Every year on Mackinac Island, the Detroit Regional Chamber hosts the Mackinac Policy Conference, an annual gathering of stakeholders in the region. The attendee list is made up of government officials, corporate executives, nonprofit leaders, etc. Joined by Mayor Mike Duggan and Governor Rick Snyder, the three days is jam packed with speeches, panel discussions, networking events, and unique conversations and interactions. This year’s conference pillars were Restoring Civility in American Politics, Winning the Race in Connected Technology and Increasing Economic Opportunity. These pillars really drove the conversations that people were having and the focus of all events.

Every year a limited number of partial registration scholarships to the Mackinac Policy Conference are available to entrepreneurs and future leaders who are making a significant contribution or working to solve problems in a business, industry, or community. They call these scholarship nominees Mackinac Future Leaders and describe that group as forward-thinking professionals making an impact in his or her organization and community. This individual shows future promise in leading business or community initiatives.  Mackinac Future Leaders are between 23 and 35 years old, welcome change, view challenges as opportunities, and continue to influence everything they approach with fresh ideas and innovative thinking.

I feel very honored to have been selected as one of 2017’s Mackinac Future Leaders. Our cohort consisted of about 25 young professionals that I was able to connect with before the conference, during, and we will meet again the future for debriefs and follow ups. The Mackinac experience itself can be an overwhelming one — shmoozing with high level executives, many of whom know one another and have been attending the conference for years. Thanks to relationships the Future Leader program helped us all establish we were able to take full advantage of the opportunity we’d been given and able to build relationships with people we may have never had the opportunity to otherwise.