Pioneering Sustainability Initiatives in Michigan

SEAS - Leadership Speakers Series - 04/15/25

Estimated read time: 1:20

Summary

The Leadership Speakers Series held by the School for Environment and Sustainability wrapped up its winter semester with a presentation by Hillary Doe, a figure invested in population growth initiatives in Michigan. Doe shared insights from her expansive career journey across non-profits, private, and public sectors, emphasizing her current role's honor in addressing Michigan's challenges through community engagement. The session delved into pivotal moments of her career where sustainability, growth, and community advocacy intertwined, reiterating the strategic role Michigan plays in the clean energy and climate sector. Conversations navigated through statewide surveys, revealing crucial community needs, highlighting the significance of housing, transit, and education access, shaping Michigan's growth strategies.

Highlights

Hillary Doe's career spans non-profit, private, and public sectors, focusing on sustainable growth initiatives 🌿.
Michigan aims to lead in clean energy sectors by leveraging its unique geographical and industrial strengths 💪.
Doe observes that housing access, affordable transit, and higher education opportunities are pivotal for retaining talent in Michigan 🎓.
Community engagement is fundamental to understand and address local needs, driving Michigan's growth effectively 🚀.
The importance of narratives: Promoting Michigan's innovation, natural beauty, and diverse career opportunities to attract talent 📢.

Key Takeaways

Hillary Doe emphasizes community engagement as central in her career journey, proving it's crucial for sustainable initiatives 🌱.
Michigan's strategic advantage in clean energy and climate resilience positions it as a leader in sustainability efforts 🌍.
Public-private sector collaborations are essential for large-scale solutions to environmental and societal challenges 🤝.
Survey insights: Housing, transit, and education are key to driving growth and retaining young talent in Michigan 🏠🚉📚.
Engaging Michiganders in local growth strategies uncovers both challenges and innovative solutions at the grassroots level 💡.

Overview

At the heart of Hillary Doe's presentation was her journey through varied professional sectors, unified by a passion for community growth and sustainability. From her roots in Monroe County to leading population growth efforts in Michigan, Doe emphasized the critical role of public engagement in shaping effective policies. Her work illustrates a harmonious blend of public-private partnerships driving sustainable solutions.

Doe discussed Michigan's pivotal role in climate resilience and clean energy sectors, highlighting its strategic advantages. By investing in these areas, Michigan not only addresses environmental challenges but also positions itself as a hub for innovation and economic growth. The conversation underscored the need for housing, education, and transit developments as pillars supporting this growth and retaining local talent.

Insightful survey findings shared by Doe revealed that housing, transit, and education are at the crux of Michigan's growth strategy. Engaging the community allows for a collaborative approach, addressing challenges with ground-up solutions. Promoting narratives of Michigan's innovation and natural allure helps attract and retain talent, ensuring a sustainable and robust future for the state.

Chapters

00:00 - 01:30: Introduction to the Speaker Series This chapter introduces the Speaker Series and begins with a note about punctuality, mentioning a delayed start to the session.
01:30 - 04:00: Introduction to Speaker, Hillary Doe The chapter introduces the speaker, Hillary Doe. The discussion starts with a conversation about taking a bus to demystify the experience, showing it's a doable task. The session is hosted by Lisa Clark, who welcomes the audience, indicating that the session might be streamed live.
04:00 - 07:00: Hillary Doe's Career Path Overview The chapter provides an overview of a speaker series presentation during the winter semester featuring Hillary Doe. The host expresses gratitude towards those who attended in person and online, introducing Hillary Doe as the upcoming speaker. The focus is on appreciating the audience's presence and setting the stage for Hillary Doe's presentation.
07:00 - 10:00: Role of Michigan in Climate and Energy Work The chapter discusses the excitement and positive experience of having a series of presenters throughout the semester. It invites participants to provide feedback through a survey regarding the continuation of the series into the fall semester. The chapter notes the focus has been primarily on the public sector and seeks feedback on expanding the scope to include the private sector and NGO community.
10:00 - 13:00: Importance of Innovation and Education in Michigan's Growth The chapter discusses the significance of innovation and education in driving Michigan's growth. The speaker expresses enthusiasm for the final speaker, Hillary Doe, who is actively involved in efforts to boost population growth in the area. The introduction suggests anticipation for upcoming developments in climate sustainability, hinting at future communications before graduation. Overall, the chapter emphasizes the role of key individuals and initiatives in fostering regional development and sustainability efforts.
13:00 - 18:00: Comparative Analysis of Growing States In this chapter, the focus is on Hillary, a professional who has been in her current role in Michigan for about two years. The chapter opens with Hillary being invited to discuss her career path and education. She mentions her diverse background, hinting at a journey that likely began at the University of Michigan, suggesting this is an exploration of her professional evolution and the impact of her educational experience.
18:00 - 22:00: Hillary Doe's Public and Private Sector Experience The chapter discusses Hillary Doe's educational background and early career. She pursued her master's degree at the Ford School and began her career with a brief period in consulting before moving into the think tank world. She served as the national director at the Roosevelt Institute, focusing primarily on economic policy work. The aspect of her work she found most significant is highlighted.
22:00 - 28:30: Advice and Insights for Students The chapter discusses the distinctive qualities of the Louisville Institute, highlighting its extensive network of around 100 chapters across the United States. These chapters are not limited to think tanks but are integrated into various campuses, including community colleges and urban areas. A key focus is on empowering young people to engage with local communities in identifying and addressing local policy challenges, emphasizing practical, community-based solutions that involve students directly in the policy-making process.
28:30 - 40:30: Insights into Michigan's Growth and Community Feedback This chapter explores Michigan's growth by examining the implementation of various policy solutions. It highlights the state's success in developing promise programs and environmental solutions. The chapter argues that these initiatives serve as a model that can be scaled and applied to other areas across the country, effectively addressing common problems. The chapter also notes how these programs serve as inspiration for traditional fellows who engage with the work being done.
40:30 - 50:00: Business Retention and Economic Strategy in Michigan The chapter discusses the narrator's transition from an academic setting to a more practical, real-world application of skills and knowledge. After spending some time at Princeton, the narrator decides to leave and join a tech company, finding a sense of pride in leaving academia and entering the private sector. This move is portrayed as a departure from traditional academic paths, which the narrator sees as the "opposite of an ivory tower," implying a practical approach to applying learned skills.
50:00 - 61:00: Approach to Electric Vehicles and Sustainability The chapter titled 'Approach to Electric Vehicles and Sustainability' discusses the parallels between tech companies building tools to support nonprofit and advocacy organizations and the work done by think tanks. These organizations aim to tackle significant challenges by mobilizing large numbers of people across the country. The emphasis is on leveraging technology to achieve big missions, similar to the way think tanks operate to accomplish complex tasks.
61:00 - 83:00: Audience Questions and Speaker Engagement The chapter titled 'Audience Questions and Speaker Engagement' discusses the use of technology to aid people in building movements, raising funds, and addressing significant issues. It highlights the role of technology in facilitating democratic processes and tackling community challenges. The speaker shares their personal experience of being the president of a company that was instrumental in these efforts for about a decade while being based out of state. Despite professional commitments and being away from family, the speaker found ways to integrate personal and professional life. The content suggests a strong emphasis on community involvement, technological empowerment, and balancing work-life dynamics while engaging with the audience through questions and discussions.
83:00 - 90:00: Closing Remarks and Future Engagement The chapter titled 'Closing Remarks and Future Engagement' reflects on the speaker's journey home to Detroit in 2018. They were still holding the position of president at their company while starting a local think tank called Scout. Eventually, they were approached by the governor's office with a challenging role as chief growth officer. The speaker expresses that taking on this position is the most honorable moment of their professional career, signifying their dedication to serving the state they deeply care about.

