One of Southeast Michigan’s most influential philanthropic leaders is preparing to lead a new chapter in the region’s efforts to expand opportunity for children and families.
Kylee Mitchell Wells, a longtime champion for equity and community investment in Detroit, has been named the inaugural chief executive officer of MoveUp Southeast Michigan, a newly established independent philanthropy created by Connie and Steve Ballmer to continue and expand more than a decade of investments across the region.
The announcement, made July 1, positions Mitchell Wells at the helm of a permanent, locally led organization dedicated to improving economic mobility for children and families throughout Southeast Michigan. While Connie and Steve Ballmer are also launching independent philanthropies in Los Angeles County and Washington State, the Southeast Michigan organization reflects a significant long-term commitment to Detroit and the surrounding region, where Ballmer Group has invested heavily in education, youth development, and family supports over the past decade.
For Mitchell Wells, the appointment represents both a continuation of her leadership and a recognition of a career dedicated to strengthening communities across Southeast Michigan.
An honoree of both Michigan Chronicle Power 50 and Women of Excellence, Mitchell Wells has built a reputation as one of the region’s most respected philanthropic executives. Throughout her career, she has helped shape strategies that connect philanthropy with measurable community impact, while fostering partnerships among nonprofit organizations, civic leaders, educators and government agencies.
Those experiences positioned Mitchell Wells as a trusted voice within Southeast Michigan’s philanthropic community long before joining Ballmer Group.
Under her leadership, Ballmer Group Southeast Michigan has supported initiatives that have provided tens of thousands of young people with summer employment opportunities while helping expand access to school-based family supports. Those investments have focused on removing barriers that prevent children and families from reaching economic stability and long-term success.
Now, those efforts will continue through MoveUp Southeast Michigan.
“I am honored to help establish Steve and Connie’s permanent philanthropy in Southeast Michigan,” Mitchell Wells said. “Over the past decade, Ballmer Group has driven clear progress across my home city and state, with impactful investments that include supporting tens of thousands of youth with summer employment opportunities and expanding access to school-based family supports. I look forward to leaning further into collective partnerships and collaborations that will lead our region toward a more equitable future.”
Her emphasis on collaboration reflects the approach that has defined much of her career. Mitchell Wells has consistently advocated for partnerships that bring together philanthropy, community organizations, public institutions and business leaders to address systemic challenges facing Detroit families.
That collaborative philosophy also aligns with the vision Connie and Steve Ballmer described as they announced the creation of the three new organizations.
The Ballmers said the decision to establish independent, locally governed philanthropies recognizes the strength of the regional teams that have spent years building trusted relationships within their communities.
“Our stellar teams in these three regions have built deep relationships in their communities and, together with their partners, have created opportunities for kids and families,” Connie and Steve Ballmer said in a joint statement. “Our intention is to ensure that these local philanthropies can be permanent, ongoing resources in each region, while we concentrate our national efforts on advancing economic mobility in new ways.”
MoveUp Southeast Michigan will operate independently from Ballmer Group while continuing to receive funding from Connie and Steve Ballmer. The organization will establish its own independent board and continue supporting current grantees throughout a yearlong transition process, with no interruption in existing funding commitments.
The new organization also provides Southeast Michigan with a permanent philanthropic institution focused exclusively on the region’s needs. Rather than operating as one of several regional offices within a national organization, MoveUp Southeast Michigan will have local leadership, local governance and the flexibility to evolve alongside the communities it serves.
As MoveUp Southeast Michigan launches, Ballmer Group will narrow its own focus to a smaller portfolio of large-scale national initiatives designed to improve economic mobility for children and families across the country.
Mitchell Wells’ appointment comes after years of leadership that have earned respect throughout Detroit’s civic and philanthropic sectors. In addition to being recognized by Michigan Chronicle as a Women of Excellence honoree, she has served on numerous boards and advisory groups, contributing her expertise to initiatives focused on education, economic opportunity and neighborhood advancement.
Her work has consistently centered on creating systems that help children and families thrive while ensuring that philanthropic investments produce lasting community impact.
The creation of MoveUp Southeast Michigan represents another milestone in that work.
Ballmer Group Chief Executive Officer Terri Ludwig, who helped oversee the evolution of the regional organizations, will serve as a founding board member of MoveUp Southeast Michigan while continuing to lead Ballmer Group nationally.
“Across these regions, our teams have demonstrated exceptional leadership and have distributed more than $1.5 billion in grants over the past decade,” Ludwig said. “I am honored to help them transition to this exciting new chapter of grantmaking and impact.”
The announcement also included the creation of MoveUp LA and MoveUp Washington, which will be led by Nina Revoyr and Andi Smith, respectively. Like Mitchell Wells, both currently oversee Ballmer Group’s regional operations and will guide their organizations into independent status.
Mitchell Wells has spent her career investing in Detroit’s future – first through foundation leadership, then through Ballmer Group’s expanding philanthropic footprint, and now as the founding CEO of an organization designed to serve generations of Southeast Michigan families.
As MoveUp Southeast Michigan begins operations, its mission remains rooted in the work that has defined Mitchell Wells’ career: building partnerships, expanding opportunity and creating pathways that help children and families achieve lasting economic mobility.
For Detroit, the launch represents a permanent philanthropic commitment to the city and region, led by a homegrown leader whose career has been dedicated to helping Southeast Michigan communities grow stronger together.
