DETROIT – TechTown, Wayne State University’s entrepreneurship hub, is delighted to welcome new members to its newly structured board of directors and board of trustees. The new members hail from leading organizations throughout the state of Michigan and boast decades of experience sparking entrepreneurship and innovation locally, regionally, and nationally.
The new members’ arrival coincides with a restructuring of TechTown’s board of directors – formerly the executive committee – and its board of trustees. Under the new structure, the fiduciary aspect of governance now rests with the board of directors, while the trustees remain in an advisory capacity, acting as stewards and champions of TechTown’s mission and programs.
“It is a joy and an honor to welcome these new faces to TechTown. The immense talent and unique experiences of local leaders like these help us deliver on our mission and serve our community,” said Ned Staebler, president and CEO of TechTown and vice president for economic development at Wayne State. “We are grateful they are choosing to dedicate their time and expertise to TechTown, and we are thrilled to accomplish great things with them on board.”
“TechTown’s vision is more important than ever – and the work it does to make that vision a reality is an inspiration not just within Detroit, but for Michigan and the rest of the country,” said Valencia Stoudamire, member of TechTown’s board of directors and the newly elected chair of the TechTown board of trustees. “TechTown is a catalyst for innovation and opportunity, and we look forward to advancing this vital work each and every day.”
The new members of TechTown’s boards bring a diversity of perspectives and experience that reflects the Detroit and Southeast Michigan community and the organization’s ecosystem. The new arrivals are:
Diana Callaghan is the managing director of Endeavor, leading the organization’s Midwest efforts. She has more than 20 years of experience working locally, nationally, and globally serving innovative companies and high-impact organizations. She specializes in strategy design and implementation, operational efficiency, performance improvement, financial and impact sustainability, business intelligence solutions, and financial analysis.
Carolyn Cassin is a nationally recognized healthcare CEO and social change agent. She is an expert in operational leadership, financial analysis, and innovative strategies that drive profitability and market share. Her expertise is in growing and scaling companies from $200,000 to $250 million with top and bottom-line growth and positive EBITDA.
In 2010, Cassin launched the first of three venture capital funds under the BELLE Michigan brand, the first female general partner of a fund that invests in women-owned businesses with her own resources. Her third fund, BELLE Michigan Impact Fund, launched in 2018 with 67 female investors. Ten years ago, Carolyn created a statewide microfinance program for female entrepreneurs, Michigan Women Forward, which now invests in more than 100 low to moderate income women annually.
Unyime Ekpenyong is a trust solutions director at PwC US with more than 20 years of experience serving a broad range of companies, primarily in the manufacturing, distribution, and service industries. Her work spans organizations from single, family-owned businesses to multinational companies with complex, international operations, where she advises leaders on navigating risk, strengthening governance, and driving sustainable growth.
Ekpenyong holds an MBA from Wayne State University and a bachelor’s degree from Walsh College. She has been recognized nationally, recently being named to Forbes’ inaugural list of America’s Top 200 CPAs (2024) and Best-in-State Top 200 CPAs for Michigan (2025). In 2022, she was featured in Diversity Woman Magazine’s Power 100 list as a rising star in business.
Adrian Fortino is a general partner at Mercury, where he leads Mercury’s Midwest office in Ann Arbor, Mich., and focuses on investments in enterprise software as a service (SaaS), industrial Internet of Things (IoT), and tech-enabled service companies. Prior to joining Mercury, Fortino was the managing director of Detroit Innovate, a seed-stage investment fund targeting seed investments in enabling technologies in healthcare, transportation and industrial applications.
Fortino received his BSE in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and an MBA with High Distinction from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Outside of Mercury, Fortino teaches venture capital classes at the University of Michigan College of Engineering. He also serves on the board of Michigan Venture Capital Association and the advisory boards of First Capital Fund and the Ann Arbor Entrepreneurs Fund.
Jennifer Hayes joined Invest Detroit in January 2018 and has more than 20 years of experience in organizational management, public policy, external affairs, and economic development. She currently leads the organization’s public policy work. In the past four years, she has led the creation of the Michigan CDFI Coalition and led advocacy efforts that resulted in $189 million total for Michigan’s CDFI and venture ecosystems.
Prior to joining Invest Detroit, Hayes served as director of administration and outreach with Business Leaders for Michigan, a nonprofit executive leadership group that represents CEOs of the state’s largest companies, and as a senior legislative analyst for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. She began her career in the Michigan Legislature, holding various policy positions in the Michigan House and Senate over eight years and working on a variety of economic development and tax policy initiatives and legislation. Her last position was senior policy advisor with the Michigan House of Representatives’ Republican Policy Office, where she led efforts around economic development and tax policy work for two House Speakers.