SEAS - Leadership Speakers Series - 04/15/25 Transcription

00:00 - 00:30 yes All right So interesting that you're late as a semester
00:30 - 01:00 But you can take the bus You can take the bus took the bus with you one time just show that I can do it right and demystify it Okay Sorry But we are probably live right now So all right Thank you so much for joining us Um I am Lisa Clark Um and welcome to
01:00 - 01:30 the last of our speaker series uh presentations for the winter semester here It feels a little wintry today I can say Um so we're thrilled to have Hillary Doe And before we um share a little bit more about her who will be of course our speaker for the next little bit Hi Greg Thanks for coming Um I do want to start off well actually I say thanks to Greg Thanks to everybody who's here in the room Really appreciate it And thanks to those of you who are catching us online either now or asynchronously Um so happy to do it and
01:30 - 02:00 we're really thrilled We've had I was just mentioning Hillary we've had really um a great series of presenters this semester Um those of you who participated will be receiving a survey I'm interested in if you would uh for fall semester if folks are interested in this continuing first of all but second of all we've been very public sector focused um both in the fall and then in the winter semester this year I'm curious if people would prefer us to also include some folks in the private sector um or NGO community around um
02:00 - 02:30 what's happening in uh climate sustainability So um look for that in your email boxes uh hopefully before graduation We'll see if I manage to get it out I guess I should just to make sure I get James's opinion because otherwise he'll be a lame duck So all right Great Well again thanks for being here So um I am thrilled to have our final speaker Hillary Doe join us Um Hillary needs no introduction to many of us Um she's doing just incredible work on the um population growth effort here
02:30 - 03:00 in Michigan Um and she's been in this role for just about two years now if I remember correctly May Yeah that's pretty exciting So um I'm not going to steal her thunder though So um I'd love to start Hillary if you would tell us a little bit about your career path and a little bit about your education background Um hi everybody Um my um background is varied Um so I'll take a journey for a little bit but um you know so I went here actually to University of Michigan for
03:00 - 03:30 undergrad and for grad school me So I got my masters at the board school um and uh ended up spending sort of the first half of my career after a short stint in consultant um in the think tank world So I was um the national director and for a good chunk of time with the Roosevelt Institute if folks are are familiar with Roosevelt and we did mostly economic policy work Um that was kind of the world I was in For what it's worth though the aspect of that work that I'm was most sort of was most
03:30 - 04:00 compelling to me and that I was most proud of um wasn't just the traditional kind of fellows in a think tank um but actually that the Louisville Institute is unique since it had chapters across the country um about a hundred chapters many of which were at campuses um across uh the US um and and community colleges and some city chapters um where mostly young people uh did worked with the local community to identify um local policy challenges that they could tackle
04:00 - 04:30 write you know policy solutions and then implement them Um so they implemented promise programs and environmental um solutions and all kinds of other things Um and I always really appreciated that because it proved I think to so many folks um that we were actually able to source what the biggest problems across the country were you know from the bottom It was a beautiful kind of you know petri dish or solution from work in one place should scale it to a bunch of other places and then our fellows who are traditional fellows would get inspired by what was happening on the
04:30 - 05:00 ground um and be able to implement those things in the morning So I loved that um version of of what we were doing the opposite of an ivory tower is relevant I think to the rest of my career because after that I um I went to Princeton briefly but it's not U of M so who cares Let's not talk about it Um very um a proud PhD dropout I did my course work there and then got recruited out of there to um go to a tech company Um which felt like a real pivot at the
05:00 - 05:30 time having been in policy work forever Um but it was compelling to me because they were building tech to support nonprofit organizations and advocacy organizations um to accomplish these you know big you know big missions or you know tackle big challenges And it felt actually really similar to the think tank work I've been doing in a lot of things because in the same way that those think tanks were getting tons of people thousands and thousands across the country um to come together accomplish you know hard things that we were doing that in a tech from a tech perspective like how could we leverage
05:30 - 06:00 technology to help folks who were trying to build movements and to raise money and you know tackle big problems um facilitate that and um you know support democracy and support you know tackling challenges in our local community and I ended up being president of that company I was there about 10 years um by the at the end of the day before I ultimately got the chance to move my my family back together and all this was a walking machine commercial So that whole time I was I was out of the state um and trying
06:00 - 06:30 to get home and moved back to Detroit in 2018 Um I was still president of that company and started a think tank here called Scout doing some local work Um and then uh heard from from the governor's office saying "Hey you like impossible challenges I want to try this one." Um and so um and so uh you know took on this this role as a chief growth officer and it's honestly a bit cheesy I suppose but the honor of mine of my professional career so far to get the chance to to serve a state that I care
06:30 - 07:00 so much about and to do exactly what I've been doing in those other contexts in the private sector and in the nonprofit sector but now in the public sector which we're really trying to bring together across the whole state in the thousands um to let us know what they love about their place what's between them and building their future here and um you know tackle some of our biggest challenges tell our story and and really grow our state So um obviously we're in the school for environment sustainability We talk a lot about climate sustainability connections There's a lot of those threads in your
07:00 - 07:30 career Can you talk a bit about where you had kind of pivot points or decision points um that you leaned into the climate work or the clean energy work Yeah to your point you know there were elements of that throughout my whole career we did um all kinds of different elements environmental work and the thinking space and you know again also environmental organizations and the tax context but honestly I think the thing right now um the work that I'm doing now is is maybe uh the most um uh focused on
07:30 - 08:00 um climate and energy work because Michigan I say is so strategically positioned um in in those areas and because we talk grow I think sometimes folks think that's anthetical to um climate work or community work or the you know back when I started this effort from the question I got initially was you know uh if you're progrowth are you
