We are a family foundation, grounded in Jewish traditions, committed to preserving the legacy of our founder, William Davidson, and carrying out the will and interests of our Board.
Our founder believed in investing in good people, giving them responsibility, and then stepping aside and letting them flourish. It’s an approach we—and the world—continue to benefit from.
Please note: We do not accept unsolicited requests.
Kari Alterman is the program director for Jewish Life at the William Davidson Foundation. She joined the Foundation in 2015 and works to determine and award grant support to organizations that preserve and enhance Jewish life through Jewish identity, leadership and innovation, and Israel insights.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Kari served for eight years as the Detroit regional director for the American Jewish Committee. There she worked with the interfaith community, particularly with the Muslim American community of Michigan. In addition, she was the American Jewish community’s representative to Detroit’s Consuls General and, on occasion, to the Consuls General in Chicago. Under her leadership, the American Jewish Committee-Detroit twice received the national Szabad Excellence Award for innovation and commitment.
From 1996 to 2007, Kari worked for the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, ultimately becoming leadership development director. During that time, she co-created and implemented the Penny B. Blumenstein Leadership Institute, which was designed in partnership with Brandeis University to mentor fast-ascending community leaders. She also partnered with her volunteer leadership to establish the Jewish Entrepreneur’s Network. Kari received the Innovative Idea Award from the Federation for this effort.
From the University of Michigan, Kari earned both a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in social work with a certificate in Jewish Communal Service. She is an adjunct lecturer for the University’s School of Social Work. In addition, she serves on the boards of Congregation Shaarey Zedek and Clover Hill Park Cemetery. She was a founding board member of both the Detroit Jewish News Foundation and the Interfaith Leadership Council of Metropolitan Detroit.
An avid reader, she lives in Michigan with her husband, two daughters and the family dog.
Vadim Avshalumov executes grant opportunities and stewards grantees and partners across the Economic and Cultural Vitality and Jewish Life portfolios. He also manages various projects supporting Southeast Michigan and the Detroit Jewish community.
Prior to his current role as program officer, Vadim was program manager for Cultural and Civic Vitality in Southeast Michigan. He supported the grantmaking and stewardship of the Signature Spaces and Arts and Culture focus areas.
Vadim joined the William Davidson Foundation in 2016 and was the program manager for cross-foundation initiatives. In that role, he led the Foundation’s learning and exploration initiative.
From 2014 to 2016, Vadim served as program manager for the Downtown Detroit Partnership, where he was responsible for vital programs for the Business Improvement Zone. Prior to that, he worked as an urban planning associate with Rock Ventures, focusing on placemaking initiatives in Detroit.
A native of Azerbaijan (then part of the Soviet Union) Vadim grew up in Israel before moving to metropolitan Detroit with his family in the mid-1990s. He has a master’s degree in urban planning and a real estate certificate from the University of Michigan and two undergraduate degrees, a B.A. in urban studies from Columbia University and a B.A. in Jewish history from the Jewish Theological Seminary.
Vadim and his family reside in Birmingham, MI.
Cindy Barnett provides executive support to the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, serving as a project manager and administrator for daily office tasks. In addition, she supports the Foundation’s Office Manager, ensuring day-to-day operations, facilities management and office services function effectively. Cindy joined the William Davidson Foundation in 2017 as its front-desk receptionist.
Cindy previously held two positions concurrently. She served as program director for the Two Twelve Arts Center, a nonprofit arts organization operated by the Cowan Slavin Foundation. During her 10 years there, she grew the organization both in terms of the number of students involved in classes and its reach and visibility within the greater Saline, Michigan, community. At the same time, she was the middle school cross country and distance coach for Saline Area Schools. Under her 10-year leadership as coach, she built a program that grew from 60 to 132 runners in her last year.
Cindy earned her associate’s degree in liberal arts at Oakland Community College and her bachelor’s degree from Missouri State University. She earned her master’s degree in Physical Education with an emphasis in Sports Psychology from Michigan State University.
