Southeast Michigan Transportation Insecurity Summit

Transportation shapes whether people can reach healthcare, work, education, food, family, and the opportunities available in their communities.

On October 1–2, 2026, the Catch a Ride Network will convene leaders from across Southeast Michigan at Ford Motor Company World Headquarters in Dearborn to examine how communities can build transportation systems around the needs of people—not around any single transportation mode.

The Southeast Michigan Transportation Insecurity Summit will bring together community organizations, transportation providers, healthcare leaders, employers, educators, funders, policymakers, advocates, and people working directly with residents to share what is working, identify where gaps remain, and develop practical next steps for the region.

In Michigan, 37% of residents are considered transportation insecure, increasing to 42% in the Metro Region.* But transportation insecurity is not simply about whether a bus, vehicle, or ride exists. It is about whether people can reliably reach the places and opportunities that matter in their lives.

This Summit is designed to move the conversation from understanding transportation insecurity toward building transportation security—connecting the resources Southeast Michigan already has, strengthening promising solutions, and identifying what we can build together.

Thursday, October 1, 2026

Building Transportation Access Around People

Our first day will look at transportation through the experiences and destinations that matter to people—not through any single mode of transportation.

8:00–9:00 a.m. | Registration, Breakfast, & Networking

Breakfast (fresh fruit, assorted muffins, breakfast potatoes, scrambled eggs, orange juice, bacon and turkey sausage)

9:00–9:20 a.m. | Opening Welcome: Why We Are Here

Setting the stage for two days focused on understanding transportation insecurity and building practical, collaborative solutions across Southeast Michigan.

• Valerie Lefler - Executive Director & Founder, Feonix - Mobility Rising - Catch a Ride Network

• Jean Ruestman - Administrator, Office of Passenger Transportation, Michigan Department of Transportation

• Joe Provenzano - Director, Mobility & Volunteerism, Ford Philanthropy
  

9:20–10:15 a.m. | Transportation Insecurity in Southeast Michigan — Understanding & Owning the Challenge Before Us

Defining Transportation Insecurity and understanding the scope, causes, and consequences.  A regional first hand perspective at how transportation insecurity impacts access to healthcare, employment, education, food, community, and opportunity—and why solving it requires collaboration across sectors.

• Dr. Alexandra Murphy - Assistant Research Scientist, Poverty Solutions, Associate Director of Social Science Research, Mcity, at the University of Michigan

• Guest Panel of Community Residents

10:15–10:30 a.m. | Putting People at the Center of Systems, Innovation & Problem-Solving

A human-centered perspective on designing systems that work better for the people who depend on them—and how organizations can think differently about complex challenges.

• Richard “Rich” Sheridan — Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Menlo Innovations, Author Chief Joy Officer

10:30-11:15 a.m. | Veterans: Connecting Those Who Served to Care, Benefits, Food & Community

Exploring transportation barriers facing veterans and opportunities to better connect transportation, veteran services, healthcare, benefits, and community resources.

• Dustin Curtis - SERV Assistant Program Manager, Volunteers of America Michigan

• Brian Love - State Director, EdTrust-Midwest, former Director of Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency

• Katrina Gramer - Veteran Service Officer, Vietnam Veterans of America, Michigan State Council

• Garth Wootten - Director, Oakland County Veteran Service Office

• David Saims - Director, Washtenaw County Veteran Service Office

  
  

11:15 a.m.–12:00 p.m. | Maternal & Infant Health: Transportation as a Pathway to Healthy Starts

Examining transportation as an essential component of maternal and infant health—from prenatal care and delivery through postpartum services, nutrition, family support, and healthy development.

• Alfreda Rooks, MPA - Director of Community Health Services, Michigan Medicine

• Chika Chinwe Obianwu, MPH, MSW - Director of Community Health Impact – East, Corewell Health 

• Elon Geffrard - Co-Founder & Perinatal Support and Education Director, Birth Detroit

• Tyra Moore - Executive Director, A Girl Like Me, Inc.

• Ali Abazeed - Chief Public Health Officer, City of Detroit

  
  

12:15–1:10 p.m. | Lunch & Regional Leadership Conversation: What Southeast Michigan Can Build Together

Lunch (Mediterranean – Fattoush salad, hummus, pita, falafel, tzatziki, shawarma chicken, & baklava)

A regional leadership conversation about strengthening connections among public transportation, community mobility, health and human services, and emerging transportation solutions.

• Matt Carpenter - Chief Executive Officer, Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (TheRide)

• Robert Cramer - Executive Director of Transit, Detroit Department of Transportation

• Tiffany J. Gunter  - General Manager & Chief Executive Officer, SMART

• Megan Owens - Executive Director, Transportation Riders United

• Jonathan Kuehn - Senior Account Executive, Transit Partnerships, Uber
  

1:20–2:10 p.m. | Workforce & Education: When Transportation Determines Opportunity

Exploring the relationship between reliable transportation and access to education, training, employment, economic mobility, and long-term financial stability.

• Veronica Sanchez Peavey - Senior Assistant Vice President, Adult Services & Regional Director, SER Metro-Detroit

• Shantelle Cavin - Senior Director of Outreach and Partnerships, Detroit Promise

• Alex Shelton - Manager, Education for the Future of Work, Ford Philanthropy

• Janelle D. Thomas - President, NAAAHR State of Michigan Chapter  

• Gayl Turk - Director Business Development at Blaze Contracting Inc.
  

2:10–3:00 p.m. | Older Adults & People with Chronic Conditions: Mobility, Independence & Care Continuity

Examining how transportation supports independence, healthy aging, chronic disease management, continuity of care, and quality of life.

