Speakers

Mary’s path to the Mayor’s Office began with grassroots activism, where she championed causes close to her heart—from social justice and housing equity to economic empowerment. She is privileged to stand on the shoulders of civil rights giants, including her grandfather, Horace Sheffield Jr., founder of the Detroit Trade Union Labor Council (TULC) and the Detroit Association of Black Organizations (DABO). Her father, the Rev. Horace Sheffield III, through his lifelong commitment to social justice advocacy, organizing, and ministry, helped mold her into the leader she is today. Mary also draws inspiration from her beloved mother, Yvonne Lovett, a nurse who instilled in her the importance of service to humanity.

In November 2013, Mary made history when she was elected to the Detroit City Council at just 26 years old, becoming the youngest person ever elected to the body. Representing District 5, she served as Chair of the Neighborhood and Community Services Standing Committee and as a member of the Planning and Economic Development and Budget, Finance, and Audit Standing Committees. She also served on several key boards, including the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), and the General Retirement System Pension Board. In January 2022, she again made history as the youngest person ever elected President of the Detroit City Council.

During her tenure on City Council, Mary authored and passed some of the most impactful legislation in the body’s history. Her legislative accomplishments include Inclusionary Housing, Property Tax Reform, Community Input Over Government Surveillance (CIOGS), Home Repair Grant Funding, the Industry Standards Board, the Neighborhood Improvement Fund, the Neighborhood Beautification Program, the Homeowner Property Tax Exemption (HOPE), Right to Counsel, and Responsible Contracting, among many others.

Beyond legislation, Mary was intentional about taking government directly to the people. Her innovative and nationally recognized engagement efforts included the monthly Conversations with the Councilwoman
series, annual State of the Youth Symposiums, and the flagship Occupy the Corner – Detroit initiative. These efforts brought together residents, artists, faith leaders, and public officials, and featured collaborations with figures such as Big Sean, Kierra Sheard, Michigan Supreme Court Justice Kyra Harris Bolden, Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist, Skilla Baby, Icewear Vezzo, Jeezy, and Mike Epps. She also launched transformative initiatives including the Neighborhood Angels Program, the Homelessness and Affordable Housing Taskforce, the Detroit Reparations Taskforce, and the Detroit Girls of Destiny mentoring program.

Mary Sheffield’s leadership has been recognized with numerous honors, including Crain’s 20 in Their 20s and 40 Under 40, Michigan Chronicle’s Women of Excellence and Power 50 Leaders, the NAACP Great Expectations Award, the Black United Fund’s Black Excellence Award, the JoAnn Watson Soul Sister Award, and the Maryann Mahaffey/Erma Henderson Elected Official of the Year Award.

As Mayor, Mary Sheffield brings a bold, visionary, and collaborative approach to leading Detroit forward. With a steadfast focus on revitalizing neighborhoods, expanding economic opportunity, and ensuring access to essential services, she is committed to building a city where growth is shared and prosperity is equitable. Guided by her faith and driven by her passion for people and justice, Mayor Mary Sheffield has accepted her calling to lead Detroit’s next chapter—ensuring the city’s continued renaissance leaves no one behind.

Mike Murri is a seasoned broadcast executive with more than 40 years in the Detroit television market. He is Scripps Regional Vice President and Vice President/General Manager of Channel 7-WXYZ and WMYD in Detroit.

Murri began at WXYZ as an intern and advanced through sales and management roles, including Account Executive, Local Sales Manager, Director of Sales and Station Manager. His strategic initiatives have strengthened the station’s community presence and commercial performance. Highlights include establishing WXYZ’s long-running partnership with the North American International Auto Show and its Red-Carpet Charity Preview (which has raised more than $125 million for Michigan charities); creating a street-side studio at Campus Martius to showcase Detroit’s resurgence; and nationally syndicating Woodward Dream Cruise special. During the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit, WXYZ devoted a week of local coverage and produced three “Detroit on the Clock” specials spotlighting players, businesses, and community leaders.
 
A committed community leader, Murri has led major local campaigns: “If You Give a Child a Book” (since 2016) has delivered over 100,000 books to Metro Detroit homes, and recent Forgotten Harvest telethons raised funds equivalent to roughly 360,000 meals. Ch.7’s “Brightest & Best” honors high achieving seniors across multiple platforms, and the station’s new “Let’s Talk” listening sessions bring newsroom leaders directly into neighborhoods.
 
Under Murri’s leadership, WXYZ has won multiple Regional Emmy Awards for Overall Excellence and was named Michigan Association of Broadcasters Station of the Year in 2023 and 2024.
 
Murri is active in the community and industry. He has chaired the Michigan Association of Broadcasters and served on the ABC Sales Advisory Committee. He currently serves on the executive board of Forgotten Harvest. In 2018 he received the NATAS Silver Circle Award; he was named a 2025 Michiganian of the Year by The Detroit News for his leadership in local journalism and community engagement; he is also the 2026 Chairman of the Visit Detroit Board and has been recognized by DBusiness as one of Metro Detroit’s most influential leaders.
 
A longtime Rochester Hills resident, Murri and his wife Mary have three children, six grandchildren, and enjoy golf and travel.

Molinari co-chaired the 2024 NFL Draft, which drew a record 775,000 attendees to Downtown Detroit, along with 54 million viewers on TV. Under his leadership, hotel lodging revenue reached $1 billion in 2023 for the first time in the region.

Molinari also manages the Detroit Sports Commission, which attracts amateur and large-scale sporting events to Southeast Michigan.

Molinari came to Visit Detroit from Huntington Place, the 16th largest convention center in North America, where he served as general manager.

Molinari serves on several boards, most notably as the Chairman of the Board of the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority appointed by the Governor of Michigan.

Jared additionally led the negotiations for the relocation of GM’s corporate headquarters to Hudson’s Detroit and forged the partnership between ROCK, Henry Ford Health and Michigan State University for the landmark Future of Health project. For more than a decade, Jared has been involved in all of Bedrock’s major civic initiatives and development projects, from executing the record-setting NFL Draft to bringing COSM to Detroit and Cleveland.

Prior to joining Gilbert’s Family of Companies, Jared was an attorney with the Washington, DC firm Squire Patton Boggs. Jared is a graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Law School. He is originally from Los Angeles, California and currently resides in Detroit, Michigan.

While proud of his business success, his roots are in the dangerous world of jazz music. He’s been playing guitar in smoky jazz clubs for 40 years, studied at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, and has performed over 1000 concerts around the world.

His experiences in both business and music led him to become one of the world’s foremost experts on innovation. Josh is the co-founder and Chairman of Platypus Labs, a global research, training, and consulting firm. Today, he’s on a mission to help leaders Find A Way™ through creative problem-solving, inventive thinking, and ingenuity.

Carolyn was born and raised on the northwest side of Detroit and is so very proud of the city's revitalization and new development.

Carolyn is also a proud graduate of Michigan State University, earning a degree in Broadcast Journalism. She also learned mental toughness from spending time in MSU's Army ROTC.

Carolyn is married to Gregory F. Goss, and is mother to Airielle, James, Brooke, Alyssa and Gregory Junior.In her spare time, Carolyn loves spending time with her family and volunteering in our community.