A competitive runner, Cindy competed in cross country while attending Oakland Community College and competed in cross country and track while studying at Missouri State University. She is a Michigan native with three grown sons.
Amanda Emmer joined the William Davidson Foundation in 2018 as the special projects manager. She works with the president and CEO to assist in the execution of the Foundation’s strategic goals, long-range plans, and short-term activities. Amanda is also responsible for managing special initiatives, cross-cutting Foundation projects, and assisting with organizational learning opportunities. She also serves as the liaison to the Board of Directors, providing governance and other various forms of support.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Amanda served as the associate director of the Wasserman Foundation, a private-family foundation based in Los Angeles. In this role, she helped advance the work of the Foundation and its charitable-giving initiatives in the areas of education, health, arts and culture, service, and global initiatives. She oversaw a variety of special projects and events and was also responsible for managing the foundation’s social media efforts. Amanda also regularly served as an advisor to Wasserman Media Group to help find charitable opportunities for professional athletes around the country.
Amanda began her career at the STAPLES Center Foundation at LA Live in Los Angeles. There she helped plan and execute various community initiatives and large-scale charitable events, including the opening night party for X Games 16. She also worked as an intern for the Southern California Golf Association, Michigan State University’s Athletic Department, and Sports Illustrated.
She earned her bachelor of arts in political science at Michigan State University and her master of arts in sport management at Long Beach State University. Amanda lives in metropolitan Detroit and enjoys international travel, skiing, and Michigan State athletics.
Jenn joined the William Davidson Foundation in January 2022 as its inaugural Jewish Life Venture Fellow. Jenn will spend the next two years helping the Foundation develop a collaborative process for how the Foundation might screen, select, and support growth-stage organizations and programs that are responding to unmet needs in Jewish education and engagement.
In 2016, Jenn founded Xukuma, LLC, a consulting practice focused on leadership development and organizational effectiveness coaching, governance and board development, and interim executive directorship. Before launching Xukuma, LLC, she consulted for the Paul E. Singer Foundation (TPESF.) Jenn joined TPESF from the role of COO at the Birthright Israel Foundation.
Prior to that role, she was the co-executive partner of SeaChange Capital Partners. Founded by retired Goldman Sachs partners, SeaChange focuses on not-for-profit sector mergers and acquisitions, and other forms of collaboration between agencies and organizations, and provides advisory services around capital growth campaigns, spinouts and restructurings.
Before SeaChange, Jenn was the director of member services at the Jewish Funders Network, where she was responsible for developing membership strategies, recruiting, and retaining members. Previously, she was the development director at the Curriculum Initiative, a non-profit focused on building Jewish identity in Independent Schools. Jenn launched her non-profit career at Outward Bound USA as national director of foundation relations, ultimately becoming the director of marketing and communications for Expeditionary Learning Schools, Outward Bound’s public education reform division.
A former journalist, Jenn was a producer at ABC News from 1995 to 2003. She received her bachelor’s degree from Columbia University, where she majored in English Literature. Jenn serves on the board of directors of The Support Center as Chairperson and is the founding Board Chair of At the Well. She is a 21/64 Certified Advisor, RevJen Professional Facilitator, Core Guide for Chief, and a trained Interim Executive Director. Jenn holds a Certificate of Nonprofit Board Consulting from BoardSource, Agile Leadership Certification from Six Sigma International, Co-Active Coaching Fundamentals training, and a Certificate in Change Leadership from Cornell University.
Jenn lives in New York City with her husband and two boys, ages 13 and 16.
Melanie Gorman serves as front office concierge and is the first point of contact for the William Davidson Foundation. She welcomes and directs all Foundation guests, manages various office administrative requests, and is an active contributor to the Foundation’s administrative team. Melanie provides daily support to the office manager, ensuring day-to-day operations, facilities management, and office services all function effectively. Melanie also contributes to planning Foundation staff events, assists with the Foundation’s archive project, and is also responsible for the ongoing maintenance and organization of the Foundation’s customer relationship management (CRM) system.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Melanie served as the executive assistant to the COO and Executive VP at JVS Human Services. She was interim Executive Assistant to the Executive Director of the Max M. & Marjorie Fisher Foundation, as well as assistant to Florine Mark, former President and CEO of The Weight Watchers Group, Michigan. Melanie also served as the membership engagement director for Temple Kol Ami and was a program director for Congregation B’nai Moshe. In both roles, she planned and implemented various community building activities, events, and programming initiatives.
Melanie earned her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education at Michigan State University, with minors in English and sociology. She resides in West Bloomfield with her husband and two sons, and enjoys hiking, reading, karaoke, and exploring the gems of Detroit.
Danielle Stewart Hanson, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, was the William Davidson Foundation’s Board of Director’s first hire in 2014, following their decision to begin building a professional staff.
Since her arrival, Danielle, a certified public accountant, has established the Foundation’s finance, investment, office management, and human resources operations, and created and filled new positions in each of these functional areas. She also has been instrumental in the selection of new staff on the program, grants management, and communications teams.
Previously she was vice president, CFO and treasurer at the Detroit-based Skillman Foundation. In 2012, Danielle was named one of the region’s top young professionals by Crain’s Detroit Business in its annual “40 Under 40” report. Before joining Skillman in 2004 Danielle was a consultant for AlixPartners, LLC, a corporate turnaround and restructuring firm. She began her career as an auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP.
Danielle serves on the audit committee for Living Cities, a nonprofit based in New York and Washington, D.C., whose mission is to build a new type of urban practice that gets dramatically better results for low income people, faster. She also serves on the finance commission for Holy Name Catholic Church. Danielle is a past board member and marketing committee member for HAVEN, a shelter serving victims of domestic violence in Oakland County. She also previously served on the audit committee for Grantmakers for Children, Youth & Families, located in Washington, D.C.
Danielle has a bachelor’s degree in general studies and a Master of Accounting from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She and her family live in Bloomfield Hills.
George Jacobsen is Program Director for the William Davidson Foundation’s Southeast Michigan Economic & Cultural Vitality team. He is a committed and effective philanthropic partner in transformational community change. He works with grantees and partners to advance the quality of life in Southeast Michigan, focusing on the growth and development of good jobs and great places. He believes strongly in the power, creativity, and determination of the region’s artists and creators, entrepreneurs, and community leaders to expand economic and cultural opportunities for individuals and families to thrive.
He previously worked at the Kresge Foundation where he led significant portfolios of work, including its vanguard Detroit arts and culture program, encompassing the development of its signature artist fellowship programs. He also developed an innovative grant initiative to support small-scale but transformative, inclusive projects in Detroit neighborhoods, as well as supported national work to strengthen and diversify the leadership pipeline in the social sector. He has also worked on a range of quality-of-life issues in Detroit and regionally in prior posts at the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.
George has a master’s degree in urban planning from Wayne State University and a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies in social science from Michigan State University, where he focused on international studies. He currently serves as a founding board member of Sidewalk Detroit and on several advisory committees.
Lisa Baragar Katz is the senior program officer for Economic Vitality and Entrepreneurship at the William Davidson Foundation. Her efforts help guide the Foundation’s philanthropic investments to stimulate new business creation and job growth in Southeast Michigan and Israel.
Prior to joining William Davidson, Lisa founded and served for six years as the executive director of the Workforce Intelligence Network — WIN — a Southeast Michigan collaborative of community colleges and MichiganWorks! agencies aimed at understanding the changing economy and responding to talent needs in the region. A social entrepreneur at heart, Lisa, while at WIN, launched several initiatives, securing partners and investment to move ideas forward.
Over the course of her career, Lisa has worked with communities looking to innovate and transform their economies through a heavy focus on talent and entrepreneurship. On these topics, Lisa is a passionate speaker, writer, and strategist who relishes finding actionable solutions to tough challenges.
