, Detroit Housing Commission
Sandra Brooks Henriquez began her professional career over 39 years ago. Today, she is the Chief Executive Officer of Detroit Housing Commission. In 1933, the City of Detroit established the Detroit Housing Commission (DHC) under the Michigan Housing Facilities Act. Throughout the DHC’s 75-year history, their mission has been to provide safe, decent, and affordable housing for the low and moderate-income people that they serve. DHC is the largest owner of rental housing in Detroit, providing approximately 4,000 housing units for seniors and families.
Previously, Henriquez was appointed by President Barack Obama as Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the first African American woman to hold that position. Prior to that, she was proud to serve as the longest-tenured CEO of the Boston Housing Authority, appointed by Mayor Thomas Menino. Henriquez is a lifelong fair housing activist, is a nationally renowned Philanthropic Sponsor and Mentor, and has served as a director on several boards. She graduated from Boston University with an undergraduate degree in psychology.
28. Sara Moylan
Founder & Chief Creative Officer, SHEFIT
Sara Moylan is the inventor and Co-Owner of SHEFIT, a company on a mission to empower women and girls to regain control over their bodies and their lives. A collegiate athlete, fitness model, Arnold Classic, and top International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness professional competitor, Moylan had tried all of the sports bras on the market. Despite their promises of delivering leading-edge support, she was still resorting to wearing two or three bras at a time just to get the control and fit she desired. She decided it was time for a change. Armed with an old maternity bra and a glue gun, Moylan created the prototype for SHEFIT Ultimate Sports Bra. A bra that would disrupt a 40-year-old industry, delivering next level control lift and fit with patented Zip. Cinch. Lift. technology.
The Ultimate Sports Bra quickly took the sports bra industry by storm. Awarded the best high-impact sports bra by SELF Magazine’s 2018 Fitness Awards and a Runner’s World top pick sports bra several years in a row, SHEFIT has gone on to transform millions of lives. Empowering them to be in control of the fit, lift, and their confidence. In addition, the Grand Rapids-based company has donated $500,000 in bras to date to over 40 schools, helping girls stay active and confident at a critical age. Moylan graduated from Central Michigan University with an undergraduate degree in integrated public relations and communications.
29. Brenda Arbeláez
Founder & President, PALS INTERNATIONAL
Brenda Arbeláez is the Founder and President of PALS INTERNATIONAL. She built PALS INTERNATIONAL from a one-person home-based business to a global business that specializes in language instruction, cross-cultural training programs, accent reduction, global relocation support services, business consulting, language translation and interpretation. With a teaching degree earned in Bogotá, Colombia, Arbeláez spent ten years teaching in bilingual schools. Upon arrival in the United States in 1975, she soon became known as a particularly effective Spanish language instructor, teaching to private students in her home. As an immigrant who lived first-hand the experience of transplanting her family to another country, one whose language and culture were unfamiliar to her, Arbeláez brought a keen insight into the challenges and rewards of mastering a second language. She soon added instruction to groups of executives en route to assignments in Spanish-speaking countries, and by 1983, formed PALS INTERNATIONAL. Arbeláez is a graduate of Colegio Maria Auxiliadora with an undergraduate degree in education.
31. Christina Frank
VP of External Affairs, Cornerstone Alliance
As a senior leader on the executive management team and as one of the primary touchpoints for Cornerstone Alliance, Christina Frank is responsible for development, implementation, and performance tracking of comprehensive communications and public relations strategies that enhance the organization's image and appropriately position the community within the economic development marketplace. She has spent her career helping Berrien County residents build better relationships, find better jobs, and improve their quality of life. She holds a professional certification of economic development from the University of Oklahoma, a certificate in non-profit leadership from the University of Notre Dame and a bachelor’s degree from Sienna Heights.
Frank is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, a lifetime member of the International Society of Female Professionals, a member of the Michigan Economic Development Association, and a member of the International Economic Development Council.
Most recently, she earned the designation of Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) by the International Economic Development Council, only the 45th person in the state of MI ever to do so, and one of only 17 women in the state to hold this certification. Frank has also been named as a Top 50 Economic Developer in North America of 2022.
View the complete list of awardees.
32. April Clobes
Chief Executive Officer, Reseda Group
April Clobes began her professional career over 27 years ago. Today, she is the Chief Executive Officer of Reseda Group. Reseda Group helps credit unions remain relevant and competitive by delivering the best products and services to their employees and member-owners. Driven by their shared goal of building better for members, Reseda Group invests in strategic partners that will bring new technology, digital resources, and credit union industry solutions to market. In addition to her roles with Reseda Group, Cloves is also the President and Chief Executive Officer of MSU Federal Credit Union.
