By: Jasmine West
Forty rising leaders whose work reaches across business, public service, education, health care, law, technology and community development have been selected for the Michigan Chronicle’s 2026 class of 40 Under 40 honorees.
This year’s class reflects the range of talent shaping Metro Detroit and beyond. The honorees include an artificial intelligence leader at Google, a Black history curator at The Henry Ford, attorneys, physicians, engineers, entrepreneurs, educators, labor leaders and professionals working directly with Detroit’s young people, families and neighborhoods.
The Michigan Chronicle will recognize the honorees during its 2026 40 Under 40 Awards and Induction Celebration at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, at Harmonie Club, 311 E. Grand River Ave. in Detroit.
For years, the Michigan Chronicle’s 40 Under 40 program has created space to recognize young Black professionals whose leadership can sometimes happen outside the spotlight. The annual celebration brings that work forward, honoring people who are building careers while using their positions to strengthen institutions, expand access and create opportunities for others.
The 2026 class includes professionals carrying significant responsibilities inside some of the region’s largest employers and public institutions.
Anthony Chambers serves as Google’s North America lead for AI infrastructure strategy and partnerships. Tamarah Riley is an engineering director and senior director of external partnerships at Whirlpool Corporation. Tyrone Williams serves as plant manager at Ford Motor Company’s Rawsonville Components Plant, while Mesh McFerrin is operations manager at LM Manufacturing.
Health and human services are also strongly represented. Micah Aaron is a tenure-track assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Dr. Randall McPherson is a family medicine physician with Oak Street Health, and Dr. Kimberly Stokes-Mason is a counseling psychologist at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Brianna Eccleston directs the Public Health Division within the Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veteran Services. Kyra R. Watts serves as a principal management engineer at Henry Ford Health, while Kayla D. Perry leads marketing and communications for the Detroit Area Agency on Aging.
Several honorees are working inside schools and organizations serving young people. Bianca Hardy is a project manager within the Detroit Public Schools Community District’s Office of Communications. Evangerline Trice is an athletic director with the district, and Stevon Scott is director of corporate and community affairs for River Rouge School District.
Jonaz Byrd serves as impact director for City Year Detroit. Dorothy “Dee” Smith is director of strategy and partnerships at Teen HYPE, Victor D. Robinson leads external partnerships and community engagement for Urban Alliance, and Damiana Sorrell is chief program officer for the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan.
The class also recognizes leaders working in government, labor and civic life. Keith Butler serves as District 5 manager in the City of Detroit Mayor’s Office. Chris Jackson is a Pontiac city councilman, while Lynda S. Jackson serves as recording secretary for UAW Local 7. Tyrone “T.J.” Winfrey is co-founder of CIVIC, and Jaren Roberts-Brown is assistant vice president of marketing and communications for the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation.
Detroit’s nonprofit and community development network is represented through leaders including Rhonda Evans, marketing director for Life Remodeled; Erica George, deputy director of Cass Community Social Services; Jermaine Peguese, special projects manager for the NAACP Detroit Branch; and Tracey Lynn Pearson, communications officer for The Kresge Foundation.
Christiana Ware, founder and chief ecosystem architect of GapBridge Strategies, joins the class alongside Ashley Nicole McCullough, a development manager at Bedrock Detroit, and Belvin Liles III, a principal with Invest Detroit Ventures.
Business owners and entrepreneurs selected for the class include Brandon Davis, president and owner of Davis Insurance Group Agency; Marcel Smith, operator and owner of Chick-fil-A Lincoln Park; and Dr. Victoria King, founder and CEO of The Tax Gurus and Easy Tax Solutions.
Former Detroit Lions running back Joique Bell II was recognized for his work as founder of Parlay Detroit, U Charge UP and the Joique Bell Charity. Antwuan Markel Hawkins, an attorney, business owner and real estate broker, leads Levine Benjamin Law Firm and Five Star Luxury Realty.
The class also includes Joaquin Gouch, a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch; Myles Baker, a senior labor and employment attorney at DTE Energy; and Briaunna Durhal, an associate at Jones Day.
Monique Hutcherson Benoit, director of brand building and strategic initiatives at Ulta Beauty, joins marketing and communications leaders including LaTrell Bell, major gifts officer at Michigan Humane, and Amber N. Mitchell, curator of Black history at The Henry Ford.
The 2026 class represents a generation of leaders already influencing how Metro Detroit works, grows and serves its people. Their titles span industries, but the larger story is found in the responsibility behind them. They are managing classrooms, shaping public policy, leading companies, expanding access to health care, building businesses and creating pathways for the people coming behind them.
That is what the Michigan Chronicle’s 40 Under 40 recognition has long made visible. Leadership does not begin when someone reaches the highest office or earns the biggest title. It is built in the years when young professionals are taking risks, carrying institutions forward and proving that age does not determine impact.
When this year’s honorees gather at Harmonie Club on Aug. 27, the celebration will recognize 40 individual accomplishments. It will also mark something larger: a class of Black leaders whose work is helping shape the future of Detroit and the region now.