08:00 - 08:30 sort of antiation you know are those things like fundamentally at odds and from the beginning of this work from our first conversation when we ask what they love about our place and what they think about Michigan of course the first is well coastline 20% of you know the world's fresh water So from the beginning us growth notes ensuring that we're protecting our resources as a basis and a foundation for our growth This is the the the basis on which we
08:30 - 09:00 have the right um and so we were you know building strategy from that place from the beginning and also um as as I'm sure who are part of these conversations already know um you know Michigan it's so strategically positioned from a place of resilience that uh we were already seeing companies for example choose to locate in Michigan because they're a capital inensive place or capital company you may well to because yes
09:00 - 09:30 everyone will be affected by climate change but we'll be relatively less affected by extreme weather and we've already kind of seen that motion Um but I think more importantly to um is the growth in some of our clean energy sectors and we're having been very very intentional shelf and many many others um but for a long time um that has now trusted to a place where when we were building our growth strategy I thought about you know the best way to talk to young people across our state and across
09:30 - 10:00 the country about um why they should stay in Michigan or you know why they should consider coming back to our place I think there's no better um sort of pitch um no better uh bet or to to share or myth to bust than to hire little folks that um if you want to do purpose-driven work We are the tip of the spear in fighting the climate crisis We have the fastest growing clean energy job sector in America you know projected to be 160,000 plus jobs um and real
10:00 - 10:30 diversity in um the kinds of roles you can have because we're also the second fastest growing ecosystem and startup ecosystem in the country So if you're interested in those kinds of ducks you know there isn't a better place to be So um I think telling that story has become a critical part of our work and it makes stricably linked with our the project of growth Yeah I think that makes a lot of sense obviously and I think it's also that connection to innovation that's so important and one of the key planks of
10:30 - 11:00 the work that you did with the growth council as well So those three planks in particular I think um are so important to talk about at the university because they're so connected to um you know growing the um younger population staying here that connection to education and then that innovation component You know to me um the universities are a wonderful place to try to um lean in and expand that in Michigan Yeah So we um did a comparative
11:00 - 11:30 analysis of our faster growing care So in addition to all our public engagement at host building here and we talked to now 25,000 vendors um to build that base that back from build policy work We also did this in comparative analysis for faster growing piercings to try to identify where um because growth's complex right you can start you can imagine starting all kinds of places um
11:30 - 12:00 and what we identified is exactly what you were just outlining that um our faster growing state had three things in common They had tended to have higher faster growing median incomes Um and in order to tackle that we identified that it was critical here in the union to um entrepreneurship and innovation This place that we're here right now produces more patents than almost any other part of any country in the country for example except I think they were tied with NY last year or something like that
12:00 - 12:30 Um and uh and we want to make sure that those companies can built here and scaled here I mentioned um being the second best technical system in the country We were just talking about um black Saturdays in Detroit now doing the permanent black cup ecosystem in the country our black and brown salary So for so many reasons it matters that we're wrapping our design support and grow our companies here that will be a driver of 90 plus% of new jobs small and and mediumsiz businesses in Florida Um the second thing we found is that grow
12:30 - 13:00 tax fair states tend to have um higher uh secondary um than than we do right here in our state And there's a lot of elements of that You can go all the way back to prek um and to you know K12 achievement as to um why that might be the case Um but for us you know we started by tackling it with some affordability you've seen in the last year for example the governor made it possible for every high school student to get their first year Um college credit is free for example Um and also
13:00 - 13:30 prepay for all four-y olds in the state free Um and and there's much more work to do there but but that um is informed by that growth of work Um and then our third bucket is that we know our places are talent uh because their socks are going places It's not that an entire street tends to be faster going that places in a tendency but you don't mean that Austin is one of the fastest growing places Um and so when you look at the amenities
13:30 - 14:00 that are available in those places they tend to be walkable transit rich amenity rich communities Um so that means for us to think about housing availability and affordability the kind of units folks want and need walkability and investment in placemaking transit and investment in transit So um that's also a pillar of our Yeah I just find it also compelling and I think informative for the work that we're doing at the university and the way that we're working from an economic growth perspective to connect between Ann Arbor and Detroit Um so I want to go back to your career path a
14:00 - 14:30 little bit because I should have asked a couple of questions here and kind of jumped into the fun stuff which is the stuff that you're doing um on a day-to-day basis Um you spent some time in the private sector as well as the public sector Can you talk from your world about how those roles were different and what sort of comparison you see as we're um obviously giving insight to students as they're thinking about their own career paths Yeah Um it's been really interesting in retrospect to have spent time in the nonprofit space and the in the private sector and now you know a year and a half two years in the public sector Um
14:30 - 15:00 so it all but um they each really do have their own for me um benefits Um so maybe choice or maybe we should try um but my takeaway there is that um you know the public sector so beautiful and powerful things people obviously
15:00 - 15:30 uh profoundly important and of that responsibility of gender in this context Um the decision to be made for that really matter Uh and you know we should take very seriously for example obligation to do I think as needed terms of listening um in terms of public engagement and feedback People should be connected to the government
15:30 - 16:00 They should see themselves work Um and also uh that we should um you know be affected by it You know um and sometimes things go a little bit slower and there's more consensus and there's no more sort of you have to work for you know things like that um you
16:00 - 16:30 know um whereas in the the private sector they're a little more unburdened by some of those elements um and can be a little more agile So I always thought of it as like an opportunity to pilot things and test things and you know be agile in the creation of um you know ideas bring different ideas to life but then the public sector can sometimes identify see and help you scale they're not on the scale if that's really working as a solution to one of our problems let's throw the throw the gas
