Dr. Darienne Hudson has been named chair of the Detroit Public Schools Community District Foundation Board of Directors, succeeding the late Dr. Iris A. Taylor as both the foundation and Detroit’s public school system move through a period of leadership change.
Hudson, president and CEO of United Way for Southeastern Michigan, has served on the DPSCD Foundation board since 2020. Her appointment places a longtime education and nonprofit leader at the helm of the organization as it continues expanding investments in Detroit students, families and schools.
“I believe in the brilliance and potential of Detroit’s young people and in our collective responsibility to make sure they have every opportunity to thrive,” Hudson said. “There is so much good work happening across the district, and the foundation has an incredible opportunity to bring people, resources and ideas together around that work.”
Hudson takes over following the death of Taylor, who had chaired the foundation board since 2021 and also served on the elected DPSCD Board of Education.
Taylor’s death in July left a vacancy on the seven-member school board at a consequential moment for the district. Five of the board’s seven seats are on the ballot Nov. 3, with 34 candidates running for them, making this the largest Detroit school board field since the creation of DPSCD in 2016.
Only two current members, Steve Bland Jr. and Bessie Lee Harris, are running. Both were appointed to the board in 2025 to complete the terms of members who stepped down. Board President LaTrice McClendon and Vice President Corletta Vaughn are not seeking reelection, while Taylor’s seat is also among those voters will fill.
That means voters will determine a majority of the school board this fall.
The elected board carries significant authority over Michigan’s largest school district, including hiring and evaluating the superintendent and making decisions involving district policy, curriculum and spending.
Against that backdrop, Hudson will lead the separate DPSCD Foundation, the district’s official philanthropic arm. The foundation raises private and corporate support for programs and initiatives serving DPSCD students, families and schools.
Hudson had worked alongside Taylor on the foundation board and had previously been identified through the organization’s succession planning as a future leader, according to the foundation.
Kerrie Mitchell Campbell-Mabins, president and CEO of the DPSCD Foundation, said Hudson’s experience working across education and community organizations will help guide the foundation as it expands.
“She knows our community, she knows this work and she understands the power of bringing the right people and resources together to make a difference,” Campbell-Mabins said.
The foundation currently directs investments toward literacy, student health and wellness, college and career readiness, family engagement and other priorities aligned with the school district.
Hudson has spent much of her career working at the intersection of education, nonprofit leadership and family support. As president and CEO of United Way for Southeastern Michigan, she oversees an organization working across Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties on economic stability, education and family support.
DPSCD Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti said Hudson’s understanding of education alongside the broader needs facing families will be an asset to the foundation.
“She brings a unique ability to connect education with the broader needs of families and communities,” Vitti said.
As board chair, Hudson will work with fellow directors and foundation leadership on fundraising, partnerships and investments supporting DPSCD students.
Her arrival comes as the foundation carries forward Taylor’s work while the district prepares for an election that could reshape much of the governing board it works alongside.