Lizzie DePentu is a 2019-2020 Fellow at the Detroit Land Bank Authority. She hails from Canton, Michigan and is a graduate of the University of Michigan. At U of M, Lizzie earned a Bachelors in Political Science and Environmental Studies.

DLBA Fellows from this year and one from last!

Tell us about your host company and your role in the organization.

My host company is the Detroit Land Bank Authority (DLBA), a quasi-governmental organization that sells vacant land and structures with the goal of getting them back into productive use and decreasing blight. My job is to connect homebuyers with information and resources to support them as they renovate their property. Since I started in September, I’ve been excited to also take on the development of communication and educational materials to bolster the public’s understanding on how to best approach the rehab of a Land Bank home. 

Tell us about the challenge project you’re currently working on; what are you learning from the experience?

Currently, I’m working with Michigan Community Resources to assist in their response to COVID-19 so they can continue to serve the nonprofits they work with. My team is specifically focused on assessing access to technology and developing materials to ease the transition to virtual communication and operations. I’m learning a lot about how nonprofits function in times of crisis and how important flexibility and patience is in order to stay committed to your mission and continue serving your communities.

Ideating with the team for our project with Sinai-Grace Guild CDC.

How do you hope to impact the community this year?

One thing I’ve noticed this year is that all of our project partners have had extremely full plates. With that in mind, I hope our work will allow our nonprofit partners to reach an additional goal that they may not have had the capacity to otherwise. We’ve worked with an amazing group of organizations so far and after seeing all of the great work they’re doing in the city, it’s been a privilege to contribute and play even a small role. 

Since becoming a Fellow, what have you learned?

Since becoming a fellow, I’ve learned about how foundational it is to have empathy-informed work. This is something that’s always been important to me, but the design thinking approach to our challenge projects has really allowed me to strengthen that skill. Throughout the year, I’ve found that my favorite days have been the kickoff days when we start a new project and the days we spend interviewing stakeholders. The time we spend learning and listening to the stories of our nonprofit partners always inspires me to bring my best every Friday as our teams work through the challenge project.

Please share the most memorable moment you have experienced so far as a Fellow. Why was it memorable and how has it impacted you?

The cohort learning about Dr. Ossian H. Sweet during the Black Scroll Network tour.

One of my favorite experiences as a fellow was the Black Scroll Network tour that we went on with Jamon Jordan during orientation. I learned so much about the rich history of places that I had been passing by absentmindedly on a daily basis. Not only did the tour push me to get curious and engage with my surroundings in a more meaningful way, it also prompted some really valuable conversations that have rooted my work throughout the year.

If someone reading your interview is considering applying to be a Fellow, why would you encourage them to apply?

Apply! Challenge Detroit has been an amazing way to learn about disciplines I wouldn’t have otherwise been exposed to. Working with Fellows from such a wide range of backgrounds will hopefully support my future work and collaboration across sectors. As someone in the early stages of their career, this fellowship has provided incredible opportunities to connect with organizations throughout Detroit and meet amazing people that have really allowed me to build my community here in the city.