16:30 - 17:00 on Um so that's what I mean by identifying You know I think we really need each other um and and should figure out how to speak to each other and be in support of of one another's work and not in our own silos in order to tackle some of our biggest challenges I think that's really important And with that sort of hindsight um what sort of advice would you have for yourself either in undergrad or you know in your academic career after that um what would you want to make sure that you reinforce for yourself now Yeah that's a great a great
17:00 - 17:30 question Um I guess I uh you know this sort of a little off topic maybe but the thing that came to mind for me honestly you know I came to University of Michigan from Monroe County Monroe for anyone watching uh a very small um town in a rural community and I think when I came to University of Michigan frankly it was a little bit of culture job you know I think I felt like this is such a big fancy place and so I think I walked in with sense that um some of those big
17:30 - 18:00 jobs that you know I really did think you know there were five careers you could have like be a doctor teacher you know something like that I think I had a a a defined sense of what the options were when the options are obviously very limitless if you're willing to be brave and I think follow what you're very passionate about I think the sector matters a lot less
18:00 - 18:30 than hours and there isn't work that's earlier that I'm happiest when I was um you know not chasing somebody else's like you know version of successful but you know really doing the thing that got me out of bed in the morning irrespective of whether that meant that I did this later quitting my job and raising my own salary everybody else's in a nonprofit context or um you know following um you know my passion
18:30 - 19:00 into the private sector which at that time I wondered you know when you're not selling out privacy you know you have all these other people's judgments y on you and none of it needs to authentically feels true to to you and you're solving the problem you want to solve and I totally agree um Oh I Regina spent a while being a life coach I'll be honest it was great It was really illuminating Um and I got
19:00 - 19:30 to say these interviews are so fascinating because um so many of the folks who've graciously given of their time I know pretty well Um and yet I have learned so much more about each of them in the course of these conversations So I think it's great and I think I I think the students are very interested in it So oh I this is great I love doing this It's so much fun Um and I will say since you gave me an opening um I had an opportunity to speak to um I do a lot of STEM advocacy I work I mentor the
19:30 - 20:00 robotics team at our high school And so um I spoke at a a STEM event for women um for 9 to 12th graders a few months ago And I focused on a few things that really resonated resonated with your comments Um the first is I told them so it was in Cass City Michigan I grew up in the thumb You grew up in Monroe very different than Ann Arbor East Lancing you know our schools you know here um uh in the Big 10 And I told them I said "Go to campus and figure out how to find your own community right There's
20:00 - 20:30 different a lot of different ways to find your own community." My sons and myself all in marching band like that's a different community Like just figure out how to make your community on campus And then the other thing I said that I um resonate with your comments about what the governor's done is there are ways to pay for college right now And so I just I left it with please consider college like we just really need to get um more of our students through um through Institutes of Higher Education Like we just we really it's one of the core things that we need Um and I really appreciate the way um your work and the
20:30 - 21:00 growth council has illuminated that I think in a different way than before I think it's been really important to shine the light on that So thank you for that Yeah And I think for learning was like skills that you get that you know something I think folks think about I always I use the math a lot more than anyone ever feels like will Um but uh but there's also just a learning to think and a learning to you know yourselves and change your world view and you know that stuff is um you
21:00 - 21:30 know beyond any any cost and and it's uh incumbent on us to make sure that folks can access that experience Absolutely Um so it's incumbent on us to make sure that it's important It's incumbent on us to make sure there aren't barriers you know to make sure that um folks don't perceive that it's for someone else you know those are obligations to ensure that everybody hears this Totally agree Um so back to you You've had a very uh varied
21:30 - 22:00 background I'm curious of the work that you've done so far What are you the most proud of Which accomplishment do you feel like really stands out Yeah I mean maybe this is recency bias or something but um I do feel like I was again I know I'm cheesel but I um I do think this has been such an honor this current role and um getting to show up and participate with us was
22:00 - 22:30 not you know what I mean I didn't know if anyone was gonna show up We thought we might get you know three people or something but um the members of our team are here today So I feel like Texas we've had all houses in in a lot of these instances truly all over the state from you know and and I'm very conscious that people have lied lack of responsibility kids work Um no one had to take on to show up and participate but people love our plays This is an emotional issue for
22:30 - 23:00 people which standard very clearly Um folks you know care that their children can find a job here if they would like to do that Uh younger people want to build a future um that they're you know proud of and um are willing to tell us that looks like this is really meaningful that folks are able to contribute in that way We've done our best to have their time And so one of the things I'm really proud of is
23:00 - 23:30 um worked hard to try to show to those those insights a lot you know um you see data a year after you know it's just it's hard work to do a really good time actually um put out a study recently this was in January
23:30 - 24:00 so breaking news everyone of all 50 states and they show population states in the top five So that hasn't isn't the case yet Congratulations It isn't the case yet that uh you know we have
24:00 - 24:30 more support Easy So you've had a lot of insight into Michiganders over the last couple of years Um and I've learned a bunch from you listening to you talk about um is not working Let's make sure
24:30 - 25:00 Okay Thank you Okay Um great Thank you We we definitely want to make sure that we can hear what um you have had a lot of insight into Michiganders over the last couple of years Um and I've learned a lot from you just in the brief conversations that we've had about some of the surprises in that data I was wondering if you could just talk about that a little bit because we'd love to understand what have you learned It's green
25:00 - 25:30 surprised to no one but I think the top really the top response that we received in books for arts university um
25:30 - 26:00 to be invested transit and so I talk about it everywhere I go to um to honor that uh in Michigan and in our nationwide survey um and we did a big survey when we do a nationwide survey,000 people 6,000 people um in cities across the country growing at 1834 let us know the most motivating factor for when they were choosing place
