Sign up for Model D's Speaker Series: This is Young Detroit

Are we making Detroit a place where young and talented people want to be? The Michigan Front Page, Model D and the Detroit Regional Chamber's Fusion group are joining forces to get some answers at our Speaker Series this month, Feb. 25 at the Majestic Theatre, 4120 Woodward Ave., in Midtown.

We will talk with young Detroit leaders about embracing diversity, building leadership, and their vision for the city's future. We also will get a picture of what Detroit's demographic make up looks like, and will look like in decades to come, from demographer Kurt Metzger. The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited so you must pre-register.

The event will start at 5:30 p.m. with sign in, and the hour-long presentation will begin at 6 p.m. and will be followed by question and answer and networking time.

The panel will include:

• Moderator Brian Ellison, resident of The Villages neighborhood and a drafter of the Detroit Declaration;
• Palencia Mobley, an engineer, a Detroit resident and vice chair of Fusion, the young professionals division of the Detroit Regional Chamber;
• Alok Sharma, a Detroit resident;
• Akindele Akinyemi, a Detroit resident, entrepreneur and an advocate for education;
• Roland Leggett, a field manager with the ACLU who moved back to Detroit after a stint in Chicago;
• James Canning, lifelong Detroiter and owner of his public relations firm, Canning Communications;
• Raquel Castaneda-Lopez.

The Model D Speaker Series is sponsored by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, Henry Ford Health Systems, Wayne State University and the Detroit Medical Center.