In 2012, Lisa was named among Crain’s Detroit Business 40 Under 40 for her accomplishments. She has held prior roles with Corporation for a Skilled Workforce, Detroit Regional Chamber, Research Data Analysis, Public Sector Consultants and the Michigan Department of Management and Budget.
Steve Kokotovich joined the William Davidson Foundation in May of 2023 as the first IT Manager. In this role, Steve provides daily technical support to the Foundation’s staff. He also manages all technical vendors, plans and prepares annual IT budgets, manages all backend systems including Microsoft Office 365 suite, and Cybersecurity. Forward thinking, he researches and recommends products, services, vendors, and solutions that align with the Foundation’s growing needs.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Steve worked for a number of businesses, starting his first IT job in 1985. He has previously held positions as IT Director, COO, and CTO. These experiences have provided Steve with the technical and executive skills required to adeptly support any user while having the ability to interact effectively with a C Suite, all while ensuring the Foundation runs secure, quick, and stable.
Steve is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and continues to stay informed on current technologies through peers and as a member of the Society of Information Managers – Detroit. He resides in Washington Township with his wife. Their two sons are grown and have left the nest. Steve and his wife enjoy camping and golfing, as well as raising a small flock of chickens and beekeeping.
Beverly Kramer is the Executive Assistant to the President and CEO of the William Davidson Foundation. She joined the Foundation in 2019, providing executive support including complex calendar management, communications support, travel planning, expense reporting and day-to-day operational support as a member of the Administrative team.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Beverly most recently served as Executive Administrative Assistant and Project Manager at Orlans PC. She began her career in advertising, holding various media positions at Campbell-Ewald and GTB Agency, supporting the CFO. As the National Sales Manager for Landon Media Group, she negotiated and executed automotive advertising campaigns.Beverly also spent several years as the Office Manager at Ascension Information Services, a non-profit health care organization.
Beverly earned her associate’s degree at Macomb Community College and her bachelor of arts degree in Communications with an emphasis in Marketing and Advertising at Michigan State University.
Beverly is a lifelong resident of metro Detroit, where she raised her daughter and two sons. She enjoys traveling, tennis, cooking, knitting and reading.
Darin McKeever serves as president & CEO of the William Davidson Foundation, one of Michigan’s largest independent, family foundations. The Foundation is actively honoring and extending Mr. Davidson’s legacy of generosity and contributing to the economic competitiveness and cultural vitality of Detroit, Israel, and Jewish communities across North America.
A builder of teams, organizations, and communities, Darin thrives when helping people realize their passions and potential, which he has sought to do over nearly three decades of entrepreneurial leadership in philanthropy and the social sector.
Since joining the William Davidson Foundation in 2015, Darin has advised and guided Mr. Davidson’s family on the direction of their philanthropy, clarified the organization’s mission, values, and grantmaking strategies, and assembled a team of world-class professionals to source, support, and steward transformative grants and partnerships across Southeast Michigan, Israel, and the Jewish world.
Previously, at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Darin built and led an international team which engaged opinion leaders, policymakers, associations, and technology platforms to improve the overall effectiveness of philanthropy and charities worldwide. For more than a decade prior to that, Darin was the executive director and co-founder of Heads Up, a provider of academic and enrichment programs which, under his leadership, became the largest AmeriCorps program serving the DC region.
Darin writes and speaks widely about entrepreneurship, leadership, charitable giving, and how trends in technology and transparency are impacting society and the social sector. His work and ideas have appeared in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Stanford Social Innovation Review, and Forbes.com, among other publications. He is also a former Echoing Green Fellow, a graduate of Leadership Greater Washington, and has served on boards and committees for a range of groups, including Harvard College, Michigan-Israel Business Accelerator, Alliance Magazine, Global Philanthropy Forum, Independent Sector, and the Council on Foundations. Darin currently sits on the boards of Leading Edge, the Jewish Funders Network, and Midtown Detroit, Inc.
