Chamber’s Melanie D’Evelyn Named Among 2021 Crain’s Detroit Business 40 Under 40
November 1, 2021
The Detroit Regional Chamber is proud to celebrate Senior Director of Detroit Drives Degrees Melanie D’Evelyn, who has been named one of the 2021 Crain’s Detroit Business 40 Under 40.
D’Evelyn was recognized for her work to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for students in the Detroit Region, and particularly, her work on the creation of the Detroit Regional Talent Compact, which the feature noted has already garnered $18 million from philanthropic foundations toward the initiative’s implementation.
Crain’s also recognized her role in brokering agreements in 2019 with Oakland University, Wayne State University, and Henry Ford College to end a long-standing practice in higher education of holding a student’s previously earned college credits “hostage” for unpaid debts before they can be transferred for degree completion.
“We’re the first place in the country to have a multi-institutional approach to combating that issue,” D’Evelyn told Crain’s.