The Skillman Foundation

At The Skillman Foundation, we are embedded in community, actively convening with peers and partners near and far while cataloging ideas to find ways to ride the tsunami wave of federal policy orders while actively protecting those around us. ? Our President & CEO Angelique Power shares how the Foundation is responding and continuing to build anew with young people, community members, and policy movers of all stripes.

Detroit is a city of Visionaries ?? From now until April 20th you can find the 2025 Skillman Visionaries featured all across the city! #SkillmanVisionary #detroit #michigan #education Juan Jose Martinez Saba Gebrai Jametta Yvonne Lilly Mario Lemons Anisa N. Sahoubah Wytrice Harris, M.Ed. Alisa Ruffin ambra redrick Detroit Public Schools Community District Detroit Parent Network Detroit Achievement Academy Detroit Regional Chamber The Detroit Promise Teen HYPE Wayne State University College of Education

Celebrating education changemaker, Wytrice Harris, M.Ed., 2025 Skillman Visionary awardee! Wytrice Harris supports and empowers Detroit students and parents, helping them build stronger schools and expand their own access to higher education. Harris currently serves as senior director of college success and partnerships for The Detroit Promise Scholarship. The scholarship offers Detroit graduates a tuition-free path to an associate degree, bachelor’s degree, or technical certificate at 32 postsecondary institutions across Michigan. Since 2013, Detroit Promise has supported over 8,000 students from Detroit to college. Harris’ previous roles include serving as a Math Corps program coordinator at Wayne State University, leading the Osborn College Access Network, and leading grassroots education organizing with 482Foward. Harris is a founding member and current board member of 482Forward, supporting Detroit youth, parents, and community members in education systems change. Harris also has served as pastor of Total Life Christian Ministries, a church founded with her husband, for 30 years and counting. Her life’s work is rooted in the motto, if better is possible, good is never enough. — Bestowed annually, the Skillman Visionary Awards recognize up to 10 individuals who are updating and upgrading the education system in Detroit and beyond. Visionaries represent a mix of educators, advocates, and policy influencers leading transformative change. Learn more at skillmanvisionary.org. #SkillmanVisionary #detroit #michigan #education Detroit Regional Chamber

Celebrating education changemaker, Saba Gebrai, 2025 Skillman Visionary awardee! Saba Gebrai helps foster youth become powerful advocates for themselves and other young people facing similar challenges. With two decades of experience, she has led efforts to increase high school graduation, prepare them for postsecondary opportunities, and provide support for Michigan college students with foster care backgrounds. She works alongside youth leaders with lived expertise of the foster care system to ensure children and youth in foster care are heard and seen in policy and in the systems that serve them, to ensure they are supported throughout their educational journey. Currently, Gebrai serves as a program director for the Park West Foundation, supporting southeast Michigan youth as they age out of the foster care system. She leads youth-led programs and policy advocacy initiatives that enhance the educational and total well-being of foster youth. Gebrai involves the students at every step, from program planning and policy strategy development to press conferences and legislative hearings. In partnership with youth who have experienced foster care, she co-founded the Empowering Foster Youth Through TECHnology (EFyTECH) advocacy group and serves as an advisor, helping young people form policy recommendations that ensure their access to education through high school graduation. This work has led to state legislative wins and received national attention. Gebrai says the most important thing you can do for a young person is listen to them. — Bestowed annually, the Skillman Visionary Awards recognize up to 10 individuals who are updating and upgrading the education system in Detroit and beyond. Visionaries represent a mix of educators, advocates, and policy influencers leading transformative change. Learn more at skillmanvisionary.org #SkillmanVisionary #detroit #michigan #education

Celebrating education changemaker, Sarah Winchell Lenhoff, 2025 Skillman Visionary awardee! Sarah Winchell Lenhoff’s research on student attendance, mobility, and school choice has informed essential education policy changes. Her research illuminates pressing challenges and effective solutions to improve the education system in Detroit and beyond. Lenhoff is an associate professor of educational leadership and policy studies and the Leonard Kaplan Endowed Professor at Wayne State University’s College of Education. Her research largely focuses on education policy implementation and equitable education access, with an emphasis on how social policy contexts shape educational experiences. Currently, Lenhoff is examining how investments in affordable housing and neighborhood transformation can strengthen communities and create educational opportunity. Lenhoff has co-authored more than 60 education policy studies, including books, journal articles, and public reports, and shared her work with numerous Detroit community members and universities across the nation. She has helped to secure millions of dollars in grant funding to support collaborative research projects, evaluations, and intervention strategies. Lenhoff began her career as a New York City public school teacher and previously led the research and policy division of the nonprofit The Education Trust-Midwest. Lenhoff is the founding faculty director of the Detroit Partnership for Education Equity & Research (Detroit PEER). Lenhoff’s research centers on gathering insights from students, educators, parents, and community members to understand what’s not working in the education system and what can be done to repair and enhance it. — Bestowed annually, the Skillman Visionary Awards recognize up to 10 individuals who are updating and upgrading the education system in Detroit and beyond. Visionaries represent a mix of educators, advocates, and policy influencers leading transformative change. Learn more at skillmanvisionary.org. #SkillmanVisionary #detroit #michigan #education

