Some of the best and brightest young professionals who live or work in Oakland County came together last week to receive their Oakland Together 40 Under 40 awards. These individuals exemplify Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter’s vision for a community working together to leverage its strengths, address its challenges, and find value in working with regional partners.
The remarkable professionals in the 2024 class range from teachers to mental health professionals, physicians, non-profit leaders, university professors, lawyers, diversity consultants, and automotive supplier employees.
“This diverse group of young leaders embodies the spirit of innovation, resilience, and community engagement. Their contributions are shaping the future of our region, and I am proud to celebrate their accomplishments and commitment to making a positive difference in our county.”
– Executive Dave Coulter
These dynamic individuals were recently honored at a reception at the Iroquois Club in Bloomfield Township.
More than 290 candidates, born after Dec. 31, 1983, applied for the recognition. A panel of independent judges made the selections. Below is a list of the members of the 40 Under 40 Class of 2024:
- William Aldridge Jr, 35, of Wixom, detective for the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office
- Joe Bamberger, 36, of Bloomfield Hills, managing partner of Emerge
- Jared M Barnett, 31, of Auburn Hills, community health worker at Honor Community Health
- Kyra Harris Bolden, 35, of Farmington Hills, Michigan Supreme Court Justice
- Tequion M. Brookins, 33, of Southfield, CEO and founder of TeQuionBrookins LLC
- Myka S. Burley, 34, of Southfield, associate director, skills at Michigan Central
- Ernesto Chavez, 38, of Waterford, CEO and co-founder of Bright Loritos
- Jun Chen, 38, of Novi, assistant professor at Oakland University
- Jessica Cortez, 36, of Bloomfield Hills, licensed Master of Social Work and founder of Bloomfield Child & Family
- Mike Cousins, 38, of Farmington Hills, partner & GIS practice leader for OHM Advisors
- Caress A. Dean, 35, of Clinton Township, associate professor, Master of Public Health program director, and chair of the Department of Public and Environmental Wellness at Oakland University
- Peggy Du, 35, of Farmington Hills, executive director and accounting manager of the Association of Chinese Americans
- Na’Jeray Elam, 29, of Pontiac, lead fourth grade teacher at University Prep Academy-Ellen Thompson Campus
- Jose L. Flores, 34, of Rochester Hills, CEO of Ancor Automotive
- Michelle Foster, 39, of Ferndale, executive director of National Association of State and Local Equity Funds
- Sairy Garcia, 35, of Royal Oak, business forward consultant at Oakland Thrive
- Angela Gill, 34, of Oxford, emergency foods program manager at Lighthouse
- Eric W. Gregory, 37, of Troy, partner at Dickinson Wright PLLC
- Alan Hejl, 33, of Ferndale, founder of Spark Access
- Ashley A. Hinton, 32, of Southfield, eligibility coordinator for Oakland County Neighborhood and Housing Development
- Donovan Jackson, 29, of Royal Oak Township, director of parks and recreation at Royal Oak Township
- Emily Karlichek, 36, of Farmington Hills, senior product marketing manager for Snap One
- Joshua Lumsden, 29, of Waterford, investigator for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Yuliya Malayev, 37, of West Bloomfield, physician for Metro OB-GYN
- Randall Mansour, 38, of Troy, partner at Disability Law Group
- Mike McKinstry, 39, of West Bloomfield, executive producer and host of Bassquatch Productions LLC
- Lydia Michael, 36, of West Bloomfield, founder and owner of Blended Collective
- Jon Ong, 38, of Bloomfield Township, director of transportation operations at RXO
- Dev M. Oza, 34, of West Bloomfield, associate dentist at Royal Dental Center
- Tim Paré, 38, of Southfield, CEO and artistic director of Michigan Stage
- Jeffrey Polkowski, 34, of Waterford, director of development services for Waterford Township
- Erin Quetell, 33, of Farmington Hills, chief sustainability officer for Oakland County
- Ashley Sansom 30, of Waterford, licensed Master of Social Work and youth mental health liaison for Oakland Community Health Network
- Brooke Scott, 25, of Oxford, analyst for compliance and economic development at Magna
- Christopher Sim, 33, of Auburn Hills, program manager, diversity supplier development at Stellantis
- Jaclyn Sivers, 36, of Clarkston, senior assistant prosecuting attorney, Juvenile Justice Division of the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office
- Daniel Snyder, 32, of Royal Oak, senior strategic buyer for AGC Automotive Americas
- Hemanth Tadepalli, 22, of Troy, cybersecurity compliance engineer at May Mobility
- Marissa Antonio Wiesen, 37, of Birmingham, assistant attorney general at Michigan Department of Attorney General
- Christian J. Williams, 31, of Farmington Hills, owner of CJW Consulting Group LLC and professional development consultant & supplier diversity consultant at Henry Ford Health
Visit the Oakland Together 40 Under 40 website for more news and information on the program. Keep up with the class and join the conversation using #OaklandTogether40.
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