Darin is an alumnus of Harvard College, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in social studies. He received his M.P.A. as a Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Jane McMicking is the accounting associate at the William Davidson Foundation. She joined the Foundation in April 2015 as executive assistant to the chief financial officer. In 2018, she was promoted to her current position and assists the Foundation’s Director of Accounting with accounts payable, grant payments, expense reports, and other finance-related projects.
From 2009 to 2015, she served as the client relationship manager at Wasserman Wealth Management in Farmington Hills, Michigan. There she managed all work associated with the administration of the office.
Jane began her career at Accretive Solutions, formerly Dickson Associates, the Troy, Michigan-based recruiting firm specializing in finance and information technology placements. She worked for the firm for 23 years, initially in the role of receptionist. Over time, she assumed more and more responsibility, ultimately serving for many years as the human resource manager. Jane earned her associates degree in General Studies at Oakland Community College
Jane and her family live in metropolitan Detroit.
Erica Miller joined the William Davidson Foundation in 2014 as its controller. A certified public accountant, she provides accounting, tax and audit expertise for the Foundation, including assisting the CFO with the annual audit process and preparation of the annual tax return.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Erica spent nine years in public accounting, working first at Deloitte & Touche LLP in Detroit and then for more than seven years for Plante Moran PLLC in Southfield, Michigan.
As an audit manager at Plante Moran, Erica served not-for-profit institutions such as large private foundations, cultural institutions and employee benefit plans with significant alternative investments. She began her career at JPMorgan Chase as a middle-market banking analyst.
Erica graduate summa cum laude from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, earning a bachelor of science in business administration. She earned her master of science in accountancy at Walsh College in Troy, Michigan.
She lives with her husband and children in metropolitan Detroit.
Suzanne Moran joined the William Davidson Foundation in 2015 as its first grants manager. She has been instrumental in overseeing the effort to formalize processes and procedures, and to develop a state-of-the-art grants database. She is responsible for working with grantees, grantseekers, and Foundation staff to manage the grantmaking processes.
For the previous 15 years, Suzanne served as the grants manager for the Skillman Foundation, a Detroit-based philanthropy dedicated to enhancing the educational and economic welfare of the city’s children. There, she worked to ensure that its grantmaking processes were efficient and easy-to-use, and that information could be provided in a timely manner.
Prior to joining the Skillman Foundation, Suzanne worked at DTE Energy for 10 years. For five of those years, she worked for the DTE Foundation in grants management.
Suzanne graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts. She has gained additional training in project management, with specific emphasis on “train-the-trainer” and facilitative leadership.
She and her family live in West Bloomfield.
Mike is a certified public accountant (CPA) who joined the Foundation in 2022 as the Assistant Controller. He works with the Foundation’s Director of Accounting and Accounting Associate to perform the accounting, tax and other finance–related functions of the Foundation. In addition, he assists with the annual financial statement audit and tax return filings.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Mike spent nine years in public accounting working for Plante Moran, PLLC in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Mike focused on providing audit services for banks, credit unions, mortgage companies, investment advisory firms, and employee benefit plans. He was a Benefit Plan Audit Specialist and a lead facilitator for annual core training sessions for senior staff.
Prior to becoming a CPA, he was a Store Manager for American Eagle Outfitters where he led a staff of
more than 30 employees, including the development and training of Assistant Store Managers.
Mike earned a Bachelor of Accountancy degree from Oakland University in Rochester Hills.
He lives in southeastern Michigan with his wife and three children.
Carla Smith joined the William Davidson Foundation in November 2017 as its human resources officer. In this role, she is responsible for partnering with the leadership team to develop and execute all human resource strategies and solutions in support of the overall direction of the Foundation. Her primary focus is talent acquisition and management, performance management, talent development, compensation, benefits administration, and general human resources administration.
For the previous three years, beginning in 2014, Carla served as the Skillman Foundation’s first full-time human resources officer. She assumed this role after serving for six years as Skillman’s dedicated, independent HR consultant. During her time at Skillman, she implemented a variety of innovative human resource solutions designed to strengthen the organization’s culture and values, and support its overall strategic objectives.