Clobes first got her start in 1995 in marketing at Lighting Supply Company. She graduated from Western Michigan University - Haworth College of Business with an MBA and from Michigan State University with a master's in advertising and public relations and an undergraduate degree in marketing. She recently earned a certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from Cornell University.
34. Sanya Weston
Partner & CEO, Your Premier Travel Service
Sanya Weston is a Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Your Premier Travel Service, the oldest African American owned travel agency in Detroit. An award-winning luxury travel expert, Weston has more than 35 years of experience in the tourism industry, including state-wide curriculum development and training new travel agencies, in addition to planning and organizing travel for clients. She is a third-generation business owner and has been an entrepreneur and community leader in her beloved Detroit for most of her life. A recognized international authority in her industry, Weston has appeared as a travel expert on local news stations and in leading publications like the Michigan Chronicle, Crain Detroit, American Black Journal, BLAC Magazine, Detroit Free Press, ABC's Detroit WXYZ News, FOX 2 News, WDIV Live in the D and 910AM.
As a Goldman Sachs 10K Small Business alumna, Weston is dedicated to educating other
entrepreneurs on international business development and continues to participate as a Capitol
Hill Day leader. She recently expanded her passion for travel and founded the nonprofit, Young People Travel Global Edge, an international mentoring program that partners with local organizations. Weston is a native Detroiter, born and raised on the city’s westside. She is a graduate of St. Martin DePorres High School and holds an undergraduate degree in business communication from Siena Heights University. In addition to the tourism industry, her work experience include the aerospace industry and strategic digital marketing.
35. Nada Sitto
CEO, MWHS Design
Nada Sitto moved to the United States as a young child. She earned an MBA from Lawrence Tech University while launching her company in 2019. Having worked her way up from front desk associate in undergrad to director of operations for new developments, she found her passion for construction and design, leading to the origin of MWHS Design. Despite just launching before the pandemic, Sitto has grown her company from just her and one other team member into a full team of high-level professionals now in a 13,000 square foot office building in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
MWHS Design main clients are hotel franchises working hand in hand with brands such as Marriott, Hilton, IHG and Wyndham. Sitto was featured in Crain’s Detroit Business 2022 notable women in construction, design & architecture, recognizing her work on multiple large hotel projects, new build, and renovations in the Metro Detroit area.
36. Melissa Hughes
Founder & President, Live Rich. Spread Wealth
A self-made millionaire by 31, Melissa Hughes is the Founder and President of the Live Rich. Spread Wealth. Global Movement, which is changing the lives of businesspeople worldwide. She is a master business coach, best-selling author, international speaker, and consultant. Her mission is to help entrepreneurs and individuals at large companies to accomplish their business goals (including massive profits) while staying connected to their authentic self, transforming the world, and creating lives of limitless abundance.
Known as The Guru of Implementation®, Hughes’ success, and that of her clients, is a result of her practical, proven systems for business and life success. Her clients include companies like Microsoft, Motorola, ESPN, and globally recognized speaker Lisa Nichols, star of the hit film, The Secret, as well as small start-ups and individuals. Large corporations around the world hire Hughes to advise them on projects and initiatives to the tune of $20 million, and she specializes in helping to ensure culture, communication, project scope, and implementation are successful across divisions, departments, and business units. Hughes is a dynamic, transformative speaker who has presented to companies and at entrepreneurial events, conferences, universities, and associations throughout the U.S. and in Ukraine, Dubai, Costa Rica, Canada, Bali, Tokyo, and Amsterdam, to name a few.
38. Shatica D. McDonald
Managing Director & Client Account Lead, Accenture
Shatica McDonald is a Managing Director and Client Account Lead managing an entire business and P&L for one of Accenture’s major health clients in the Midwest. In this role, she has the responsibility of bringing the best global talent and professional services inclusive of strategy, consulting, technology, operations, and Accenture SONG (formerly Accenture Interactive) to her clients. During her 17-year tenure at Accenture she has led large customer experience transformations within North America’ Health Payer industry. She has done so by delivering 360° Value across a vast range of healthcare clients with a primary focus on digital experience, customer relationship management, sustainability, and contact center transformations. She brings innovative leadership and AI powered solutions while driving on Accenture’s purpose “To deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity.” Known as a trusted C-Suite relevant thought leader and sales originator, McDonald has sold and delivered multiple complex transformation programs for some of Accenture’s most important accounts.
