February 2, 2021
DETROIT – Detroit Future City (DFC) announced, today, that Wendy Jackson of The Kresge Foundation will serve as its new chair and that the organization has hired Kate Cherry to serve as its first development director. Additionally, DFC’s two top leaders Anika Goss, executive director, and Tom Goddeeris, deputy director, have new titles, reflecting the organization’s growth and the important position the organization has established in the nonprofit sector. Goss is now CEO and Goddeeris is the COO. Laura Trudeau, who has served as DFC’s founding chair for four years, will continue to serve on the board, as well as chair its nominating committee.
“DFC has solidified its leadership role in our region, working at the intersection of the public, private and nonprofit sectors to address some of our greatest, particularly around economic and racial equity,” said Jackson, who has served DFC’s board for three years prior to being appointed chair. Jackson is the managing director of The Kresge Foundation’s Detroit Program, which has been deeply invested in DFC’s mission since the planning phase of the Detroit Strategic Framework. “I’m proud to support this organization and work with my colleagues on the board as DFC continues to grow and impact metro Detroit.”
DFC was launched in May 2013 as a program of the Detroit Economic Development Corporation to advance the recommendations of the DFC Strategic Framework, a 50-year vision for Detroit. In January 2016, DFC became an independent nonprofit and Goss was recruited to lead the organization.
“We now have a multifaceted organization that has gone beyond the Framework. DFC is defining its structure more broadly as to what will achieve equity for Detroiters, and the Framework is a part of that,” said Trudeau. “Anika has brought a strong vision to DFC that focuses on improving Detroit’s physical environment, while acknowledging the social environment. She has also assembled a powerful team that allows DFC to step into any new opportunity with a clear identity on where the organization brings value.”
In the last four years, DFC has grown from a six-member founding board to now 18 board members representing leaders from Detroit’s business, philanthropic and civic community. Under Goss’s leadership, the organization has also more than tripled its budget, supporting programs and partnerships through its community and economic development and land use and sustainability departments, as well as the recently announced center for equity, engagement and research. In 2017, Goddeeris joined DFC after a noted career leading the Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation to support the community and economic development portfolio and the organization’s operations.
“Tom has been an incredible asset for DFC to help steward our growth through his strong nonprofit management experience coupled with his deep passion and knowledge around community and economic development in Detroit,” said Goss.
DFC now has 16 team members, with the recent hire of Kate Cherry as its first-ever development director. Cherry most recently served as the program director of development and strategy at Connect Detroit and has also held roles at the Detroit Institute of Arts and The Guidance Center. She has been consulting with DFC for the last year, until recently stepping into a permanent role.
“During the last year, Kate brought an incredible amount of expertise to the table, helping us build and begin to implement a fund development strategy that has quickly afforded us new sources of support,” said Goss. “We are thrilled to have her as a full-time member of the team.”
DFC has been primarily funding by local and national nonprofits, including The Kresge Foundation, the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, Hudson Webber Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Americana Foundation. DFC has also begun attracting corporate funding with support from Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase.