This is the talented, dedicated team that brought you the 2014 Urban Entrepreneurship Symposium.
Karen A. D. Burton, Co-Director, Social Media Marketing
Karen’s passion is encouraging entrepreneurs and small businesses to reach their goals and fulfill their dreams. She is currently business development and marketing manager for SDG Associates, one of the most creative and prolific architecture firms in the city of Detroit. She is also a social media marketing strategist to professional services firms.
Marcus Harris, Director, Urban Entrepreneurship Case Studies
Marcus Harris (U-M Ross BBA ’99, MBA ’07) is an entrepreneurship instructor at Wayne County Community College District in Detroit. He is also a trainer for ProsperUS Detroit, a neighborhood-based microenterprise development program. He also serves as a facilitator for BUILD Social, an innovative training program for social entrepreneurs, which he co-founded and launched with nonprofit D:hive Detroit in 2014.
Anita Lane, Director, PR and Media Relations
Anita S. Lane is CEO of Sensei Communications, a PR firm with a niche in technology and entertainment. The former director of Community Development Advocates of Detroit, Anita is one of the original facilitators of the “Detroit Neighborhood Revitalization Strategic Framework”— forerunner to the “Detroit Future City” plan. Anita is a Detroit native who earned her B.A. and M.P.P. from the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor.
Marlo Rencher, Director, Community Engagement Methods
Marlo Rencher is an anthropologist and social entrepreneur with deep experience in small business development. A MSU graduate with a BA in marketing, Marlo also has a MBA from UM, and a Ph.D. in anthropology from Wayne State. Marlo is a co-founder of Snapsure (snapsure.co), a mobile platform for instant feedback.
Cynthia Respert, Director, Event Planning and Coordination
Cynthia has a passion for bringing people, resources and fine details together to orchestrate experiences. With over 17 years of experience, this passion drove her to start her own project management company, Marie Elan, LLC. She earned her BA from Michigan State University and continued her studies at Wayne State where she received her MBA. Among varied productions, she was the Project Manager of Brand Camp Detroit where over 300 passionate entrepreneurs and creatives assembled to spark ideas to impact the branding and technology world.
Benjamin Seidman, Co-Director, Social Media Marketing
Ben attended the University of Michigan, where he concentrated in English and Entrepreneurship. Ben started a business that produced Instagram marketing services for Ann Arbor businesses. He has worked with tech and media ventures in Manhattan and Tel Aviv such as Mobli Media, Inc. and [L]earned Media. Ben served as Sharsheret’s (New Jersey) Social Media Associate earlier this year. Now 23 years of age, Ben lives in Detroit, and though he is NY-bred, he considers himself part Detroiter.
W. David Tarver, Symposium Founder and Executive Director
Flint native and UEI founder W. David Tarver is an entrepreneur, engineer, corporate executive, community leader, and author of the book “Proving Ground: A Memoir.” He also serves on the faculty of the U-M Center for Entrepreneurship, Ann Arbor. See www.DavidTarver.com.
Wesley Zhu, Research Intern
Wesley is a sophomore at the Ross School of Business. He sees entrepreneurship as a powerful tool to empower individuals, spur economic recovery for communities, and bring life-changing innovation to the world. He also enjoys Russian literature and dreams of living in San Francisco.