The Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan (BGCSM) doesn’t wait for change to happen, they create it themselves.
This is evident in the board leadership that now boasts 56% minorities, 48% females with the majority of women of color, amplifying the importance of representation at the highest level within the nonprofit sector.
BGCSM has cultivated this group of talented executives, political figures community leaders and entrepreneurs.
Board members include Senator Sylvia Santana, District 3; Honorable Alisha Bell, Wayne County Commission; Honorable Angelique Peterson-Maybury, Detroit Public Schools Community District; Tosha Tabron, Kresge Foundation; Erika Swilley, Detroit Pistons; Jennifer DeMello-Johnson, Amerisure Insurance and more.
This is not the case everywhere. The number of women leading boards remains low globally with women now holding 12 percent of seats worldwide. Over the past three years, the organization has been committed to strategically curating a diverse, notable board of directors—specifically by increasing the number of female leaders.
As the first minority female board chair for the organization, Jennifer DeMello-Johnson recalls just 3 years ago when she was one of two female board members out of thirty, present at the quarterly board meetings.
“We’ve come a long way in a short period of time, said Demello-Johnson, Board Chair, and VP at Amerisure Insurance. “This was not merely coincidental but deliberately intentional in our desire to recruit diverse and inclusive perspectives, expertise, and passions to accelerate the mission of BGCSM that enables our youth to become Career, Start-Up and Homeowner Ready.”
The organization has been able to tap into women that are game-changers in their own right, with a common goal of youth development, work-force training, and entrepreneurship in Detroit.
“I’m appreciative of our Board Chair Jennifer Demello-Johnson and all our female board members for stepping up to lead BGCSM,” said Shawn H. Wilson, president & CEO of BGCSM. “Their influence and expertise in education, business, technology, real estate development and government relations, will ensure BGCSM meets its mission of building an ecosystem, which not only transforms young people’s lives, but the communities they live in through economic mobility.”
Today the organization will highlight its #LadiesThatLead on social media to amplify the female BGCSM board members during International Women’s Day.
Female board members include:
- Honorable Alisha Bell, Chair of the Wayne County Commission, District 7
- Senator Sylvia Santana, Detroit, District 3
- Sonya Mays, Develop Detroit, President & CEO
- Tosha Tabron, Kresge Foundation, Social Investment Officer
- Honorable Angelique Peterson-Maybury, Detroit Public Schools Community District, Board President
- Tonya Adair, United Way for Southeastern Michigan, Chief People, Equity and Engagement Officer
- Jacqueline Howard, Ally Financial, Senior Director of Corporate Citizenship
- Rajoielle Register, Vice President of Marketing, Sysco
- Erika Swilley, Detroit Pistons, Vice President, Community & Social Responsibility
- Pattie Dykstra, Logicalis, Account Executive
- Sue Nine, Women’s Association Co-Chair, Community Volunteer
- Jennifer DeMello-Johnson – BGCSM Board Chair and Vice President of Agency Services, Amerisure Insurance
To see the full list of the 2022 BGCSM board members, visit bgcsm.org/about-us/
To learn more about BGCSM visit www.bgcsm.org.
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