Detroit Riverfront Conservancy’s William Smith Selected for 2023 Young American Leaders Program

The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy is proud to share that Chief Financial Officer William Smith has been selected to participate in the Detroit Region’s ninth cohort of the Young American Leaders Program (YALP) at Harvard Business School (HBS). The Detroit Regional Chamber announced on February 20 that Smith and eight other local individuals were chosen to participate in this year’s program.

“I am excited to join my Detroit peers as a participant in the Young American Leaders Program,” Smith said. “It’s a tremendous opportunity and I will represent the Detroit region with pride. Once back home, I look forward to applying what I’ve learned to better help our community become more collaborative in all our efforts.”

YALP aims to improve U.S. competitiveness and develop leaders who can execute cross-sector collaboration to build workforce skills, improve schools, restore infrastructure, and take other key actions to restore and reimagine communities.

In addition to a four-day convening at HBS this June, members of the Detroit cohort will attend the 2023 Mackinac Policy Conference through the Mackinac Future Leaders program.

The Detroit cohort also includes:

• Fabiola Borowy, Vice President, Recruiting, OpTech

• Katrina DeHart, Program Manager, General Motors

• Javier Evelyn, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Alerje

William Smith

• Nicholas Hammer, Financial Advisor, Northwestern Mutual

• Sam Hussein, President and Chief Executive Officer, Metrotech Automotive Group

• Tina Kozak, Chief Executive Officer, Franco

• Gabrielle Poshadlo, Vice President, Communications, Ford Motor Co., Ford Land

• Alissa Sevrioukova, Chief of Staff, Public Affairs, DTE Energy

• Boyd White III, Member, Product and Professional Liability, Dykema Gossett PLLC

“The 2023 Young American Leaders Program cohort from Detroit is a diverse, engaged group of business-and community-minded professionals representing the best of our region,” said Sandy K. Baruah, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber. “The Chamber is proud to be a partner and trusted influence in selecting the auspicious individuals who will represent our region and create lasting solutions to make our communities more competitive, equitable, and prosperous.”

The 2023 program will run from Tuesday, June 20 to Friday, June 23, at HBS in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Detroit cohort will join participants from the 13 other cities in the program: Birmingham, Boston, Chattanooga, Columbus, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Jose, and Seattle.

The group will learn about cross-sector collaborations, such as best and worst practices from across the country and around the globe. Through discussions informed by the participants’ experiences, they will also explore where America and American cities stand today and learn personal lessons about collaborative leadership.