Joseph B. Anderson Jr. was born in Topeka, Kansas, and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science in math and engineering. He subsequently received two master’s degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles. In May 2016, Anderson received the Distinguished Graduate Award from the United States Military Academy at West Point, honoring him for his lifetime of achievement.

During his military career, Anderson commanded troops as an infantry officer in the 82nd Airborne Division and served two tours of duty with the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam. Anderson and the infantry platoon he commanded in Vietnam were subjects of a highly acclaimed documentary film called The Anderson Platoon.

Anderson is currently the majority owner, chairman, and CEO of TAG Holdings, LLC, which owns several manufacturing service and technology-based entities based in North America. These businesses have served a variety of industries, including automotive, heavy equipment, aerospace, and defense.

Anderson serves on the board of directors of Business Leaders for Michigan; board of directors of Michigan Aerospace Manufacturers Association (MAMA); Wynnchurch Capital Advisory Board of Directors; and Modular Assembly Innovations Board of Managers. He also serves as chairman of the board of directors, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Detroit Branch. His community involvement includes serving as the chairman of the board of trustees, National Recreation Foundation. Anderson has served on the board of directors of several New York Stock Exchange companies. Anderson is a past chairman of the U.S. Department of Commerce Manufacturing Council.

Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Dr. Kenneth L. Harris is known for addressing societal and economic challenges within the urban community. Dr. Harris serves as the 12th president/CEO of the National Business League, Inc., founded by Dr. Booker T. Washington in 1900, a 120 year old organization with access to 2.9 million Black-owned businesses in the U.S.

Dr. Harris received the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) 2007 Minority Business Advocate of the Year award, and was named among Crain’s Detroit Business’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2007 and Who’s Who in Black Detroit’s Most Influential. Dr. Harris was honored by the Michigan Women's Marketplace and CEED as the 2008 Entrepreneur of the Year and received the 2008 Excellence Award for Economic Empowerment by 100 Black Men of Greater Detroit, Inc. Dr. Harris also accepted the 2009 CBS-WWJ 950 Emerging Leader Under 40 Award for Black History Month, and the 2010 Michigan Front Page's 30 in Their 30s award. Dr. Harris was chosen DBusiness Magazine's 30 in Their 30s Most Influential and featured in Ebony Magazine in 2011. He was featured in the 2012 Aetna African American Black History Calendar America's Most Influential and received the 2012 Men of Excellence Award from the Michigan Chronicle Newspaper. Additionally, he has been named by the 2013 New York-based Counselors International as one of the "40 Under 40" top economic development professionals in the United States. Dr. Harris was featured in the 2014 CBS TV 62 and WWJ 950 Black History Month Distinguished Leader Showcase. He received the 2015 Comerica Bank Community Partnership Award, 2017 National Veterans Supplier Diversity Council Leadership Award, and 2018 and 2019 DBusiness Magazines Most Influential Business Executives in Metro-Detroit.

Dr. Harris received his doctorate of philosophy (PhD) with a combined specialization in entrepreneurship, economics, African American and African studies from Michigan State University.

Pamela Lewis is the executive director of NEI. Lewis joined NEI in 2011 as a senior program officer and was named the initiative’s director in 2016. Under her leadership, NEI is seen as a leading advocate of inclusive entrepreneurship locally and among other entrepreneurial support leaders. An engineer by training, Lewis has more than 20 years of experience in process improvement and program management. Lewis holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Michigan State University and a Master of Business Administration from Spring Arbor University. In 2016, she was named one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Michigan by Crain’s Detroit Business. Lewis serves on the board of Philanthropy for Civic Engagement (PACE), a community of funders that invest in the sustaining elements of democracy and civic life in the United States and is an active member of the national Brookings Network for Economic Inclusion.

Sandra (Sandy) Pierce joined Huntington in 2016 after the merger with FirstMerit and leads the Private Client Group, Regional Presidents, Public Affairs, Corporate Communications and Regional Marketing teams. While at FirstMerit, Pierce was appointed to vice chairman of FirstMerit Corporation and chairman and chief executive officer of FirstMerit Michigan.

A native of Detroit, Pierce received her bachelor’s degree in business administration/ marketing and her MBA in business administration/finance from Wayne State University. She is a board member of Barton Malow Enterprises and Penske Automotive Group. She also serves as the current chair of Henry Ford Health System and is the immediate past chair of the Detroit Financial Advisory Board.

Current business associations and civic involvement include the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Detroit Branch (member, board of directors); Business Leaders for Michigan (vice chair, executive committee, and audit ahair); College for Creative Studies; Detroit Economic Club (member, board of directors and executive committee); Detroit Regional Chamber (prior chair); Downtown Detroit Partnership; Detroit RiverFront Conservancy; The Parade Company (prior chair, board of directors), and United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

Michelle Sourie Robinson is executive with more than 28 years of innovative, progressive leadership in two global $80+ billion Fortune 100 companies, a business consultancy, and two nonprofit organizations with international impact. With a proven track record for utilizing strong business acumen to find creative solutions to complex, high-level corporate challenges, Sourie Robinson is a motivational leader known for clearly defining mission and goals, aligning people and resources, and delivering results that exceed expectations. She is currently the president of Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council (MMSDC), a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization committed to equipping certified minority business enterprises to meet business needs of major corporations, educational institutions, and government agencies. The byproduct of this work is economic growth within minority communities. The MMSDC advances the mission by facilitating nearly $36 billion annually in economic output as a result of contracts between corporations and certified minority business enterprises.

Founded in 1977, the MMSDC is one of the top in the field, certifying minority businesses, developing their capacity, connecting them in the marketplace, and advocating for minority supplier development that ultimately makes all businesses and communities better.

Rick Mattoon is vice president and regional executive, Detroit branch, in the economic research department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Mattoon’s primary research focuses on issues that face the Midwest regional economy. He began his career at the Chicago Fed in 1990. In 1997, he left the bank to serve as a policy advisor for economic development, energy and telecommunications to the Governor of Washington. He later served as director of policy and legislation for the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. He returned to the Chicago Fed in 2001.

Mattoon’s work has appeared in the National Tax Journal, State Tax Notes, and Public Choice and Society. He is the co-author of a chapter on state and local governments and the national economy in the Oxford Handbook of State and Local Government Finance.

Mattoon serves on the board of the Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council, the advisory committee to the Chicago Workforce Investment Council, and the pension committee of the Civic Federation, and is a member of the joint advisory board of economists to the Governor of Virginia. He also serves as a lecturer at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Mattoon received a BA from Kenyon College and an MA from the University of Chicago.