Voting is open! We need your help to choose the winner of the Oakland County Executive’s Elite 40 under 40 Class of 2018. The public can cast an online vote for their favorite of three exceptional finalists: Dr. Lucetry B. Dalton, Mat Ishbia, and Ann Marie LaFlamme.
“We are fortunate to have so many talented and passionate leaders who are committed to improving their professions and their communities every day,” County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said. “This is an outstanding class and wonderful ambassadors for Oakland County.”
Voting continues through noon on Friday, January 26th. Individuals may vote once every 24 hours at Elite40.com. Among other opportunities, the top vote-getter will introduce the County Executive at his State of the County Address on February 7th. Online voters may choose between:
Dr. Lucetry B. Dalton, 28, Clinical Health Psychology Fellow, McLaren Health System
Dalton is a Pontiac resident who received her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her master’s and doctorate from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She is employed by McLaren Health System in Flint. Dalton is a board member of Identify Your Dreams, a nonprofit organization that provides victim advocacy, grief support and case management to families and children who have lost a parent to violence. She is chief executive officer and founder of Dalton Sports & Mental Health Training Academy, which enhances the mental and physical performance of young athletes while promoting mental health awareness and its role in the athletic community. A graduate of Pontiac Northern High School, Dalton mentors, counsels and tutors minority youths from low-income areas. “I am dedicated to and passionate about transitioning Oakland County into a continuously thriving community by being an inspiration to those around me and encouraging our youth by letting them know, ‘If I can do it, you can do it too,’” she said.
Mat Ishbia, 38, President/CEO, United Shore – United Wholesale Mortgage
Ishbia is a Bloomfield Hills resident and a graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in business management. He was a varsity basketball player at MSU and played in three “Final Four” championships under Coach Tom Izzo. Ishbia is president and CEO of United Shore, a $30 billion company, and its parent company, United Wholesale Mortgage, the No. 1 wholesale lender in the U.S. He oversees the day-to-day sales and operations of all wholesale and retail departments. He has been at United Shore since 2003. Under his leadership, United Shore has won many awards including Fortune 100 “Best Workplace for Millennials” and Crain’s “Cool Places to Work in Michigan.” The companies are active in the community and have contributed more than $300,000 to over 30 nonprofit entities in the Detroit area and built homes for Habitat for Humanity. “Giving back is about more than simply writing a check,” he said. “The way I see it, philanthropy should be a part of the fabric of every company, as essential to running a successful business as great customer service.”
Ann Marie LaFlamme, 30, News Anchor, WXYZ-TV Channel 7
LaFlamme is a Rochester Hills resident and a graduate of Central Michigan University with a degree in journalism. She began her career at WXYZ in 2015 and is a part of the weekday morning news team. Her featured reports include highlighting the heroes in the community, finding families for foster children and working with U.S. Marshals to get more than 50 fugitive felons off the streets. LaFlamme has received multiple awards for her professional work, including honors from the Special Olympics Michigan, the Judson Center, Orchard Children’s Services and U.S. Marshal Robert M. Grubbs. She is also an active volunteer, having spent the past 10 years working with the Special Olympics. She coaches special needs athletes on the baseball field through the Miracle League of Michigan. Other volunteer time is spent with Grace Centers of Hope and Leader Dogs for the Blind. In 2017, she assisted Lt. Gov. Brian Calley and Michigan Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein at a workshop encouraging business owners to hire people with disabilities.
How to Vote
Register for a Submittable account to cast your vote from any device. Log in daily, with your username and password to submit additional votes. You can vote for one candidate, two candidates, or all three. Click on the image of a candidate to read their biography and cast your vote using the “Thumbs Up” icon. The icon will turn green to show that you’ve voted, until 24 hours later, when you can vote again.
For this year’s class, about 220 applications and nominations were reviewed by a panel of judges, looking for the top 40 young professionals and thought leaders who live or work in Oakland County. The 40 honorees have achieved excellence in their field and contributed to the quality of life in their communities. Of that group, the three candidates who scored the highest are placed before the public vote to determine a 2018 winner. This is the seventh year of the Elite 40 program.
Congratulations to the entire 2018 Elite 40 class! We’re extremely proud of this highly talented group and invite you to view the complete class list on our website.
Remember to cast your vote for a winner once every 24 hours, now through 12:00 p.m. on Friday, January 26th at Elite40.com.
For more information about the Elite 40 program, follow along with Advantage Oakland at elite40.com and join the conversation using #Elite40 on Facebook and Twitter.
Follow along with us using #OaklandCounty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn, or visit our website for more county news and events.