Detroit People Mover Champions
Each month, the Detroit People Mover celebrates a local hero who keeps our city moving – through education, health, joy, arts, business, or activism.
February 2026 Champion:
Melia Howard
Melia Howard, General Manager, Detroit People Mover (Detroit Transportation Corporation)
Melia Howard is the General Manager of the Detroit Transportation Corporation (DTC), leading day-to-day operations for the Detroit People Mover, an elevated rail system that connects people to Downtown Detroit’s workplaces, entertainment, riverfront, and cultural destinations. A lifelong Detroiter and seasoned public-service leader, Melia steps into this role with a focus on strengthening mobility, expanding access, and creating opportunities for Detroiters and visitors alike.
Before joining the DTC, Melia served as the City of Detroit’s Deputy Mayor and as the Mayor’s Director of Community Engagement, beginning her career with the City as a District 5 Manager. Her work has helped advance major projects and community-centered development across Detroit, including the University of Michigan Center for Innovation (UMCI), the Fisher Body 21 building, and citywide affordable housing initiatives, experiences that reflect the cultivation of civic partnerships and results-driven leadership.
In her DPM Champion interview, Melia shares that her energy has always come from Detroiters themselves…and that transportation works best when it helps people feel acknowledged, heard, and supported. She sees the People Mover as more than a loop: it’s a connector within a growing mobility ecosystem. Her favorite stop, Water Square Station, captures what she loves most about Detroit: public space, everyday movement, and shared experiences along the river.
January 2026 Champion:
Founding Partner, J&F Advisors, PLLC; Author & Founder, Parker & Jhett Rose Publications; Co‑Founder, Michigan Association of CPAs for Minorities in Accounting and Finance (MACRS)
Robyn K. Fuller Butler, CPA
Robyn K. Fuller Butler is a Detroit-born CPA, entrepreneur, and financial literacy advocate dedicated to building access, opportunity, and long-term sustainability through accounting and education. A graduate of Cass Technical High School, the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, and Eastern Michigan University, she is a founding partner of J&F Advisors, PLLC, where she leads operations and marketing and partners closely with small-business owners—particularly in the retail sector—to deliver high-impact accounting, tax, and advisory services.
Beyond client work, Robyn’s influence extends into education and community development. She is the founder of Parker & Jhett Rose Publications, a children’s publishing company focused on teaching money, fairness, and social responsibility at an early age, including her book Let’s Be Fair for elementary-age readers. She is also the co-founder of MACRS, a nonprofit organization created to close talent gaps and increase minority representation in accounting by supporting students of color on the pathway to CPA certification.
Recognized as an emerging leader and multiple-time 40 Under 40 honoree, Robyn serves on Intuit’s Partner Council and the AICPA Board of Examiners and remains actively engaged with professional organizations, including AICPA, MICPA, and NABA. Across every role she holds, Robyn is committed to expanding access to financial knowledge, strengthening communities, and shaping the future of the accounting profession.
December 2025 Champion:
CEO, Downtown Detroit Partnership; President & CEO, Larson Realty Group; Founder & Executive Director, Community Investment Support Fund; Board Chairman, The Parade Company
Eric Larson
Eric Larson is the chief executive officer of the Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) and the founder, president, and CEO of Larson Realty Group, bringing more than three decades of experience in real estate investment, development, asset management, and leasing. Over the course of his career, he has helped develop, finance, own, and manage landmark projects across Detroit’s skyline while keeping people, public space, and long‑term community impact at the center of his work.
Since 2014, Eric has led DDP’s public‑private coalition of corporate, civic, and philanthropic leaders, advancing programs that activate parks and public spaces, support small businesses, and make Downtown a welcoming destination for everyone who lives, works, and visits here. Through Larson Realty Group and the Community Investment Support Fund, he continues to champion projects that create opportunity and inclusive growth across the region.
A frequent collaborator and board member with organizations such as the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, M‑1 Rail, the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, and The Parade Company, Eric believes Detroit’s future will be defined by how well it connects people to each other and to possibility. For him, places like the People Mover’s Grand Circus Park Station, where culture, entertainment, and everyday life intersect, symbolize a downtown where everyone belongs.