Kevin Mull is the senior director of strategy and innovation at Bedrock, where he cofounded and leads the Detroit Smart Parking Lab and the Urban Tech Xchange. He brings more than 30 years of mobility and technology leadership from Bosch, where he helped launch EV charging, connected services, and strategy initiatives across the Americas. Based in Detroit, Mull is also active in community service with Special Olympics Michigan and Big Brothers Big Sisters Detroit.
Linda Nosegbe is the director of economic mobility at the Gilbert Family Foundation, where she leads efforts to drive workforce development, foster growth within Detroit’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, and build equitable partnerships that create new opportunities for the city’s residents.
With a focus on uplifting the community, Nosegbe ensures economic growth translates into tangible empowerment for individuals and families in Detroit. Her leadership focuses on creating equitable partnerships that empower residents and small businesses, facilitating access to new growth opportunities. By investing in targeted programs and fostering collaborations, Nosegbe and her team are dedicated to driving sustainable economic growth and improving the quality of life for all Detroiters, ensuring that community members can participate in and benefit from the city’s economic progress.
Carolina Pluszczynski is the chief operating officer at Michigan Central, overseeing strategy and execution for the organization. Pluszczynski has worked in various leadership roles at Ford, including chief of staff for the mobility president. Her work has focused on delivering large-scale technology programs to transform the business in manufacturing and product development and company-wide programs to accelerate changes in corporate governance, implementing product-driven teams, and progressing diversity and inclusion.
Amy Rencher is the senior vice president of small business at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, where she leads a $300 million portfolio of state and federally funded initiatives to serve small businesses in collaboration with hundreds of partners across Michigan, driving economic competitiveness through entrepreneurial ecosystem building, supply chain resiliency, systems and technology adoption, as well as access to capital initiatives.
Her career spans the public and private sectors, including leading teams through two back-to-back award-winning global product launches at General Motors. Previously, she spent nearly a decade working with partners in Detroit and Southeast Michigan to help build a leading national entrepreneurial ecosystem, notably serving seven years in progressive leadership roles at TechTown. She is an alumna of the Detroit Revitalization Fellowship and served as an AmeriCorps Member in Detroit and Boston. She holds an MBA from Michigan State University and a bachelor’s degree from Kalamazoo College.
Megan Spanitz is the chief operating officer and chief strategy officer for the Detroit Regional Chamber, working with the Chamber’s executive management team, staff, and the board of directors to ensure the organization’s focus, strategy, marketplace position, and resources align. She also plays a leading role working across the organization to ensure revenue growth and operational success. Spanitz is part of the core team in planning and executing the annual Mackinac Policy Conference.
Since joining the Chamber in 1999, Spanitz has held a variety of positions in the marketing and communications department. Most recently, she was the Chamber’s vice president of resource development and marketing, who oversaw the development of the Chamber’s integrated marketing and fundraising strategy for membership, programs, events, and the various initiatives that are part of the Chamber Foundation, including MichAuto and the Gallup Center on Black Voices.
With over 25 years of purchasing and multilevel relationship building experience in the automotive and health care sectors, Valencia Stoudamire currently serves as the vice president of strategic supplier engagement and community benefit reporting for Henry Ford Health. In this role, she leads the system’s supplier engagement objectives by developing strategies that create and enhance partnerships and spend with suppliers to strengthen the supply chain. Additionally, Stoudamire coleads efforts to enhance the data collection process for community benefit reporting which is a requirement for the enterprise to maintain its nonprofit status.
Prior to her current role, Stoudamire served as director of non-clinical strategic sourcing, where she led a team of contract sourcing specialists and analysts in the development of cost-effective bid strategies for purchased services, capital equipment and construction.
Stoudamire is the newly elected chair of the board of trustees; she is also a member of the board of directors.
Coriel Taylor is a technology strategy leader with a focus on utilities, currently serving as a managing director for Accenture. She uses her extensive program delivery and industry experience to create innovative solutions for clients.
Taylor has experience in data analytics, data management, program management, utilities, health, financial services, experience design and delivery, and is passionate about developing and sustaining careers and technology in Detroit. She has an engineering degree from the University of Michigan and leads diversity and inclusion initiatives locally and nationally.
Taylor is new to the board of directors; she will continue in the role she previously held on what is now the board of trustees.
Learn more about TechTown and its executive leadership.
