The conservancy was started in 2003 with the leadership of U-M alums Faye Alexander Nelson, former president and CEO of the conservancy, and Matt Cullen, the current chairman of the board.

University of Michigan alum and Slows Bar BQ Co-Founder and Executive Chef Brian Perrone has been serving up his award-winning mac ‘n cheese, baby back ribs, brisket, pulled pork and the Yardbird — dubbed a “Best Sandwich in America” — for over 15 years.

The team originally played at the Cass Tech High School football field, where more than a thousand spectators came to the first match. By the third season, game attendance exceeded 3,000 people, creating a need for a larger set up. Team owners found it at Keyworth Stadium in 2015, and coordinated a pledge drive of 527 investors who gave $741,250 to renovate the site.

Although the curriculum is quite different from the mathematics and physics classes that Ravi Smith has previously taught, it positions him to do some of the same problem solving that his students are doing.

“Throughout my time at Michigan, I developed a unique tool box of technical and cultural skills, and grew a diverse network of relationships that undoubtedly prepared me for the work I am called to today.”
~ Leseliey Welch, MBA ’12

Today, in developing Avalon’s footprint across Detroit and Ann Arbor, Jackie Victor says she has always wanted a community-minded place where people meet, eat and organize a better world. That may be why you never know who you’ll run into at Avalon from CEOs to small-business owners to everyday working people who are drawn to her energy and optimism. 

Through the Riverfront, Matt Cullen saw a way around the regionalism that had plagued Detroit, Wayne County and its neighbors. Born and raised in Detroit, Cullen knew how to unite people for a common cause: the city’s revitalization. 

“We are very proud of being able to create a space for the community to be welcomed on a day-to-day basis, but also to have their voices heard, whether that’s in local activists or community members having a Q&A and discussion, or just having more representative films. Representation really does matter.”
~ Tim Guthat

“I grew up in what I like to call the ‘front porch neighborhood,’ where people sat on their front porches and, as a result of that, not only did we have people who were looking out for us, we had people who are interested in our success.”
~ Michael Cheatham