In May 2012, 63 top candidates—selected from a pool of nearly 900 from Detroit, Michigan, and around the country— joined us in Detroit for the first Challenge Detroit interview experience. 30 of those candidates were ultimately accepted to the first fellowship class and embarked on a journey to make an impact in Detroit. That class was the first to accept “the challenge” and set the tone for what would eventually become 14 classes of fellows totalling over 400 individuals from applicant pools of over 4,000. Those 14 classes of fellows would support over 185 nonprofits across the city helping to advance their missions through a series of challenge projects. Individually, they would work at 149 host companies representing Detroit’s diverse economy and go on to launch over 45 of their own ventures. They would make an impact.
The inaugural class of fellows in 2012.
Challenge Detroit emerged during a time when the city was facing a huge population decline and the economy, here and across the country, was in a deep recession. The idea for Challenge Detroit came in response to the exodus of talent leaving Detroit and Michigan. The focus was to make an impact, create jobs, and contribute to the community efforts moving Detroit forward. Doyle Mosher was the visionary behind that idea and I, a recent college graduate working for his construction firm at the time, had the energy to put the idea to action.
We successfully launched the first program year in 2012 amidst Detroit’s impending bankruptcy, embracing the challenge of attracting, retaining and developing community-minded leaders here. Over the last 14 years, not only have we developed talent, but we have also catalyzed impact at many levels… for individuals, for the companies and nonprofits served, and in the greater workforce, community, and economy.
As I think back to that first year of Challenge Detroit and, in particular, that first class of fellows, I fondly remember the triumphs, the tribulations, the trials, the failures, the successes, and, ultimately, the onward momentum to keep going, to keep making an impact. When Doyle and I first began to ideate on what would eventually become Challenge Detroit in 2007 – a full five years before we would actually launch the program and meet that first group of candidates – a few of the puzzle pieces were missing.
P U Z Z L E P I E C E N U M B E R O N E : M O R E T H A N A V I S I O N
Doyle’s initial vision would evolve over time and needed strategy behind it. His daughter and I defined that strategy and wrote the original program narrative.
P U Z Z L E P I E C E N U M B E R T W O : P A R T N E R S H I P S M A K E I T P O S S I B L E
At the time, a friend introduced us to the then-CEO at DTE. Although our idea was still just that – an idea – he jumped on board and agreed to be a host company employing a fellow for a year, despite the unknown. When DTE said yes, other companies started saying yes, too. In fact, 149 diverse companies – ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies to nonprofits – have said yes. These companies believed in Challenge Detroit not only as a source of incredible talent, but also as a partner in nurturing that talent to be great leaders and doers.
Soon after DTE’s commitment, a meeting with then president of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Mike Finney, saw the financial support begin to roll in. The MEDC was working on a new program to retain and draw talent to the city – Challenge Detroit was an ideal complement to that program and won favor in the form of two-years of funding.
Meanwhile, a dear friend of the concept, Donald Foss, the founder of Credit Acceptance, not only agreed to employ a fellow, but also to make a major contribution to support the program’s launch because, like us, he, too, wanted to make an impact in his hometown in a powerful way.
Finally, several board members over the years joined us sharing their time, talent and treasure, for which we have immense gratitude.
P U Z Z L E P I E C E N U M B E R T H R E E : A D R E A M T E A M
While attending a local women’s conference in early 2012, I sat next to a friendly face and we struck up a conversation. That friendly face was Shelley Danner – Challenge Detroit’s founding program director. Shelley joined me the next week and a partnership was born. Over the years, other team members would join us including Caroline Dobbins-Hurteau, Brittany (Sanders) Rhodes, Fares Ksebati and Paulette Bolofer who would serve the organization in momentous ways bringing their lived-experience as alumni fellows into their leadership roles.
From left to right: Paulette Bolofer-Fulkerson, Deirdre Groves and Shelley Danner.
P U Z Z L E P I E C E N U M B E R F O U R : T H E C O M M U N I T Y
Challenge project partners. Host companies. Board members past and present. Donors, supporters, and friends. Alumni. Each of these individuals and organizations were the missing puzzle piece. This is the impact. This is the legacy.
Alumni and staff in attendance at the closing celebration in June 2026.
C E L E B R A T I N G O U R C O L L E C T I V E I M P A C T A N D M O V I N G F O R W A R D
On June 5, 2026 we hosted a closing celebration on DTE’s beautiful campus bringing together all of these partners to celebrate 14 years of impact. At the event, guests were invited to participate in an activation prompting them to consider “How might we preserve Challenge Detroit’s legacy?” They also had the opportunity to write love letter testimonials to the program and to the community, along with interacting with various stations highlighting Challenge Detroit’s history and impact. Individuals representing our past and present participated including challenge project partners, host company partners, alumni, donors and friends. Two alumni, Asia Gholston from the inaugural program year and Dillon Brown from the eighth program year, gave keynote remarks while all alumni were invited to step up to the mic to share how Challenge Detroit impacted their lives. View photos from the celebration here.
While we spent time at the closing celebration reflecting and celebrating, we also acknowledged that Challenge Detroit’s story is not over. As part of our lasting legacy, at the closing celebration we announced the Challenge Detroit Doyle Mosher Impact Scholarship for nonprofit professionals.
Doyle has personally given so much to make Challenge Detroit possible, so it is in honor of his dedication that we have created this scholarship to carry forward his legacy of unwavering optimism, belief in Detroit, and commitment to giving people the opportunity to dream big, grow as leaders, and make a meaningful difference. Through this scholarship, we aim to invest in the growth of nonprofit professionals across greater Detroit by increasing access to career and leadership development opportunities that may otherwise be inaccessible due to cost.
As a small nonprofit, we’ve experienced firsthand the financial barriers that many organizations across the sector face. We have long recognized the value of professional conferences and leadership development opportunities to strengthen our skills and expand our impact, but limited funding often made those experiences inaccessible for our leadership team.
As the fellowship program comes to a close, we trust that this scholarship will expand access to meaningful growth opportunities for nonprofit professionals and be a small part of carrying on Challenge Detroit’s lasting legacy. Whether you want to give to support the fund, apply for a scholarship, or simply spread the word, we encourage you to visit challengedetroit.org/impactscholarship.
