Challenge Detroit has started off the new year by doubling its staff, hiring two of its former fellows as the nonprofit begins recruiting a new class of young talent to the Motor City.
"It just makes sense to connect with these fellows," says Deirdre Greene Grooves, executive director of
Challenge Detroit. "Hiring alumni makes a lot of sense."
Challenge Detroit matches recent college grads with local employers in an effort to attract talented young people to work and live in the city. Each fellowship lasts a year and provides the participants with a housing stipend. Every fellow volunteers during the program and participates in other activities that get them involved in Detroit's civic life.
Brittany Sanders and Caroline Dobbins both did stints as fellows before joining the program as staff. Sanders will work as a program manager and Dobbins as an events and operations manager. Challenge Detroit now employs four people. It also has a
board of directors of 17 people, including the recent addition of
Lindsey Walenga, co-founder of
Siren PR.
Challenge Detroit
applications for the 2015 class of fellows are currently open and are du March 8. This year's list of fellows is expected to be finalized by mid June with the fellows starting work by this fall.
Greene-Groves expects this year's class to round out to 30 fellows. Last year's class consisted of 35, but such a high total was a one-year anomaly.
"Last year we had a lot of great hosts and a lot of great fellows," Greene Grooves says.
Source: Deirdre Greene Grooves, executive director of Challenge Detroit
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.