Duggan splits up Detroit’s top jobs in economic, workforce development
Duggan splits up Detroit's top jobs in economic, workforce development Detroit News
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Detroit Mayor Appoints Group Executive of Economic Development
Detroit ― Mayor Mike Duggan on Friday announced he has appointed his senior advisor Hassan Beydoun to serve as group executive of economic development to lead Detroit’s Jobs and Economy Team.
Duggan is splitting the role duties previously held by Nicole Sherard-Freeman, who recently left the Duggan administration to serve as chief operating officer of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.
Appointment of Hassan Beydoun
Beydoun will lead the city’s economic development efforts. Last month, Duggan appointed Terri Weems as group executive of workforce and Detroit at Work, which previously had also fallen under Sherard-Freeman.
The mayor’s office said Beydoun will focus on streamlining Detroit’s complex web of regulations and permitting and approval processes to remove barriers for business expansion. His salary is $173,000.
“Detroit always has had innovation in its DNA. Hassan has a gift for process improvement and a passion for supporting and cultivating entrepreneurs trying new things,” Duggan said in a statement. “His legal and policy skillset is going to add an entirely new dimension to our efforts to grow our city’s economy and create more opportunity.”
Appointment of Terri Weems
Weems’ new role as group executive will focus on creating a strategy to reduce poverty, increase employment and prepare Detroiters for a changing economy, the mayor’s office said. Her annual salary is $192,000.
Before this, Weems served as the president of Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation, the nonprofit organization that serves as the City of Detroit’s workforce agency and Michigan Works Agency. She joined DESC in 2017 as the chief financial officer focused on developing data to help the group make decisions. She has led the workforce strategy for the city for the last several years and helped grow the organization.
Weems is a certified public accountant who at one time spent 15 years in public accounting with PricewaterhouseCoopers, supporting its largest clients both in the United States and abroad. She was also responsible for designing, delivering, and administering several major initiatives across the firm. Weems earned her bachelor of science in business administration and master of science in accounting degrees from Ohio University.
“What I’m most excited about is preparing Detroiters for what the future of the workforce economy will be five and 10 years from now,” Weems said in a release. “We have a community of strong and versatile talent, and my job is to support that innovation. Our strategy is to provide all Detroiters with an opportunity to become highly skilled and compete in an ecosystem that provides financial stability and generational wealth for residents and their families.”
Beydoun said his father and other entrepreneurs in his family have helped him to understand what up-start businesses need to be successful.
“Many complain of barriers they run into when scaling their business and navigating the city’s overly complex web of regulations, institutions, and stakeholders,” Beydoun stated in a press release.
“Our policies and processes that too often constrain and overladen enterprise can be reformed to reflect and support a changing economy in which businesses can thrive. Detroit is already one of the fastest-growing hubs for start-ups in the country, but it has the potential to be the world’s premier innovation economy.”
Beydoun, 36, is a native of Detroit’s Warrendale neighborhood and grew up in the Aviation Subdivision.
Beydoun is a Wayne State University graduate where he obtained a bachelor of arts in philosophy and went on to graduate with honors from the University of Iowa College of Law.
He returned to Detroit to work as an attorney for the Wayne County Prosecutors Office and in January 2013, served as general counsel under the Republican majority in the Michigan House. In that role, Beydoun was an asset in the passage of auto no-fault reform legislation, eliminating driver responsibility fees, accelerating mobility innovation, and expanding expungement laws, the mayors office said.
He was also involved in the legislative components of Detroit’s Grand Bargain and Financial Review Commission that set the stage for the city’s exit from bankruptcy and state oversight. Beydoun has also served as chief counsel for the Legislature’s regulatory oversight bodies and in several investigations, including the Flint water crisis.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | Target 8.2: Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading, and innovation | – Streamlining regulations and permitting processes to remove barriers for business expansion – Creating a strategy to reduce poverty, increase employment, and prepare Detroiters for a changing economy |
| SDG 1: No Poverty | Target 1.2: By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women, and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions | – Strategy to reduce poverty and increase employment – Providing all Detroiters with an opportunity to become highly skilled and compete in a financially stable ecosystem |
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
The SDGs addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article are SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth and SDG 1: No Poverty.
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
The specific targets under SDG 8 are:
- Target 8.2: Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading, and innovation.
The specific target under SDG 1 is:
- Target 1.2: By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women, and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions.
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
Yes, there are indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets:
- Streamlining regulations and permitting processes to remove barriers for business expansion is an indicator of progress towards achieving higher levels of economic productivity (Target 8.2).
- Creating a strategy to reduce poverty, increase employment, and prepare Detroiters for a changing economy is an indicator of progress towards reducing poverty and increasing employment (Target 1.2).
- Providing all Detroiters with an opportunity to become highly skilled and compete in a financially stable ecosystem is an indicator of progress towards reducing poverty and increasing employment (Target 1.2).
4. SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | Target 8.2: Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading, and innovation | – Streamlining regulations and permitting processes to remove barriers for business expansion – Creating a strategy to reduce poverty, increase employment, and prepare Detroiters for a changing economy |
| SDG 1: No Poverty | Target 1.2: By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women, and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions | – Strategy to reduce poverty and increase employment – Providing all Detroiters with an opportunity to become highly skilled and compete in a financially stable ecosystem |
Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.
Source: detroitnews.com
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