• Marie Gress, LMSW-Macro - Executive Director, Western-Washtenaw Area Value Express (WAVE) Public Transportation 

• Phillip D. Levy, MD, MPH - Edward S. Thomas Endowed Professor of Emergency Medicine & Associate Vice President for Translational Science, Wayne State University

• Joshua Traylor, MPH - Executive Director, Center for Health and Research Transformation

• Ani Grigorian, MSW - Disability Access Consulting Manager, Detroit Disability Power

  
  

3:20–3:45 p.m. | Infrastructure, Data & Shared Systems

Exploring how shared data, technology, referral infrastructure, and cross-sector coordination can help Southeast Michigan better understand transportation needs, identify service gaps, and connect residents with available resources.

3:45–4:20 p.m. | From Awareness to Action

Great ideas alone do not create lasting change. This closing conversation brings together philanthropic leaders to explore what it takes to move from identifying a community need to investing in solutions that can grow, demonstrate impact, and endure. Panelists will discuss what funders look for, how strong partnerships are built, what makes an initiative ready for investment, and how philanthropy and public private partnerships can help communities move beyond pilots toward sustainable, scalable solutions.

• Christopher Lemon - Director of Foundation Relations, Michigan State University

• Natalie Bond - Strategic Initiatives Manager, Bedrock Detroit

• Melanie Piana - Program Director, Southeast Michigan Regional Transit Authority

• C. Kofi Kenyatta - Deputy Director,  Department of Human, Homeless, and Family Services, City of Detroit

• Amanda Reed MPA, MPH - Program & Systems Officer, Michigan Health Endowment Fund

  
  

4:20–4:35 p.m. | Day One Closing

Reflections, key takeaways, and a preview of Day Two’s focus on vehicle access as a critical component of economic mobility.

Friday, October 2, 2026 Building a Regional Vehicle Access Strategy

For many Southeast Michigan residents, having access to a reliable vehicle remains closely connected to economic mobility, employment, family stability, and independence.

8:00–9:00 a.m. | Breakfast & Networking

Breakfast (fresh fruit, assorted muffins, breakfast potatoes, scrambled eggs, orange juice, bacon and turkey sausage)

9:00 - 9:15 a.m. | Understanding Transportation Insecurity & Vehicle Access

Framing our second day’s conversation around what research tells us about transportation insecurity and the role vehicle access plays in economic mobility, health, and opportunity.

• Dr. Alexandra Murphy, Assistant Research Scientist, Poverty Solutions, Associate Director of Social Science Research, Mcity, at the University of Michigan

  
  

9:15 –10:00 a.m. | Vehicle Access as Economic Mobility — The Missing Link in Transportation Insecurity

Examining what happens when public and shared transportation cannot meet every trip need—and why vehicle access must be part of a comprehensive regional transportation strategy.

• Nneka Carter - Supportive Services Director, Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation / Detroit at Work

• Brianna Brazell - Vice President of Workforce Strategy, Detroit Regional Partnership (DRP)

• Zach Kolodin - Founder, Pont Advisory
  

10:00 - 10:45 a.m. | Vehicle Access Coalition Session I: The First Door — How People Find & Access Transportation Resources

Exploring how residents currently find transportation assistance, how organizations identify unmet vehicle needs, and what referral data can tell us about gaps in the regional support system.

• Morghan Boydston - Senior Director of Client Success and Services, United Way for Southeastern Michigan

• Nicholle Larry, MSA, GCDF - Manager, Career & Placement Services, Focus: HOPE

• LeeAnne Ossieran - Director of Workforce Development, ACCESS 
  

10:45–11:00 a.m. | Break

11:00–11:45 a.m.  | Vehicle Access Coalition Session II: Emergency Stabilization — Repair, Rides, Rentals & Short-Term Support

Examining the immediate interventions that can prevent a transportation disruption from becoming a lost job, missed medical appointment, housing crisis, or other long-term setback.

• Kristopher “Kris” Young - Automotive Instructor, Henry Ford College & Co-Founder, New Hope Automotive

• Alison Petersen - Director of Mobility Initiatives, Division of Instruction, Washtenaw Community College

• Sylvester Hester - President & CEO, LM Manufacturing; Board Member, Feonix – Mobility Rising

  
  

12:00–1:00 p.m. | Networking Lunch

Lunch (sandwiches: caprese, chipotle chicken club, turkey club, potato salad, Michigan salad, chips, cookies, lemonade)

An opportunity to network among attendees and continue discussion across sectors and identify common challenges, resources, and opportunities for collaboration.

1:00–1:45 p.m. | Vehicle Access Coalition Session III: What We Build Next — A 90-Day Action Plan

Moving from discussion to implementation by identifying near-term opportunities for collaboration, resource mapping, shared infrastructure, pilots, and regional action. In addition, discussing long term vehicle access - including ownership, financing, insurance, maintenance and readiness.

1:45–2:15 p.m. | Closing Session: From Conversation to Action

Closing reflections, commitments, and next steps for strengthening transportation security and vehicle access throughout Southeast Michigan.

Program and speakers subject to change.

No single organization, transportation provider, technology, or funding source can address transportation insecurity alone. Southeast Michigan already has significant transportation resources, innovative programs, committed community organizations, public agencies, healthcare institutions, employers, funders, and leaders working on these challenges. The opportunity is to make those pieces work better together.

Thank You

We’re grateful to Ford Motor Company for welcoming the Southeast Michigan Transportation Insecurity Summit to its World Headquarters and for generously providing the event space and catering that make this gathering possible. We also deeply appreciate Ford Philanthropy’s continued investment in the Catch a Ride Network and our shared commitment to helping more people reach health, work, education, and opportunity.

*Source: 2025 Michigan Department of Transportation Attitudes and Perceptions Survey Report, p. 81.