Mike Duggan was elected as Mayor of Detroit on November 5, 2013 and took office on January 1, 2014. As Mayor, he governs the city of his birth and where he spent the previous 32 years of his career collaborating with others to solve some of the city’s most vexing issues. During his career he has taken on challenges and untangled problems that directly impact the quality of life of Detroiters, including access to health care, public transportation, crime, blight, expanding recreational opportunities in the city, job creation and more.

Keith E. Whitfield became provost of Wayne State University on June 1, 2016. An expert on aging among African Americans, Dr. Whitfield has published 200 articles, books and book chapters on cognition, health, and individual development and aging. As Wayne State’s chief academic officer, Dr. Whitfield is the second-ranking executive officer and responsible for all matters related to the instructional mission of the university including faculty matters, student performance and retention, and academic personnel policies and decisions, among other duties. 

Jocelyn Benson, former dean of Wayne Law, is an associate professor and was elected secretary of state of Michigan in 2018. In September 2016, Benson was named CEO of the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality, a venture led by professional sports organizations and networks, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NCAA and ESPN, to improve race relations in America. She also serves as a special advisor on philanthropic investments to RISE founder Stephen M. Ross.