26:00 - 26:30 to call home would be absolutely housing and access to the ability to someday own home Um and uh I think that is important to underscore because not everybody wants to own a home But the fact that that's still of critical importance for a lot of folks and a really motivating compelling thing is important for us to think about here in our state Um you know Michigan's home prices are 40%ish of the national average um our national home price on average but there are also
26:30 - 27:00 we're also rent burdened here in our state So that doesn't and not much stock and not much stock So we're working hard at that Um there's a goal to get 115,000 new units online We need to build the kind of units folks want in the places that they want them all of that Um but we're also investing in um you know down payment programs and things like that to make it more accessible for folks Um context uh if in that same national survey if you um account for just parents so families uh the most motivating factor for them in a new
27:00 - 27:30 place to call home would be access to uh free or affordable child care or prek most for a lot of those child care is and I know this personally uh more expensive than your rent um and so uh being able to access that is is critically important We obviously like I mentioned have um prek for all four-year-olds that that's um free and available Uh but the beginning you know the childare and elder care came up as a top challenge um across our state from
27:30 - 28:00 our own in science as well So those I thought were really interesting And then in terms of food stages those um I think it's important to note that uh you know even though Michigan is not bad at retention relative to our neighbors So you might you know wonder is it a retention problem worse at retention than our neighboring states There are some troubling trends that we want to reverse Um the more highly educated you are the more likely you are to go And if you're a highly educated person of color you're
28:00 - 28:30 more likely to go much more likely Um and vote for going Um you can see very clear patterns Um so uh our highly educated folks of color especially in this region in South Atlanta to Houston So it helps to point out what are those places offering and we can ask in these long form conversations and you hear things like transit and housing and culture and you know what have you So um there's it provides roadmaps for us when we're thinking about you know our growth strategies Um for example um I could go
28:30 - 29:00 on and on The last thing I suppose I'll say is um the reason for so long in Michigan uh that uh we've talked about talent retention and attraction even though our retention isn't worse particularly than others is because our retraction is So you need a replacement effect It's not bad for young people to go try New York I did I'm a boomerang To go try LA Go throw your wild oats in Paris for a second I don't know what it
29:00 - 29:30 is Um but uh uh that happens right Um but you also want folks waking up in Nashville to say "I'm gonna try Detroit I'm gonna try you know whatever um that might be for you." And absent that you have to retain everyone you know in order to not go in in the wrong direction Um and and so not only are those folks who are going to New York hopefully like me going to boomerang back we'd like um because we have 60 70 80 thousand open jobs right now that
29:30 - 30:00 we'd love for them to fill um and fast growing industry but also um you know we want to make sure we're attracting folks from across the country to come and join us um to be part of you know what we're building here in Michigan and that attraction parts really So you talked a little bit in a conversation that we had ahead of time about a visit you did to Houston but what listening to you it makes me think what can we do um to talk about Michigan differently nationally And I was curious obviously you think about it from your office perspective but I'm also curious what do you think
30:00 - 30:30 about for the average Michigander Yeah Well I think about the important roles to play in this work and then perception Um one thing I like to say to folks um on this point um is that I would never ask someone to only be um like a positive commercial And you know that that isn't all I'd ask because if you love a place you uh and you're willing to talk about it and stand for it and anyone
30:30 - 31:00 says anything bad about it you're going to have to meet you know what I mean All of that You also tend to love a place enough to name the things that you want to be better about it Both those things can be true They are not you know in Brooks like I am a walking you know love Michigan and truly may or may not have you know got in a big fight on a DC subway once about Detroit but we don't talk about that today Um anywh who uh but at the same time I love it enough that I want us to make sure that we're investing in
31:00 - 31:30 you know transit that we're investing in great opportunities access to great education you know all of that And so um when we talk to Michiganders about being great ambassadors for our state I just think it's important to note that because we also want to hear all the things that you want and need so that we can act on them Otherwise we can't make our place a better and better place to call home And I I think about that policy work as product work right we're investing in our place and making Michigan a better and better you know product for all of us to to live in and be in and celebrate Um and that will make the marketing uh easier and easier
31:30 - 32:00 right But in the meantime it's already a great place to be for so many people are and ourselves and and many many others and they don't know about it Um so my my guidance to folks when you are celebrating um Michigan is that the myths to bust are that folks still think Michigan is I say we have an old and old problem uh they think of Michigan as a little oldfashioned um and that you know they imagine our jobs are only in one sector and the only uh old statue
32:00 - 32:30 manufacturing We have manufacturing now that looks like a bunch of people on laptops We have people making solar panel panels and wind turbines and you know doing oh my god I went to the Marshall battery planting the whole thing is a clean room like it's nuts Oh my gosh But can I add to that There's incredible diversity of of jobs All these tech jobs like I was mentioning I could go on and on and on Um people don't know about the incredible history of creativity and innovation in our place art what have you So you can tell those stories um and and bust those
32:30 - 33:00 myths for us And also um I think it's wild that so few folks realize the incredible natural resources that we have here and how beautiful they are um if you get a chance to explain to folks that you know you can't see across these lakes and um that we have all these beaches I know it's so basic for us but um folks don't identify the Great Lakes on a map in most parts of our country Um so it's really important for us I think to highlight that this place is innovative creative and truly all
33:00 - 33:30 inspiring in its natural beauty I think that busts the myths that we need to bust about our place Yeah I think that's really true um how much do you get involved in business retention and what sort of role um does an office like yours play in those conversations Yeah we have offices across for example that are a direct relationship with our businesses doing business retention and office less So we're sort of working more at like a systems level Um but we're definitely tracking um you know who uh is kind of moving in and out and