McDonald is equally passionate about ensuring Inclusion & Diversity is not just a “thing, an event or something nice to say,” but rather a core change in mindsets and lifestyle. As such, she has been appointed as the North America Inclusion & Diversity Lead for Health, serves as the Executive Sponsor for the African American Employee Resource Group (AAERG) in Michigan and is an active community advocate for the youth including STEM, talent, and technology skills development. She currently sits on the board for a local High School within the Detroit Public School Community District. McDonald was named an “Accenture Global Health Expert” for Customer Relationship Management & Experience in 2018/2019, awarded Crain’s Detroit Business 40 Under 40 Top Executives in 2020, and recently appointed as the AHA Go Red For Women Chair for the 2023 Campaign.
39. Sherisse Butler
Senior Director of Government Affairs, Detroit Public Schools Community District
Sherisse Butler is a change-catalyst, community activist, and child and education advocate. She currently serves as the Senior Director of Government Affairs for Detroit Public Schools Community District where she develops the district's legislative priorities in consultation with senior leaders and provides strategic direction and messaging for advancing priorities. She is a proud graduate of Martin Luther King, Jr. Sr. High School. Having pursued undergraduate and graduate degrees at Barnard College, Teachers College, Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in NYC, Butler has worked in the K-12 and post-secondary education communities for over 15 years. She strongly believes that education is the pathway to freedom.
Upon returning to Detroit in 2015, Butler became involved in the local community. Volunteering for local education initiatives, school board campaigns, voter registrations initiatives, and becoming a precinct delegate are just a few ways that Butler gives back to Detroit. Most proudly, she utilizes her strengths and talents to advocate for the needs of children in Detroit. She is a youth pastor of St. Paul AME Church and serves on the Board of Directors for Teen HYPE Youth Development. Her personal mission is to give voice to the most vulnerable children in the community, kick in the doors of opportunity, and to build a table, bring a chair and/or microphone to the spaces where decisions are made about young people. Most recently, Butler founded the AJ Butler Northeast Detroit Community Action Coalition in honor of her late grandmother, Annie J. Butler. The organization's mission is to promote a healthy living environment and to fight for an improved and equitable quality of living for Northeast Detroit residents.
41. Kellie Penzien
Managing Director, Accenture
Kellie Penzien is the Managing Director of Accenture. Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud, and security. Penzien enjoys technology and solving client business challenges. She has achieved significant growth with Fortune 100 clients across various industries and has a diversified software and network infrastructure background. She has held technology leadership roles across various domains including service delivery, consulting, and sales. Throughout that time, she has driven successful client and academia engagements leveraging application development, cloud, networking, IoT, AI, virtual reality, and autonomous vehicles.
Before joining Accenture, Penzien was an AVP of advisory consulting at Cognizant and before that, she founded Design and Ship where she served as the CEO. Earlier in her career she worked with General Motors as a software development lead. Penzien graduated from Central Michigan University with a master’s degree in computer software engineering and from Cleary University with an undergraduate degree in business administration, management, and operations. She has earned executive education certificates from The Wharton School, Dartmouth College, Cornell University, and New York University.
View the complete list of awardees.
42. Jeanette Pierce
Founder & President, City Institute
Jeanette Pierce is a social entrepreneur and lifelong Detroit resident who grew up on the city's Eastside. She is a data nerd as well as an engaging storyteller with a passion for providing context around complex issues. She founded the City Institute to provide a deeper understanding of Detroit to better equip residents and stakeholders to build an equitable and thriving city. Since 2005, Jeanette has used experiential learning and non-traditional tours to help more than 150,000 locals and visitors learn about Detroit’s assets, small businesses, historic neighborhoods, city planning & development policies and innovative solutions to the challenges the city faces.
Jeanette and her team combine observations of current conditions, historical facts and recent statistics with powerful anecdotes and individual stories of Detroiters to help clients understand the complexity and dynamism of the city of Detroit. City Institute offers learning journeys, speaking engagements and tours, and helps other cities create experiences that tell the story of their communities. Jeanette believes that when more people are informed and engaged in shaping a place’s future, there is a much better chance of that city becoming an equitable and thriving place for all. She has presented at more than 100 events including Atlantic Magazine’s CityLab Conference, Governor’s Economic Summit, Downtown Las Vegas Annual Meeting and the Oregon Heritage Conference. She was honored by Crain’s Detroit Business as one of the Top Forty under 40, by DBusiness Magazine as a Thirty in their 30’s, was awarded the Shining Light Future Leader Award from the Detroit Free Press as well as receiving many other recognitions and awards. She serves on the Boards of the Michigan Municipal League Foundation and Detroit Historical Society. She has an undergraduate degree in communication from Aquinas College, and lives with her husband and toddler triplets on Detroit’s Eastside.