October 2025 Champion:
Special Advisor to the Mayor, City of Detroit • International Affairs Fellow in Canada (Council on Foreign Relations) • Council on Foreign Relations Fellow (Ontario Chamber of Commerce) • Former Chair, Detroit Transportation Corporation (Detroit People Mover)
Luke Polcyn
Luke Polcyn is a civic strategist and economic‑development leader in the City of Detroit Mayor’s Office, where he has helped deliver complex public‑private developments and growth initiatives. His work spans land reuse, brownfield redevelopment, land assembly, and innovative public finance. A proud DPM champion, Luke chaired the Detroit Transportation Corporation—overseeing the Detroit People Mover—for three years and six months, retiring from the board in August 2025 after years as a special and beloved member of the DPM family. A graduate of the University of Michigan and Georgetown Law, he has been recognized by Crain’s Detroit Business (“40 Under 40”) and selected for Council on Foreign Relations fellowships focused on U.S.–Canada economic cooperation.
September 2025 Champion:
District Manager-District 5 Mayor’s Office, Department of Neighborhoods, City of Detroit. Chief Executive Officer of The Detroit Boys Mentoring Club
Keith Butler
Keith Butler is a lifelong Detroiter, District 5 Manager in the City of Detroit Mayor’s Office–Department of Neighborhoods, and the founder & CEO of The Detroit Boys Mentoring Club.
As the bridge between City Hall and 58 neighborhoods, Detroit’s largest district, he leads engagement efforts, solves resident concerns, and connects communities to resources and citywide initiatives. After losing his younger brother in 2012, Keith launched DBMC to inspire, equip, and guide boys ages 7–17 through the pillars of Self‑Excellence, Career Readiness, and Community Leadership, delivering programs in financial and digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and life skills with partners including Code 313, Detroit People Mover, Comcast, and NAMIC. Driven by the belief that opportunity should be within reach for every child, he is focused on strengthening neighborhoods, empowering families, and shaping Detroit’s next generation of leaders.
August 2025 Champion:
Mayor of Detroit, Michigan
Mike Duggan
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is a lifelong Michigander known for reviving major civic institutions and infrastructure. After earning his J.D. from the University of Michigan, he served 14 years as Deputy Wayne County Executive, spearheading landmark projects including Comerica Park, Ford Field, the McNamara Terminal, and the modernization of Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
From 2004 to 2013 Duggan led the Detroit Medical Center out of near‑bankruptcy, growing the eight‑hospital system to 14,000 employees and instituting the nationally lauded “29‑minute ER guarantee.”
Elected mayor in 2013 as Detroit faced municipal bankruptcy, he has since won record‑setting re‑elections (2017, 2021) and is now the city’s second‑longest‑serving mayor. His turnaround successes have earned induction into the National Management Hall of Fame, placement at #20 on Fortune’s “50 Greatest World Leaders,” and columnist George Will’s accolade as “the most accomplishing politician in America.”
Mayor Duggan now brings his results‑driven leadership to the Detroit People Mover Champions program.
July 2025 Champion:
Founder and President of City Institute
Jeanette Pierce
Jeanette Pierce is a lifelong Detroiter, social entrepreneur, and the Founder and President of City Institute, an organization that strengthens cities by helping residents and newcomers understand—and care deeply about—the places where they live and work. A self‑described data nerd and engaging storyteller, Jeanette has introduced more than 150,000 people to Detroit’s small businesses, historic neighborhoods, planning policies, and innovative solutions through experiential learning tours that blend statistics, history, and first‑person narratives. Her insights have been featured on stages such as Atlantic Magazine’s CityLab and the Governor’s Economic Summit, and her impact has earned her honors including the Detroit Free Press Shining Light Future Leader Award, Crain’s Detroit Business “40 Under 40,” DBusiness “30 in Their 30s,” and the 2022 “Top 50 Women Leaders of Michigan.” Jeanette serves on the boards of the Michigan Municipal League Foundation and the Detroit Historical Society, holds a B.A. in communication from Aquinas College, and lives on Detroit’s Eastside with her husband and four‑year‑old triplets.
June 2025 Champion:
President & Artistic Director | Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts:
Vince C. Paul
Vince Paul, President and Artistic Director of Detroit’s most iconic cultural nonprofit—the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts—is a visionary leader whose commitment to the city's cultural and transportation ecosystems makes him a natural recipient of the Detroit People Mover Champion Award. A fierce advocate for accessible, people-powered cities, Vince has long championed the idea that mass transit is essential to a thriving arts and entertainment district. Under his leadership, Music Hall has not only elevated Detroit’s performing arts scene to national prominence but has also partnered with the Detroit People Mover to bring culture into motion—literally. Vince pioneered the concept of transforming transit spaces into immersive cultural experiences, leading to the full artistic wrap of the Broadway station. This station now features a vibrant musical tribute, complete with a gallery of legendary Detroit performers who have graced the Music Hall stage, turning a routine commute into a celebration of the city's artistic legacy.