On Dec. 16, Detroit Regional Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer Sandy K. Baruah filled in for Paul W. Smith as a guest host of WJR 760 AM’s Focus With Paul W. Smith, interviewing several prominent business, community, and government leaders in the Detroit Region.
Hear what the guests had to say below.
Former U.S. District Chief Judge Gerald E. Rosen is known as the architect of the “Grand Bargain,” serving as the chief mediator in Detroit’s bankruptcy.
Recently he added a new title to his impressive resume: author. Rosen’s book, “Grand Bargain,” tells the dramatic inside story of how Detroit was rescued from the brink of oblivion while successfully exiting the largest municipal bankruptcy in American history.
When recalling his time mediating the bankruptcy process, Rosen credited the amount of cooperation from all parties.
“Even in our divided society, people can still come together to find common ground,” he said. “People from across the political spectrum, geographic background, and ideologies came together to help a city in dire need.”
Since 2018, Kevin Johnson has led the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. (DEGC) through one of the most transformative periods of revitalization in Detroit’s history. Under his leadership, the organization has focused on job creation, capital investment, and small business growth throughout the city of Detroit.
Johnson said the narrative of Detroit nationwide has changed fast due to key investments in infrastructure and neighborhoods, emphasizing the importance of telling that story beyond our own communities.
“Show me a great city, and I’ll show you a city that invests in itself,” he said. “There’s this confluence of ideas and investments and a will to drive this city to its proper place in society. Detroit has been and is one of America’s greatest cities.”
For nearly three decades, Devin Scillian has covered Detroit’s biggest moments for WDIV-TV 4. Nearly every night, he’s been on our TVs, elevating the stories that matter and helping us make sense of what’s happening in our city, region, and state. Devin has also been a fixture at the Chamber’s Detroit Policy and Mackinac Policy Conferences, moderating some of our most impactful sessions and delighting guests with his musical talents. Last week, he signed off as a WDIV-TV NBC 4 anchor and is entering his next chapter.
RELATED: Congratulating Friend of the Chamber, Devin Scillian
“Sunday morning television is often reserved for politics . . . I wanted to cover [those issues] from a local perspective [on Flashpoint],” he said. “I’m a storyteller, and I find it very gratifying my stories meant so much.”
As Ford Philanthropy’s President, Mary Culler oversees the company’s philanthropic investments through community partnerships and programming in more than 40 countries. She is also the Chair for Ford’s Michigan Central Station project, overseeing the strategic direction of the historic train station redevelopment and other Ford properties in Corktown.
Culler emphasizes the importance of the mobility industry and the opportunities surrounding it.
RELATED: Culler will be a speaker at the Detroit Policy Conference on Jan. 23, 2025. Learn more and register now.
“Mobility is one of the ‘number one ways’ to get out of poverty,” she said. “I think as a city and state really focused on that we have the ability to solve the problem.”
U.S. Representative-elect Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI 8) has over 30 years of public policy and advocacy experience and now has an exciting new gig as she prepares to represent Michigan’s 8th Congressional District, which includes Saginaw and Bay counties and parts of Genesee, Midland, and Tuscola counties.
Throughout her career, she has worked to improve economic opportunity for Michiganders and looks to do the same in this upcoming term.
“How do we get more money into people’s pockets?” she asked. “People in Michigan don’t mind working hard. It’s in our nature…how do we give people a shot at success? I think it’s possible to work with people on both sides of the aisle to do just that.”
Michigan will also have a new Congressional representation in the 7th District, which includes Ingham, Clinton, Shiawassee, and Livingston counties, most of Eaton County, and portions of Oakland and Genesee counties. While new to Congress, U.S. Representative-Elect Tom Barrett (R-MI 7) is no stranger to public service, having served in the military for more than 20 years and also in the Michigan Senate and House.
Barrett spoke about his top priorities – securing the U.S. border, getting the economy back on track, and expanding American energy affordability – for the upcoming term and shared excitement about the incoming freshman class.
“They really have great backgrounds, life stories … that’s what makes this representative democracy great,” he said. “We all have different perspectives and backgrounds to bring to the table and elevate that voice, and I’m excited about it.”
Heading into the 2024 presidential election, few people had their finger on the pulse of Michigan voters quite like Richard Czuba, one of Michigan’s top pollsters and a long-time polling partner of the Chamber. He gave a unique insight into how the economy is voters’ main motivator, along with what lies ahead for future campaigns, including Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan’s run for Michigan governor.
Related: A Post-Duggan Detroit? Mayor’s Announcement This Week Fuels Questions of What’s Next
“Duggan has certainly thrown a monkey wrench into the normal calculation of what we would expect,” Czuba said. “There’s an opportunity [to win]. But boy, it’s going to take a lot of money and some really good organization.”
As the Chamber’s Senior Director of Community Engagement and Leadership Development, Devon O’Reilly develops and programs the annual Detroit Policy Conference. Taking place on Jan. 23, 2025, at MotorCity Casino and Hotel, this year’s Conference is focused on driving the innovation economy in the Detroit Region.
“It’s just so important to have this conversation and talk about global competitiveness, investment, and how we really need to leverage our assets and foster innovation throughout the Region, particularly between Detroit and Ann Arbor,” he said.