The Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan announced Shawn Wilson as its new President and CEO today. Wilson joins the organization after spending four years leading a variety of high-profile initiatives with the Ford Motor Company Fund, including serving as strategic lead for the Ford Resource and Engagement Centers (FREC), a $15 million place-based strategy to drive economic mobility for residents in Detroit neighborhoods. Wilson will officially begin his new role on November 26, 2018.
“This is a special opportunity to build upon the proven legacy of the Boys and Girls Club while working with stakeholders to reimagine new ways in which the organization can become a driving force for youth and community building in Southeastern Michigan,” Wilson said. “When it comes to sustaining the resurgence of our region, many of the solutions lie within the youth. I look forward to elevating their innovative ideas and fresh concepts to give them an authentic seat at the table and empower them to become transformational change agents in their communities.”
“I’ve known Shawn since his days in Atlanta working with the Usher Foundation,” said Hiram E. Jackson, chair of the board. “This is a game changer for us. Shawn’s transformative thinking and innovative ideas will not only propel the Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan to new heights, but also redefine how youth services are delivered to children and families throughout the region.”
Under Wilson’s direction, the Ford Resource and Engagement Centers distributed 2.5 million pounds of food over the past five years, served 30,000 youth and families annually, provided $15 million in tax returns to families, and delivered workforce and entrepreneurship training to 8,000 individuals. Wilson also served on the leadership team tasked with the initial rollout of Ford’s $740 Million Corktown campus transformation project. As the community engagement lead for the project, Wilson created systems to capture and implement authentic community voices in the overall process.
In addition to his time at Ford, Wilson has spent his career as a Social Entrepreneur, Urban Place Maker, and pioneer of professionalizing celebrity philanthropy for greater social impact. His extensive background centers on creating economic mobility opportunities for underserved communities through programs and place- based strategies. In 2004, he partnered with eight-time Grammy Winning Artist Usher Raymond IV to launch Usher’s New Look Foundation. As President and CEO, Wilson established the organization’s mission, recruited the Board of Directors and designed a three-tier program service model. During his tenure, the foundation partnered with Emory University’s Goizueta Business School to train and certify over 21,000 youth leaders across four continents and nine countries, including the United Kingdom, China, South Africa, and the Philippines.
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