Christianne Sims, our board president and a Detroit native, has lived in Jos. Berry Subdivision for over forty years.
Edythe Ford, our vice president, a Detroit native has lived in Pingree Park for most of her life, with her family arriving in the neighborhood in 1942.
Tonya Woods Brown, our treasurer and a Detroit native, has strong ties to the North Village neighborhood dating back to the 1960s.
Candice Bowman is a marketer, communicator and catalyst for organizations and brands and served for the previous four years as the National Director of Outreach and Business Development for PR and integrated marketing firm Lambert & Co. focusing on Detroit, New York and key financial markets. In 2019, Candice launched EQUALSIGN, an equity & inclusion consulting firm focused on integrated marketing and brand strategy, strategic audience engagement, culture-driven marketing and communications, diverse board development for public companies and private equity firms, DEI and ESG consulting. As Founder, Candice is responsible for client service initiatives and the long-term vision of the firm, in addition to heading the strategic account teams on several publicly traded, privately held, education and non-profit clients. Candice is a strong advocate for building inclusive communities, systems and business models for organizations and brands with a focus on equity as the bottom-line impact. A native Detroiter, Candice serves on the board of directors for the Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Junior Council. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Michigan State University and professional certification in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University.
Mac Farr, Originally from Jackson, Michigan, Mac attended Michigan State University’s James Madison College. In 2004, after graduating, he moved to New York where he lived for a decade working in the financial services sector. Moving to Detroit in 2012, he worked in Mike Duggan’s first campaign for mayor, and in the Mayor’s office during the bankruptcy. He began with the Villages in 2015. His work has focused on the development of infrastructure, housing stabilization, transportation, policy advocacy and community engagement. Mac’s achievements include the development of the housing stabilization program Keep It In the Family, raising $1.5 million since getting to the organization and getting City policies in place such as the alley restoration program as well as the installation of speed humps. Mac lives in Pingree Park and is a member of the Indian Village Tennis Club and Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church.
Alexis Mann, our program manager, is a native of Detroit and lives in the St. Clair Heights neighborhood. Prior to joining the nonprofit sector Alexis devoted herself to her community as the president of Living the Good Life Community Association for the past three years. This devotion turned into a passion to help as many residents as possible obtain intergenerational wealth.
Br. David Preuss was born in Detroit were his family owned a pharmacy. Joining the Capuchin religious community in 1969, he worked in a variety of ministries mainly in the African-American communities of Milwaukee and Detroit. He became pastor of St. Charles Church (from 1987-2008) and moved to St. Bonaventure(2016 to present) to work in the ministries there. He was on the board of Islandview Village Development Corporation that built affordable housing on Townsend and Baldwin streets, as well as several smaller projects.
Ashley Davidson is an award winning creative director and filmmaker with a background in urban design. As the founder of Citizen Brand + Content Lab, she leads a team to reveal shared values through stories and design to generate audiences for organizations supporting community sustainability. Ashley is the co-owner and designer of two Detroit-based hubs: Kiesling and Milwaukee Caffè, a restored 120 year old tavern and adjoining walk-up espresso bar in Detroit’s Milwaukee Junction. Since opening in 2018, Kiesling has won the AIA Award for Commercial Design and been voted Detroit's favorite community bar. Ashley also serves on the board of the DIA Friends of the Detroit Film Theatre, and resides in West Village where she restored a home in 2018.
Damon Dickerson, director, an Ypsilanti native, lives in Islandview
Martha Coates, director, a Detroit native, lives in East Village
Ederique Goudia, director, A Louisiana native, Ederique Goudia has been a resident of East Village since 2018 and a Michigan resident, chef, and food activist for over 20 years. Beyond her ability to create delicious and culturally significant food, she is committed to the health and sustainability of our local community and food system, both here in the Villages and beyond. This is evident through her recent work with Detroit Food Academy, a non-profit that teaches youth about culinary and food entrepreneurship, and Make Food Not Waste, a non-profit committed to keeping food out of landfills, slowing climate change, and creating lasting solutions to food waste. Throughout her long standing career in the hospitality industry, she has also been a fierce advocate for child nutrition, food waste, food insecurity, small business support, minimum wage increase and mental health support for hospitality workers. She is also a dedicated board member of Eastside Community Network, Make Food Not Waste, and a member of the Junior League of Detroit, and Slow Foods USA.
Rob Gregory, our Treasurer, is a native of Detroit and resides in the East Village neighborhood, where he renovated his home in 2022. Rob holds a Bachelor’s in Finance from Michigan State University, a Master’s of Business Administration in Finance and International Business from Wayne State University, and is a Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) Charterholder. Rob has worked his entire professional career in the City of Detroit with Rocket Companies. He has occupied diverse roles within Rocket’s Capital Markets and Finance teams, ranging from bond structuring and trading to overseeing the company's secured funding portfolio. Currently, Rob leads the Pricing Strategy function within Rocket’s Capital Markets Group. Rob has deep familial roots within the villages of Detroit as well as the development of downtown Detroit's parks and urban placemaking. Rob also serves on the board of directors at The East Village Association.