Marlin has 20+ years’ experience in Tech and DEI. She has served as the Global Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer for Two Fortune-500 organizations and a Unicorn Startup. Marlin was selected as the first Chief Program Officer for Tech Town. With the goal of increasing diversity in tech-based startups, Marlin founded Start Studio to assist aspiring startup founders with their tech-based business ideas. Marlin founded two-tech companies, a DEI consulting firm, and Sisters Code.

Deavondre Jones, an Oakland University educator with a degree from Columbia College, is a business leader. He created "ServiceSpire," aiding tech-driven service businesses, and launched "Scale Studio" with Techtown Detroit. As Founder of DanceSpire, he democratized Hip Hop dance in West Michigan, offering affordable classes and starting #DropInWednesdays.

After spending the past year and a half as VP of Product & Programs, leading the Detroit innovation studios, Colleen started her own insight driven innovation and strategy practice, Orthogonal Thinking. Prior to that she was at Carhartt for 7 years leading product innovation efforts for the brand with time also spent working in insights and strategy. Her 25+ years of professional experience have spanned roles ranging from social justice research in academia, consulting with brands to develop innovation.

Marcus Reliford has worked in the grocery retail industry for over 18 years. He held several leadership positions over his 18-year span including store director and district manager. He most recently opened a consulting firm, Reliford Investments, that dives into the operations of the business owner including sales, profit, marketing, hiring, and best business practices. He is passionate about the Detroit food ecosystem and helping entrepreneurs reach their full potential in business.

Holly has an extensive background in retail and wholesale. Before starting at TechTown she had her own gift store featuring the work of over 300 artists, makers and small businesses. Prior to that she built a wholesale art business and sold her own artwork to hundreds of shops nationwide. Her strengths include. excellent customer service, community building, creative marketing, product selection, pop ups, trade shows and merchandising. In her free time Holly enjoys making art and spending time with her dogs

As co-owner of two restaurants & two cocktail bars, Heather has experience with liquor license acquisition, lease & purchase agreement negotiation, managing the construction & permitting process, & implementing operational systems. Heather worked as a real estate attorney for over 10 years & successfully oversaw the leasing process, including developing & maintaining relationships with small business owners, Fortune 500 companies & luxury European retailers.

Sukhi is currently finishing his third year of medical school at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is the cofounder of Nutroit LLC, a startup company that is investigating the effectiveness of personalized micronutrition as a means of recovery for patients with cardiovascular disease. Sukhi has extensive experience organizing clinical research studies, performing study enrollments, and managing research teams.

Shaun is our Senior Customer Discovery Specialist and a Wayne State University trained anthropologist who teaches tech entrepreneurs how to conduct customer discovery interviews, analyze customer feedback, and ultimately help tech entrepreneurs grow better businesses. She has supported tech-based entrepreneurs through the customer discovery process in various TechTown programs since 2019. Shaun's superpower is helping tech founders turn their ideas into real world solutions.

Graduate student of the Business and Organizational Anthropology master’s program from Wayne State University

My goal as a business anthropologist is to bring the mindset of understanding people and culture as a tool to gain deep cultural insights that can help businesses develop products more in-line with the needs of their customers. As a Customer Discovery Specialist I am excited to helping growing businesses in Detroit to be successful and help the city to become a major player in the tech world.

Retail I Brick + Mortar Operations I Retail Pop-Up Support I Visual Merchandising I Customer Service

Carrie comes to TechTown with 20+ years of professional experience in various industries including wholesale distribution and retail. Having been on the front lines in her shop for 12 years, Carrie brings a high level of understanding and experience in retail operations including, but not limited to: product pricing, visual merchandising, inventory sourcing and management, and pop-up development/strategy.

Retail I Operations I Visual Merchandising I Business Strategy I Brick & Mortar Operations I Pop-Up Support

Christina provides support to small business owners as they strengthen business concepts, open physical locations, and continue to grow. She has over 20 years experience in retail management, operations, product development and non-profit leadership. Her areas of specialty include business strategy, operations, staff training, visual merchandising, pop-ups, and inventory management.

Areas of Specialty: Bilingual | Community Resources | Event Planning + Outreach

A native of Durango, Mexico, Mayté has lived in Michigan for over 25 years. Mayté brings a tremendous network to TechTown from over 20 years of service to Southwest Detroit communities through a mix of community and economic development. Her background allows for an understanding of the unique bicultural/bilingual circumstances of the SW community. Because of this, she is able to personally connect with entrepreneurs.

Originalmente de Durango, México, Mayté lleva más de 25 años viviendo en Michigan. Ella trae una red enorme a TechTown, cultivada sobre más de 20 años de servicio a las comunidades del suroeste a través de una mezcla de desarrollo comunitario y económico. Su experiencia permite un conocimiento de las circunstancias biculturales únicas de la comunidad. Debido a esto, ella se connecta personalmente con los empresarios.

Jaunice has over 15 years of experience in the financial services industry. During her time working with financial institutions she has held positions in the Banks’s Retail, Operations, Trust, Middle Market, Community Reinvestment, Compliance and Public Affairs departments. Prior to joining Tech Town as a Capital Strategist, she served as a Financial Coach for a local non-profit agency. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Community Development and MS Degree in Administration from Central Michigan.

Mack obtained a Bachelor and Masters of Science in Computer Science from Oakland University. He has worked for large Silicon Valley-based companies for most of his 20-year career, including 5 years at Sun Microsystems and 10 years at Oracle Corporation. In parallel, Mack has built companies in the restaurant and technology sector. His current focus areas are Unified Communications, DevOps and Distributed Technologies such as Blockchain.

Areas of Specialty: Web/Mobile Apps | Growth | Strategy

David has a rich background in tech with a deep focus on software. Over the last 20 years, he has helped small businesses to Fortune 100 companies build and maintain critical software apps on various platforms. In 2008, he realized his dream of entrepreneurship + started a B2B consulting firm servicing small to medium-sized businesses in Web and iOS product development. In March of 2015, David became the 4th employee at StockX.

Managing Director @ Sino Auto Insights, a management consultancy with expertise in the mobility sector. Co-organizer of the annual MOBILIT/E Conference. Author of the SAI Newsletter, a weekly round up & analysis of the most important news coming out of the EV/AV & mobility space. Worked in Detroit, Silicon Valley and Shanghai in the automotive & high tech sectors for companies such as GM, Ford, Apple, Logitech as well as Chinese tech startups