Celebrating education changemaker, Mario Lemons, 2025 Skillman Visionary awardee! Mario Lemons “builds the village” around students and helps them develop into their best selves. Lemons began his education career as a teacher at Henry Ford Academy Elementary School in Detroit. In addition to his years of experience in the classroom, Lemons also served as a behavior interventionist, helping students process difficult emotions. With education and the arts being an integral part of his life’s work, Lemons has dedicated himself to empowering young people in creative spaces, as well as motivating students academically, socially, and emotionally. In 2019, Lemons became the Head of School at Detroit Achievement Academy. His ability to cultivate strong social connections has strengthened the school community and contributed to student success. Growing up less than a mile away from the Academy, Lemons leverages his deep ties to the neighborhood to engage local members in supporting the school. His dedication led to his recognition as a “2022 Michigan Charter School Administrator of the Year Finalist” by MAPSA and receiving the “Transformative School Leader of the Year” award from the Black Male Educators Alliance (BMEA) in 2024. Lemons’ unwavering commitment and impact are felt by students, families, and colleagues alike. — Bestowed annually, the Skillman Visionary Awards recognize up to 10 individuals who are updating and upgrading the education system in Detroit and beyond. Visionaries represent a mix of educators, advocates, and policy influencers leading transformative change. Learn more at skillmanvisionary.org. #SkillmanVisionary #detroit #michigan #education

Celebrating education changemaker, Juan Jose Martinez, 2025 Skillman Visionary awardee! Born and raised in the vibrant Latina/o community of Southwest Detroit, Juan José Martínez’s mission hits close to home. Martínez is superintendent of the public charter district Cesar Chavez Academy Schools. He closely engages with staff, students, parents, and community members to support the well-being and success of students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Under his guidance, César Chávez Academy Schools have been recognized for academic excellence and cultural inclusion. César Chávez Academy students are encouraged to freely express themselves through different languages and celebrate the cultures of their families and neighbors. Bilingual and bicultural education is Martínez’s specialty, and he has observed how this approach has proven to engage and accelerate young people in their learning journeys. Before leading César Chávez Academy, Martínez served as the district’s high school leader. He has also held a leadership role at Detroit Public Schools and was a two-time elected member of the Detroit Board of Education, District 2, where he advocated for additional federal and state funding for students and introduced policies at the district level that impacted thousands of students. After serving on the Detroit Board of Education, Martínez worked in city government as an assistant to former Mayor Dennis Archer and chief of staff for then-City Council Member Sheila Cockrel. Martínez says the students in his schools inspire him daily, and partnerships with parents fuel their success. — Bestowed annually, the Skillman Visionary Awards recognize up to 10 individuals who are updating and upgrading the education system in Detroit and beyond. Visionaries represent a mix of educators, advocates, and policy influencers leading transformative change. Learn more at skillmanvisionary.org. #SkillmanVisionary #detroit #michigan #education

How far is too far? How many children’s lives will Congress sacrifice to save a buck? Nearly 1 million children in Michigan rely on Medicaid — that’s nearly half of all the kids in the state and one in four Michiganders overall. Pair Medicaid cuts with eliminating the Department of Education, and we’re not trimming government — we’re gutting the very systems that help kids grow into healthy, educated adults. We are destroying the scaffolding that supports the youngest and most vulnerable among us. Read more from us at The Skillman Foundation below. https://lnkd.in/e2w_QYgk

Calling all rising 10th and 11th graders ?? An opportunity to learn, connect, and bring your voice to shape the future of education is coming! Applications will be open soon for our Skillman Youth Council, stay tuned for more info. #youthvoice #education #philanthropy #grantmaking #detroit #michigan #detroityouth

Efforts to cut Medicaid and dismantle education are a direct attack on kids. When Medicaid is cut, schools lose staff, programs, and essential services. Pair that with eliminating the U.S. Department of Education, and kids lose the support they need to learn and thrive.