33:30 - 34:00 for which reasons For example level on the for example climate side of things Last year we partnered um with another university who's not named So maybe next year we'll do this one Um and and regionwide business um survey um asking business leaders uh you know for example uh if they've been impacted by climate um and what if they're taking action in that regard what investments they're making And we found that 75% of
34:00 - 34:30 them are consideration as a result of unplanned they're already experiencing Um so that's a way for example that we're tracking you know both retention but also potential attraction and then is there any followup to a study like that or tangible action I mean I know it helps in the conversations um that happen between MEC and business leaders as well as across the government but are there any other follow-ups to that Yeah I mean we are um putting it to work in a
34:30 - 35:00 lot of ways I think one of the distinct follow-ups is that what we identified there the sort of top thing folks were looking for when they were considering relocation um in addition to natural resources and things like that The the top thing was actually partnership with um a state that could support them in their transition to um you know clean energy and through some of these um you know navigating their way through some of these challenges So that gives us a call to action as they you know of sort of things that we need to do where what
35:00 - 35:30 do we already have available or resources what don't we where do we need partners to come to the table to help create some of these resources to support um these businesses that are the ones raising their hands saying they want to participate actively in you know moving forward um because I didn't share this but it was wild a wild finding that a 100% of the businesses that responded said they were already experiencing the impact in some way um of of climate whether that was um from disruption you know power um disruptions or disruptions
35:30 - 36:00 in their in their in their supply chain or utility cost increases you know the list goes on Um but all to say 100% were experiencing it Fewer than that but but many said they wanted to take action and the number one thing they needed was partnership So it really gave us a you know call to action to you know start building research Yeah And then the other issue for us as Michigan Anders becomes that continuity piece right So of course um you know we're in the middle of a strange um federal time and
36:00 - 36:30 then we're coming up on um another election cycle quickly right And so how do you build that continuity um within the state you know obviously not only on the political side but it does manifest itself in the trade associations the business organizations you know universities things like that in order to create that continuity for those companies to want to be here Absolutely You know I don't know if this is popular opinion or not but um I really do think that the um I talked about this a lot So
36:30 - 37:00 but I do think the local work that we are doing is a really important component that um I think that you know doing so much engagement and sitting with folks and really you know um means that you're building and we did this in all kinds counties across across the state and there's tons of agreement there's tons of agreement about these problems agreement about the solution should be and if you really build a lot
37:00 - 37:30 of consensus that way um irrespective of who happens to be representing that constituency in a given moment um you know their constituency is consistent um and so I think uh you know there's no shortcut to doing that hard on the ground work but if you can are consistent and you do do it um I think it can provide uh a northstar as to who we are and what we believe in and you know uh beliefs in some of these industry sectors that are you know
37:30 - 38:00 producing jobs and results and economic growth for communities and you know what I mean I think it you get continuity there Um uh which certainly isn't the answer to everything but I think is an answer um to some of these challenges Yeah I've always thought there's more that we agree on I know that's feels trit to say but it's really true when you talk to people across the state So okay well I know there's going to be lots of good questions in the room for you and so I want to move to those but first I'm going to give you the lightning round just because it's fun and everybody's done it so far So okay Uh favorite place I'm lucky enough to live in my favorite
38:00 - 38:30 place I really um I ever since I was younger wanted to um Detroit I now live in city Um and I live in a cool neighborhood called Village walk around and visit Um I was crazy enough to buy a 100-y old house renovate it and then I did it again and we bought it to renovate it So all I'm around Yeah there's a great home tour for Indian Village that come out with us That's a good one
38:30 - 39:00 Okay first job Uh my first job I was a lifeguard at the Monroe County YMCA Shout out again to Monroe twice in one time I like Yeah Quickly followed by a waitressing job at Lonear State House So yeah I've done it all I like it Um recent book or podcast that you want all of us to listen to or read Um I just uh went on spring break with the family and what did I read I reread we um they dreamed of empires or we dreamed of empires It's a funny satirical um
39:00 - 39:30 rewriting of history about um Cortez and uh you know that whole sort of interaction and they sort of rewrite what happened in a way that uh maybe more positive All right we check it out That might be a question just for me Okay Uh what never fails to make you laugh Um well uh my team's gonna laugh but I'm deep deep deep into the into Detroit Pistons content So um if anyone hasn't jumped on that bandwagon go ahead and
39:30 - 40:00 get on it And their admin on their social channels is just filling the game So um hilarious hilarious social Um great basketball content Great Another good thing to check out Okay what kind of questions do we have in the room Uh Greg's the first First I want to just thank you for your four months on
40:00 - 40:30 Pennsylvania I came back Um lots of questions Um really appreciate again just how your your energy is going towards growth Um I do a lot of work um analyzing the auto industry in terms of sustainability and the transition we need to move from internal combustion to EVs and Detroit is really an opportunity to you know be
40:30 - 41:00 leaders in electriation but we are facing challenging time with the federal administration and China is really you know this and just wondering you know how do you approach this I know the governor was in um but you know it's so vital that we continue support this growth We have an
41:00 - 41:30 EV center here at the University of Michigan that state has supported which is great But is there any anything you could offer in terms of you know how how uh business navigates this How researchers navigate this Workers even you know even our workers have mixed views of electrification Sure How do you message Yeah Obviously we talk about that by itself or
41:30 - 42:00 um I don't know if I should repeat the question Yeah probably the question was about um you know electric vehicles and opportunity to be a leader in that area but this is a challenging time and what can we do um to navigate it um so I'll just say we we could talk about that author by itself for days and and there's you
