About

Jerry Hebron is a permanent fixture in the North End community and the executive director of North End Christian Community Development Corporation since 2008. Under her leadership, North End CDC has expanded its capacity to meet the needs of the community via education, skilled training, and access to support its’ vision of empowering neighbors through community-based assets. Today, thanks. to Jerry Hebron, and her 25 years of service in Michigan real estate, the North End CDC campus is six acres of food production, community event space, farmers market, native plants, fruit trees, perennial flowers, chickens, and business.

Natosha Monique Tallman is a community-driven leader with over 15 years of experience in nonprofit management, fund development, and community empowerment. Her journey began in 2008 at Vanguard Community Development Corporation, where she quickly advanced from Executive Assistant to Program Director, launching workforce development initiatives for returning citizens. Natosha’s dedication to marginalized communities continued through her role in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Council of Michigan Foundation, where she worked to foster inclusive environments and equitable resource distribution across Michigan.

Since 2017, Natosha has served with the Northend Christian Community Development Corporation, evolving from Administrative Assistant to Director of Programs and, most recently, Co-Director of the Detroit Cultivator Community Land Trust. In these roles, she oversees daily operations, collaborative programs, and strategic fund development.

A co-owner of STUFFED Detroit LLC and founder of IMX Innovations Group, Natosha combines her community passion with entrepreneurial savvy, creating sustainable models that benefit local economies. With expertise in program management, risk assessment, and effective communication, she is committed to building resilient, self-sufficient communities through education, skilled training, and equitable support for all.

Bill is a Professor of Technology and Operations in the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, and holds a joint appointment in the School of Art and Design. He has many peer-reviewed articles in top journals and has served as Department Editor for the Operations and Supply Chains department of Management Science. At UM Bill has served as Department Chair, faculty co-director for UM’s Master of Entrepreneurship, and Associate Dean for One Year Masters programs at Ross. Bill has worked in the private and public sectors and has been on the business school faculties at Georgia Tech, Stanford University and now the University of Michigan. He has worked with companies on process analysis and improvement, new product development, and the management of innovation; and with hospitals and clinics on health care operations; and with non-profits on social entrepreneurship and addressing food and housing vulnerabilities. He is co-author of a textbook on Hospital Operations.

Mark is Managing Director - Affordable Housing Group in the Detroit Justice Center’s Economic Equity Practice. He is a real estate attorney with a focus on addressing the need for affordable and sustainable housing in Detroit’s neighborhoods. Mark previously practiced with Miller Canfield in the Real Estate and Environmental Groups where he focused on economic development matters and created the firm’s Climate Law Team. Since 1985, he has participated in the development and rehabilitation of nine multifamily and mixed-use properties, including nearly 2,000 residential units and 120,000 square feet of commercial space. Mark was instrumental in the development of Dreamtroit, a 4-acre, 81-unit, mixed-use affordable housing, artist-led community in the historical Lincoln Motor Factory, located in Detroit’s Northwest Goldberg neighborhood. Mark has extensive start-up and venture capital experience having started 3 venture capital backed companies as well as an incubator offering legal and financing support to fellow entrepreneurs.

Beatriz Eliza is a Detroit native with a BFA in Design and Merchandising from Parsons School of Design and an MBA from UCLA. She began her career in New York as a Costume Designer for theatre/ television and a Commercial/Film Producer, a journey that spanned over a decade. During this time, she also mentored young artists in both New York and Los Angeles through various youth development and arts programs.

After returning to her hometown, Beatriz shifted her focus to uplifting Detroit’s youth by helping them explore identity, creativity, and healing through art and wellness. She served as the Community Engagement Manager at Chroma Detroit and is the founder of The Opal Wellness, a sacred space designed to help individuals reconnect with their inner balance.

Beatriz holds certifications in breathwork, sound healing, Reiki, and real estate development. Her wellness practice is deeply informed by these disciplines, which she integrates into her work.

Rooted in Detroit’s North End—what she lovingly calls the “Good Soil”—Beatriz is committed to giving back to the community that shaped her. Over the past three years, she has expanded into real estate development, working to revitalize Detroit’s neighborhoods through housing rehabilitation and community-centered projects that prioritize equity and inclusion.

Sara Elbohy is the Program Officer for the Hudson-Webber Foundation. In her previous position as an urban planner with the city of Detroit’s Planning and Development department, Elbohy conducted research on land, market and socio-economic trends in neighborhood planning areas as part of the Strategic Neighborhood Fund program. She also coordinated the Land Based Projects Team, an inter-agency working group focused on improving city processes in support of utilizing vacant land for neighborhood revitalization and economic development. Elbohy also served as a project manager with the Detroit Land Bank Authority, where she managed a pipeline of more than 200 real estate development projects, from application intake and review to transaction processing to compliance. Prior to returning to Detroit, she spent several years working with various refugee aid and human development organizations in Istanbul, Turkey. Elbohy holds a master’s degree in urban planning from Wayne State University and a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and global studies from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

Carol was born in Lincoln Park and raised in the City of Detroit where she has lived much of her adult life. She has been a licensed realtor for almost 40 years, and has served at various times as President of the Detroit Board of Realtors in 2010, Co-treasurer of same, Governor of a Multi-listing service, and on the Government Affairs, Special Activity and Grievance committees. She has also served at the state level on the Michigan Association of Realtors. Carol has been active as a volunteer throughout the City of Detroit most of her adult life. For the past 12 years she has served on the Board of the North End Christian CDC, and is currently a Founding Board member for the Detroit Cultivator Community Land Trust, and marketing manager for the Oakland Avenue Urban Farm. In 2020 she became a co-owner of the Black Bottom Garden Center in the Detroit’s historic North End neighborhood.

Eric Williams is Managing Director of Detroit Justice Center’s Economic Equity Practice. A native Detroiter, Eric is a transactional attorney with an emphasis on the legal needs of Detroit’s entrepreneurs, small businesses, and nonprofits. Eric previously served as the director of Wayne State University Law School’s Business and Community Law Clinic as well as the Director of the Wayne Law Program for Entrepreneurship and Business Law. His previous experience includes private practice in the New York offices of Nixon Peabody, LLP and Winston & Strawn, LLP. Prior to attending law school, Eric worked extensively in the nonprofit sector, serving in the development offices of Focus: Hope in Detroit and the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island in New York. He previously served on the board of directors for Ponyride, the Neighborhood Advisory Committee for the Little Caesars Arena and currently sits on the Lawyers Committee for the Michigan ACLU.

Evan Bryce Fay, a distinguished Air Force Veteran with over 13 years of expertise in real estate development, brings substantial experience and unwavering dedication to his projects. Having successfully developed over 60 units across four states, Evan’s impressive track record underscores his capability and vision. As an alumnus of both the Building Community Values (BCV) and Equitable Development Initiative (EDI), he is profoundly committed to the revitalization of Detroit. His primary focus is on creating properties that meet the needs of the city’s growing population, with a special focus on veterans, while fostering a sense of community and adhering to sustainable practices.

James serves as secretary of the Detroit Cultivator Community Land Trust and is a community developer currently focused on rehabbing a former grocery store in Detroit’s North End, adjacent to Oakland Avenue Urban Farm. His experience includes a 25-year career in advertising and corporate marketing, in roles that encompassed creative direction, media buying, brand management and product development. James lives in Detroit’s New Center Neighborhood and is married to Stephen Gliatto.