Board of Directors

Kimberly Faison is the Director of Community and Economic Development at Detroit Future City with a focus on neighborhood economic growth within residential, commercial and industrial districts. Faison brings 22 years of experience in economic and community development to her role. She previously served as a Program Officer with the Ralph Wilson Foundation supporting Nonprofit Support and Innovation, where she supported the creation and development of Co.Act Detroit and was the inaugural Director of ProsperUS Detroit, leading a citywide collaboration in support of emerging entrepreneurs where she managed staff and program operations. She now serves on the board of ProsperUS Detroit. She is passionate about healing, growth and the prosperity of the Black community. As such, she serves on her community on her communitys planning commission and on a planning committee for Operation Refuge. She has a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Planning from Eastern Michigan University. DFC is known as a think and do tank, conducting research and community engagement, testing and piloting programs, and convening cross-sector collaboratives. Its work derives from a SO-year plan known as the Strategic Framework, which recommended a series of ideas, strategies, and approaches on how to best use our abundance of land, create job growth and economic prosperity, ensure vibrant neighborhoods, build an infrastructure that serves citizens at a reasonable cost and maintain the high level of community engagement that is integral to the city’s success.

Karen was born and raised in the metro Detroit area, where she continues to live and work. She has worked at Community Health Centers in multiple roles for over 20 years and has been the CEO of MyCare Health Center for five years. She is particularly proud of the impact MyCare has had navigating the COVID-19 pandemic while collaborating with a broad range of community partners and was asked to serve as the Healthcare Representative on the Macomb County Economic Recovery COVID Task Force and facilitate a Healthcare Subcommittee.   Karen also served on Governor Whitmer s Protect Michigan Commission Healthcare Workgroup. She is a 2018 Graduate of The National Association of Community Health Center’s CEO Institute. She participated in the Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care and Clinical Directors Networks Clinical Leadership Academy. In 2021, Karen completed the Health Care Executive Program at UCLAs Anderson School of Management. She is on multiple non-profit Boards, committees, and coalitions. She is on a journey to create community collaborations to promote quality access to care for all.   Karen received her Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University and completed her internship with Oakland County Health Division. Karen is a Registered Dietitian, with a passion for serving the underserved of her community.  

Jesus Hernandez, Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager, is committed to the well-being and community access. As an active parishioner at the Basilica of Ste. Anne de Detroit, his family, and his education have instilled in him firm commitments to community involvement and public service. He currently serves as board treasurer for the Michigan Hispanic Collaborative. A non-profit focused on accelerating economic mobility and access in the Detroit Hispanic community. He also serves as vice chair for Detroit MOTTEP (Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program) Foundation, a Gift of Life affiliate committed to educating Detroit’s multicultural community about organ and tissue donation. In February 2020, Hernandez was appointed to serve a 5-year at-large term by Mayor Mike Duggan on the City of Detroit Board of Police Commissioners and was confirmed by Detroit City Council. He was also appointed in December 2020 by Governor Gretchen Whitmer to serve a 3-year term on the Hispanic/Latino Commission of Michigan. Mr. Hernandez currently leads the Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy for Employee Resource Groups at Ford Motor Company. Previously, he worked at DTE Energy and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan where he held roles in diversity and inclusion, taxation, and HR consulting -and is a 2019 recipient of Corp! Magazine s Most Valuable Millennials Award. He is a lifelong resident of southwest Detroit and attended Wayne State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the Mike Ilitch School of Business.

Madiha Tariq is the Deputy Director at the ACCESS Community Health and Research Center in Dearborn, Michigan. She currently manages over 80 staff members at Access Community Health to lead the work in public health. She oversees patient care, health promotion, and disease prevention programs, including substance abuse, tobacco cessation, HIV/STD prevention and care, maternal health, infant health, refugee health, and wellness programs. She is also the Project Director for a program that promotes integration between primary care and behavioral health so that every individual serviced at ACCESS receives the full spectrum of care. Madiha is Co-Founder of the ACCESS Center for Arab Narratives CAN, a platform that facilitates community-empowered research, grows citizen scholars, and centralizes research on the MENA Middle East North Africa Community. She spearheads a team that advocates for improved access to health care through the ACCESS Affordable Health Care Education and Enrollment Initiative, which includes outreach, education, and advocacy surrounding the Affordable Care Act in Michigan. Through this initiative, ACCESS has assisted over 30,000 Arab Americans and other minorities in Southeast Michigan since 2013. Madiha is a professor in the School of Public Health at Wayne State University WSU. She is a fellow at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Interdisciplinary Research Leadership Program and an appointed Commissioner at the Project Michigan Commission. She currently sits on three governing boards and is a member of over six committees. She is a recipient of four awards, including, the Esteemed Women of Michigan 2021 Award. She graduated from Middlebury College earning a Bachelor of Arts in International Politics and Economics. She earned her Master s in Public Health: Global Health (Marketing & Communication) at George Washington University.