Carla began her career in the private sector. She worked primarily in the automotive supplier industry and last served as a learning and development manager. She was responsible for the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of all strategic learning and development initiatives at company headquarters and the North American plant locations.
Carla earned her bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University and her master’s degree in training and development from Oakland University. She is a western Michigan native and has lived in the metropolitan Detroit area since 1999.
Loretta Tatem joined the William Davidson Foundation in 2016 as the executive assistant for Program and Strategy. She provides administrative support to three senior program officers. This includes complex calendar management, communications support, travel planning, expense reporting, and prioritization and follow up on program and strategy-related issues, among other duties.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Loretta worked for nearly 14 years at Wayne State University in Detroit. From 2009-2016, she held a dual appointment, serving as the executive assistant to the Secretary of the Board of Directors as well as the Vice President for Economic Development. From 2002-2009, she worked for successive university presidents as senior administrative specialist to the president and secretary to president.
Loretta began her career at New Detroit Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting economic equity, social justice and racial understanding. There she worked for six consecutive presidents over 14 years. When New Detroit’s president was named president of the Detroit-based Skillman Foundation, she moved there with him, serving as his executive assistant from 1999-2002.
Loretta, a native of New York, is a graduate of Davenport College Business and resides in metropolitan Detroit.
Jason Heeney is a senior advisor for Israel Strategies. He oversees and supports the William Davidson Foundation’s Israel-based capital projects and partnerships within the Cultural and Civic Vitality focus area. To this work, he brings expertise in strategic planning and implementation, financial oversight and analysis, and all facets of the grantmaking process.
In 2011, Jason formed Jason Heeney Consulting to serve the philanthropic sector in Israel, the United States and Europe. His clients have included Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Crown Family Philanthropies, The Helmsley Trust and the Sebba Family. In addition, in 2017, he began providing consulting services for the Foundation.
For the previous decade, Jason served as executive director for the Chicago-based Mayer & Morris Kaplan Family Foundation. He was responsible for the foundation’s grantmaking as well as strategic development and program design, communications and external relations, and board relations.
He began his career as a project coordinator at the I Have A Dream Foundation, and later, as a program manager at North Lawndale College Preparatory Charter High School before joining the Kaplan Family Foundation.
Jason earned a bachelor of arts degree in religious studies at DePaul University. He also has earned a master’s degree from University of Illinois at Chicago in public administration.
Born in Michigan, Jason lives in Tel Aviv and is frequently traveling between Israel, the United States and Europe.
Deena Pulitzer is a senior advisor for Israel Strategies. She lives and works in Jerusalem and stewards and supports the William Davidson Foundation’s Israel-based grant activity in the Jewish Life and Economic Vitality focus areas. In addition, she cultivates and manages the Foundation’s Israel-based philanthropic partnerships and proactively investigates prospective grantees within the existing Jewish Life and Economic Vitality portfolios.
Deena previously served as the director of development at the Israel Democracy Institute, a Foundation grantee, where she worked with its leadership to help grow the Institute’s annual campaign and diversify its donor base. She also developed and executed research-based work plans that aligned with the Institute’s goals, mission and vision in order to achieve maximum impact.
Prior to joining Israel Democracy Institute, Deena was the director of the Women’s Leadership Program at Yeshiva University. She developed the career-development infrastructure for female pastoral leaders in synagogues across the United States and created a professional training program and network for female leaders in the Orthodox community. Earlier in her career, she served as the assistant director for Interfaith and Intergroup Programming at the Anti-Defamation League. She led inter-group dialogue with the Hispanic, Muslim, Sikh, and African-American communities in New York City, facilitated Holocaust educational training for Catholic educators, and worked with Jewish students on college campuses to help them organize their community during times of tension.
Deena was born in New York City and moved to Israel as a teenager. She served in the Prime Minister’s Office for her national service and received her bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations from The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Deena resides in Jerusalem with her husband and four children.
