Speakers | Visit Detroit

JOSHUA SIREFMAN

CEO | MICHIGAN CENTRAL

Josh Sirefman is the Chief Executive Officer of Michigan Central, developing an ambitious and multidisciplinary plan to tackle pressing mobility challenges with solutions that will unlock a more sustainable and human-centered future.Previously, Sirefman co-founded and served as president of Sidewalk Labs. He also founded and led a development services firm that oversaw complex, large-scale projects for corporate, nonprofits, and government entities, including creating Cornell University’s tech program in New York City and developing its Roosevelt Island campus.

Additionally, Sirefman served as a key member of the economic development team of former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and oversaw U.S. development for Brookfield Properties.

A native of New York, Sirefman’s career started in Detroit through his work with Islandview Village Development Corporation and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation.He sits on multiple boards, including the New York Restoration Project, Fist & Heel Performance Group, and the University of Michigan’s Taubman College Urban Tech Program Advisory Board.

Sirefman earned a master’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University.

WILL GUIDARA

Author of the National Bestseller “Unreasonable Hospitality”

Will Guidara is the author of the National Bestseller Unreasonable Hospitality, which chronicles the lessons in service and leadership he has learned over the course of his career in restaurants. He is the former co-owner Eleven Madison Park, which under his leadership received four stars from the New York Times, three Michelin stars, and in 2017 was named #1 on the list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

He is the host of the Welcome Conference, an annual hospitality symposium that brings together like minded people to share ideas, inspire one another, and connect to form community. A graduate of the hospitality school at Cornell University, he has coauthored four cookbooks, was named one of Crain's New York Business's 40 Under 40, and is the recipient of WSJ Magazine's Innovator Award.

CLAUDE MOLINARI, CDME

PRESIDENT AND CEO | VISIT DETROIT

Since January 1, 2021, Claude Molinari has been the President and CEO of the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau (DBA Visit Detroit).

In this role, Molinari is responsible for overseeing the operations of Visit Detroit and developing its strategic direction. He provides the leadership and direction necessary to enable Visit Detroit to bring meetings and conventions, leisure and business visitors to metropolitan Detroit and accelerate economic growth for the region. He leads the creation of the annual sales and marketing plan of the bureau which outlines the direction Visit Detroit will take to attract tourism and meetings business to the region. He additionally oversees the development of the annual budget.

In addition to overseeing the direction of Visit Detroit, Molinari also oversees the Detroit Sports Commission (a subsidiary of Visit Detroit), which is responsible for securing amateur sports for the region and bringing in regional, national and international sporting events such as the NCAA Men’s Final Four in 2027 and the wildly successful and attendance record breaking 2024 NFL Draft.

Molinari serves as the Chairman of the Board of the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority (DRCFA) appointed by the Governor of Michigan. The DRCFA oversees the Huntington Place convention center in downtown Detroit which is in the process of undergoing a $500M transformation which includes a 600-room hotel attached to the facility.Additionally, he serves on the board of directors for The Parade Company, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, the Engineering Society of Detroit, Destinations International, the US Travel Association, and as a director at large for the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG).

He is a USA Hockey official, selected to referee state and national playoff tournaments. Molinari resides with his wife in Northville, Michigan and the city of Detroit.