SCOTT SHIREMAN, Director

Scott Shireman

Shireman, an experienced higher education administrator with deep expertise in global and online education, is the inaugural director of the University of Michigan Center for Innovation in Detroit.

Shireman comes to U-M from the online higher education company Coursera, where he was the global head of Coursera for Campus. Before that, he was associate dean and chief operating officer at the University of California Berkeley Extension and as director of IT infrastructure and operations at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Shireman, a first-generation college student, earned two degrees from Northwestern University—a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese religion and Master of Business Administration.

LAUREN ATKINS BUDDE, Director of Academic Content Strategy

Lauren Atkins Budde

Budde is a leader in academic innovation and workforce development. At UMCI, she focuses on developing interdisciplinary degree programs and flexible professional development opportunities that support workforce growth and industry engagement in Detroit. Her work connects higher education with the needs of local industries, contributing to economic development in the region.

With more than 14 years of experience in higher education, Budde has played a key role in expanding access to learning. At the U-M Center for Academic Innovation, she led the development and operations of more than 200 non-credit learning experiences, reaching more than 10 million learners worldwide.

Her work emphasizes accessibility, innovative instructional technologies, and meeting the needs of diverse learners. Additionally, Budde has led educational partnerships with higher education institutions, government agencies, and major industry partners such as Siemens and Disney, bringing together public and private stakeholders to drive innovation in learning.

Budde holds a Bachelor of Arts in film and video production from the University of Michigan and is pursuing an MBA with a focus on innovation, entrepreneurship, and global challenges at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

LUCY SNYDER, Director of Administration & Finance

Lucy Snyder

Snyder is an experienced finance, operations and administrative executive with broad experience in higher education, municipal and private sector industries.

She most recently was the senior director, business affairs officer at Wayne State University, served as a member of the university budget committee and co-chaired the university’s business affairs officer committee. Prior to that, Lucy served as director of financial planning & analysis for the city of Detroit as a member of the chief financial officer’s office where she directed projects for the $233M bankruptcy exit financing and the City’s new $4B 5-year capital plan.

She also worked on the city of Detroit’s historic bankruptcy as a turnaround consultant for Conway Mackenzie directing treasury/finance restructuring. She directed the full accountability for more than 250 bank accounts for the city where her recommendations for internal control changes to comply with accounting best practices were adopted.

Snyder found the public service aspects of her work in the city incredibly enjoyable. So when she saw the chance to work at UMCI, she thought it was the perfect opportunity.

“It’s a center for innovation, so it’s going to be a place …to create an environment that’s going to set a really exciting tone for the city,” she said. “So I think it is an opportunity to design it collaboratively that’s going to work.”

Snyder earned her law degree from Suffolk University Law School, her MBA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and her Bachelor’s of Science in Economics from Boston College’s Carroll School of Management.

LUTALO SANIFU, Director of Community Engagement

Lutalo Sanifu

Sanifu has broad experience in community work throughout the city of Detroit and is an advocate for inclusive development.

Most recently, he worked for Jefferson East Inc. as director of neighborhood resilience, safety and business district services. He also worked for Title Source, the Downtown Detroit Partnership and Rock Ventures.

Sanifu collaborated with a number of programs at the University of Michigan including the Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project and the School of Information’s community tech worker project.

In his new role at UMCI, he works on “building bridges between UMCI and community groups and letting them know what we’re doing and let them know how they can contribute.”

Sanifu is a native Detroiter and Rackham Merit Fellow, who earned his Master’s of Urban and Regional Planning from U-M and a Bachelor’s in Urban Studies from Morehouse College. He was a Humanity in Action Fellow in 2018.

MICHAEL BERNAL, Director of Facilities

Michael Bernal

Bernal joins UMCI as an experienced leader with more than 16 years of facility operations experience, most recently at Walsh College and Wayne State University. He’s overseen operating budgets ranging from $1.75 million to $8 million.

His comprehensive knowledge of facility operations includes campus security, space management, grounds and custodial services, vendor contract administration, and building automation systems.

Most recently at Walsh College, Bernal served on the executive leadership team as the director of facilities operations. He facilitated a community of budget, sustainability, strategic planning, and collaboration, which resulted in over $90,000 in operational reductions.

Bernal says he likes being part of the university’s mission in Detroit. “I like the outreach in that we’re going to the city of Detroit for a specific reason – we want to have a direct impact on people’s lives locally.”

The facility will have a large role in community outreach. “We want everybody to come in. We want everybody to feel welcome, and we want everybody to feel safe.”

He earned a Bachelor’s of Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Digital Communications and Cyber Security from the University of Michigan. He is pursuing a Master’s in Science Management in Organizational Leadership at Walsh College.

GWEN BROWN, Executive Assistant

Gwen Brown

Brown joined the University of Michigan in 2010 working in hospital maintenance administration. In 2012, she joined the Aerospace Engineering Department as assistant to the chair and worked there for 11 years before joining the Provost’s Office to work for the vice provost for academic innovation.

She was tapped to work as the executive assistant to UMCI Director Scott Shireman in late 2023. “I’m excited to be part of this groundbreaking program that will impact and empower the residents within the city of Detroit. It’s what I dreamed of for my career as far as advancement and impact. The innovation center will be transforming, and I am extremely fortunate to be part of its foundation.”

Brown was born and raised on Detroit’s west side. She has two earned degrees from Davenport University and Capella University respectively, completing her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources Management and a Master of Public Health in Health Administration and Policy.