44. Wendy Taylor
Executive Director, ATC Healthcare
Wendy Taylor is an independent owner of ATC Healthcare Services of MidMichigan. ATC is a pioneer in the healthcare staffing industry and has staffed wherever healthcare is provided since 1982. As an independent owner of ATC, Taylor provides every type of medical staffing solution including per diem coverage, long term assignments, permanent placements, and locum tenens coverage. In addition, she provides Medicaid Waiver and Private Pay home care services such as assistance with homemaking, companionship, overnight care, live-in care, respite care, meal preparation, medication reminders, and accompaniment to appointments.
Taylor is also the independent owner and executive director of CareBuilders at Home - a skilled nursing and private duty home care agency providing non-medical care to elderly and others who require assistance with their daily living needs. They help individuals with independence and dignity by providing non-medical and private duty home care services in the familiar surroundings of home 24/7. In addition, Taylor has a strong background in medical staffing and in-home care and has worked in the HR field for over 24 years in hospital, higher education, and local government environments. She is currently a State of Michigan contract holder providing medical personnel to several state-wide facilities through MDHHS, MDVA and MDOC. She also provides contract and PRN medical staff to Hospitals, LTC/SNF, and Juvenile Detention Centers throughout the state. Taylor holds accreditation through CARF International, providing premier in-home services in the Great Lakes Bay Region. She currently serves as a member of the Michigan Brain Injury Provider Council and is a Great Lakes Bay Regional Leadership Ambassador. She previously served as the Vice Chairperson for the State Advisory Council on Aging for the State of Michigan, holding this seat for four years. Taylor has an undergraduate degree in organizational administration, a master’s degree in administration with a major in HR, both from Central Michigan University.
45. Teri Grieb
Senior Director for Research & Associate Dean for Research Strategy, University of Michigan Medical School
Teri Grieb is the Associate Dean for Research Strategy and Senior Director for Research at the University of Michigan Medical School. As the chief business and administrative officer for the research mission, Dr. Grieb is responsible for the operational and fiscal management of the Medical School Office of Research and its reporting units. In partnership with the Executive Vice Dean for Research and Chief Scientific Officer, she develops and implements strategic initiatives, leads enterprise change management, facilitates research with Michigan Medicine affiliate hospitals and health systems, and advises on infrastructure, policy, operational, and fiscal issues for the research enterprise. Dr. Grieb serves as the lead administrative liaison between the Medical School research enterprise and the university.
Dr. Grieb holds a PhD from the Genetics Program at George Washington University. After receiving her doctorate, she joined an early-stage, life sciences company, where she was the Director of Tissue Biologics and lead scientist responsible for developing the company’s licensed technology for sterilizing allograft tissues. Dr. Grieb then joined MedImmune, Inc., as a R&D project manager. She oversaw commercial and university in-licensed technologies. Prior to her current roles at the University of Michigan, Dr. Grieb was a managing director for the Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research, the home of the University of Michigan’s NIH-funded Clinical Translational Science Award, and an Industry Research Liaison responsible for nurturing technology transfer, developing partnerships with industry, and fostering entrepreneurship.
48. Jennifer Disla
Co-Executive Director, Detroit Action
Jennifer Disla began her professional career over a decade ago. Today, she is the Co-Executive Director of Detroit Action, a grassroots community-based organization building power for Black and Brown Detroiters throughout their metro region. A consistent and deliberate attack on their institutions has made Detroit one of the most politically and economically marginalized communities in the country. Detroit Action builds power and transforms the community and fights back against the policies that affect the most vulnerable individuals.
Disla started organizing in 2008 with the Healthcare for America Now Campaign in Missouri. She continued her career in organizing afterwards as a Labor Organizer. She has since worked on contract campaigns in Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, and Indiana. She believes in building collective power to effectively change society. She is a member of the Organization for Black Struggle, and Missouri Jobs with Justice as well Co-Chair to Defend Black Voters Campaign. Disla graduated from Seton Hall University with an MA in English literature and an undergraduate degree in English literature and criminal justice.
View the complete list of awardees.