42:00 - 42:30 know a version of it that we could go down about um you know what some of the companies themselves are doing as they um diversify of course into electric but also hybrid and other things in order you know to keep going um on some of that innovation Um but from my perspective where I'm sitting uh you know some of the things that I think are really important for us to uh make sure we don't lose ground on um include for example Oops Uh in in these coming years
42:30 - 43:00 um of course I'm going to say but the reason that I think that's so important is because it's one an area where we have such a strategic advantage right now You all know this already but Michigan produces four times the number of engineers of any other state Um we have real distinctive competency in this area Um and a real growth not just in our biggest companies but in um the some of our startups that are driving innovation in the sector but also in sectors um in supply chain areas and
43:00 - 43:30 things like that all around um that conversation uh and in time softer economic times uh I graduated from college in 2008 so I remember this well um these softer economic times um you know there were tough moments in Michigan recent past in the 2010s we had moments where we were losing 100,000 people a year uh we're now have been in two censuses where we've seen positive growth so go team but um in tough years now where we lose 5,000 you know what I mean so we're in a really different
43:30 - 44:00 place than we were then and you to land there again You can't land there again and leave uh the clean energy transition You can't land there again and do the electrical transition You know what I mean We have to be in a place where arguably I think our best um asset is our people are the incredible talent and workforce Incredible talent being graduating from our universities are our one capacity You know what I mean I just think that um we need to do what it takes to make sure we're retaining those
44:00 - 44:30 folks even during perhaps a a tough time Um so uh for what it's worth maybe this is a little off topic but I didn't mention it We um in our office piloted a program in the fall and just launched round two of a program called Make My Home that's intended to do just this Um what it allows is for any community across our state to apply and let us know who they need to retain or attract It could be as specific as the someone a community in the UP saying we need nurses or teachers or as general as um
44:30 - 45:00 the city of Detroit saying we want to keep our engineers or our um tech workers or our startup founders um or attract them from across the country Uh and we're and let us know which incentive or program benefit they want to try to help That could be student loan forgiveness It could be a down payment on home or housing stance or um and we're piloting those initiatives across the state again to help folks in this moment uh you know who might otherwise not be able to um make the
45:00 - 45:30 choices that we hope that they're able to make that are so critically important So that's one portion of the conversation Um but there's maybe directly you know really appreciate I didn't know this Yeah times the number of engineers state So I co-ounded a program called engineering sustainable systems here at the University of Michigan dual degree with our college
45:30 - 46:00 other questions but I'll let talk about ideas A lot of work that we've been doing recent months has been baseline industries and sectors that I think are really going to be impacted by climate change What has the
46:00 - 46:30 state thinking about in terms of how to incentivize practices that prepare for you Yeah that's really interesting And of course you talk about for example Michigan agriculture things that is one of the really you know second most diverse agriculture in this country that's
46:30 - 47:00 um we first talk about that as part of the conversation about growth one of the assets that we have why it's critically important that we you know make sure we're supporting know industries here in our state um and I think it's important the broader climate conversation when we're having it um and we talk about the kinds of jobs aailable folks in Michigan and why we're a leader in climate That's one of the industries that we we talk about because of you know the availability of of food and how we think about um food in in this new context Um
47:00 - 47:30 but I think that your question is really well taken because it's an interesting one You know what could or should the state be doing You know that's sort of um on the leading edge equivalent but for this area you know I think that's that's really interesting um our colleagues um in you know the office of rural prosperity or MDARD for example I know do some work in this area and um to put my colleague on the spot but I know that um that Julia coordinates with them a little bit and I'd be so curious to ask them that question as well So um
47:30 - 48:00 maybe we should follow up with with them and and let you know but um I think it's a good one It's a really good Yeah Yeah And there's a conference going on just today and tomorrow I think on this exact topic Charlie thank you so much for your remarks Really interesting Um and love your enthusiasm as well I have a very simple question and a complex question What is the sample for that survey you did of businesses
48:00 - 48:30 Yeah And then the second one is um when you um in your listing work find out that affordable housing stock so critical are so critical These are big things that need to change outside
48:30 - 49:00 So the question was um when we trans um so I sort of what matters because so wide ranging truly you know and and one of our three pillars around um you know making our communities magnets for talent I think is inextricably linked with some of these big system change like transit and housing Um so uh what we've done so far is um we've gone to
49:00 - 49:30 the legislature So for example um last year we were lucky enough to be asked to present and testify on in Senator McMar's committee a fair number of times um speaking to how uh in addition to other things transit and housing um or economic development that um the placemaking um has is is critical to talent retention and talent is critical to economic growth Um and we've seen the conversation around economic development continue to evolve in our city as you
49:30 - 50:00 know I as a result who knows but but um uh directly out of out of that committee um that includes for example conversation about our economic development tools including investments includes investments um so you know it is not the case that our training office or our training budget can implement training it's not the case that we build housing don't uh miss does um But it is incumbent on us to make sure that what we're learning is available to our eligible our
50:00 - 50:30 departmental partners So we have meetings with the heads of other departments across the state to share our growth insights Um we of course publish our reports but also um do I did 90 plus events last year across the state sharing the findings Um and uh we do our best to um you know make sure the legislature is aware of everything that we're learning so that they can take legislative action Thank you Greg project
50:30 - 51:00 partnering center for sustainable systems is partnering with naval architecture region engineering on that Um and I think one of the opportunities is highlight blue green economy in Michigan And I'm advocating that we connect it with pure Michigan And so I'm really interested in how we
51:00 - 51:30 you know advice you might have on how we could go ahead with this And and it addresses also issues that you've talked about in terms of growth versus Yeah conservation conservation But I see huge opportunities there We were talking about electrifying rack voting and also creating manufacturing
51:30 - 52:00 you know fishing also fairies you know just really being leaders and um it's going to take a lot to lift us but you know we have so many it's a huge industry in the state industries Yeah I um had a chance last year uh to
52:00 - 52:30 this is a silly example maybe but it was such a good learning experience for me um uh to meet the folks from Lily Pad if you know them Um yeah and they took me on a ride got to go around on the the lily pad boat a little bit and talk about their supply chain and manufacturing and all of that Um that was a good time And then also um to chat with folks in Tarter City about their blue tech innovation center up there and and what have you And again think a little bit about um what we have
52:30 - 53:00 available as distinctive competencies here and that connection between our natural resources our um strategic innovation and R&D capacity here and our ability to make things That's one of the things that we do talk about a lot that Michigan's unique in that you can both invent and manufacture you know the future here There aren't a lot of places where you can do both those things Um I love the vend diagram and it's nice to be at the center of that one right um and so in this area I think that's a
53:00 - 53:30 very um strategic right in future investment for Michigan because you can do the invention some of the manufacturing and also we're in search for that and I remember folks having a conversation last year as well about um inventing uh the a new um green you know naval you know just all kinds of of big things um around this topic So um as that continues to progress you know I'd love to um be helpful any way we can as you all are thinking about the messaging
53:30 - 54:00 and all of that I think it's a really important project Yeah Yeah Sorry Yeah Oh cool Yeah
54:00 - 54:30 Yeah Yeah Yeah It's um the questions about shaping culture I think it's um you know in a critical part of the project of any project of you know um policy work some folks I think skip you know skip steps right and we and we can't skip steps that's really important part of it um I know I've mentioned our public engagement works before but just to hone
54:30 - 55:00 in on it for a second get more specific about what we're doing um we literally brought folks together and then sat down to in a big circle and said hey we're in in this room for an hour you know what I mean In very that in like a listening session The reason I'm being as specific as that is because for some of this work I think there needs to be space for folks to just share you know what they're thinking And it didn't always feel collaborative You
55:00 - 55:30 know sometimes folks would share things that I I share this example a lot but one of the first conversations we had like that someone said "You can grow Michigan but don't grow it here." you know as chief growth officer you think "Oh we're not gonna have a fun conversation." You know what I mean But um it ended up being a great conversation You know you have to just get once we got past that place um everybody got to talk about you know the followup to that I think was something like great like tell me more about why you feel that way Um you know what um does growth mean for you Um and we got
55:30 - 56:00 to a place where oh growth means that my kids and grandkids can find a job here If growth means that we have you know enough uh folks to drive our ambulances and ENTs and you know what I mean If we have hopes to um doctors you know then I'm about growth and it doesn't have to look the same in every community I'm imagining skyscrapers you know what I mean Uh then we got to a really beautiful place by then This might sound like I'm a roundabout answer to your question but I guess I think um the
56:00 - 56:30 thing I struggle with is how do you scale that experience because I think that experience for me has been a powerful one Um and getting the chance to do that all over the state in the last year and a half Um I wouldn't trade it You know it's been a really really powerful one to get to be in relationship with folks like that and by the end walk out really aligned actually Um when folks who I didn't walk in aligned with Um and I think it is culture shifting and culture shaping Um we get to talk about things that folks might be opposed to in a
56:30 - 57:00 knee-jerk way at the beginning but not by the time we leave But again the question is how do you scale that kind of interaction um enough that you're actually shifting culture and not just you know a room you know Um so we're doing other things too Um I mentioned earlier we're starting a field trip program where we get folks on a bus together and take them to different parts of the state to experience different things they haven't experienced yet Um that was really beautiful Um uh so I could go on and on but um I think you're asking the right question because otherwise everything is
57:00 - 57:30 a flash in the pan can pass a piece of legislation that immediately gets reversed or flip-flop you know what I mean a moment later um in order for us to make consistent progress and you were talking about um consistency I think we also we have to everybody needs to walk together We have to bring everybody along So I think that hard work is really important work All right I'm going to take moderator's prerogative and ask the last question um you know the university well you know um our incredible student body our faculty and researchers and um you know
57:30 - 58:00 what we do both at the university as well or at the state as well as at the global scale Um thinking forward what do you wish the university would lean into I think one should I go there Sure I didn't prep the question so you could be whatever you want There are so many amazing things the university is doing that do So I'll say that but myself is dancer Um we were just talking about the cool work that's happening in Detroit that the university is investing in Um
58:00 - 58:30 because my friends everywhere we go um my even connecting better in Arbor and Detroit um would just be a remarkable achievement I don't think that's selfish Um well a little bit because um you know we have so many wonderful students from across the country that come to join us here in Ann Arbor Um this is such a magnet for talent we want more of them to stay Um and as long as we're you know graduating lots of folks who haven't yet experienced our whole region and our big cities and our great things that we have to offer Um I I don't have as our office
58:30 - 59:00 doesn't have as much of a right to retain them right So um I think for the benefit of our whole state I'm being silly about being selfish but for the benefit of our whole state um anything we can do to help those folks get more connected to our region I think it's is such a benefit to all of us So um any way I can help with that I would love to I love that I was in a meeting with faculty not too long ago where they said that they want money for buses so that they can bus students around the state but in particular to Detroit So I think there's a lot of people thinking along those lines So I'm so grateful for your
59:00 - 59:30 time Thank you so much for making this trip Um really appreciate you being willing to do this So let's thank Hillary for her time with us Thanks for joining us People that have been participating in the past you'll get an email about um what we do in the fall So your opinion matters I hope you learned that in the last hour and that will continue So thanks again
59:30 - 60:00 Yeah I'm going Yeah that's exciting Oh fine I'll see you there Crazy We're taking a bus load of students It'll be great Yes Interesting Sorry I gota get the