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Team

Matt Clayson, Director:


Matt ClaysonMatt is a drafter of the Detroit Declaration, a Leadership Team member of United Way Leadership Next and the founding Chair of United Way Leadership Next and a founding member of Michigan Children’s Leadership Council.   He has served on various advisory boards and taskforces, including the 2009 Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce Mackinac Advisory Committee, the Detroit Renaissance “Road to Renaissance” creative economy work group,  The Center for Michigan’s “Michigan’s Defining Moment” campaign, the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit, Detroit Synergy and the Detroit Yacht Club.   Prior to establishing the DC3, Matt served as the Legal Coordinator for Michigan-based company ePrize.

“I want a Detroit that is not just globally renowned, but is globally competitive.  I want a Detroit that does a few things, and does those few things better than anyone else in the world.  Detroit can be a leader in design, urban development, greenbelts and mobility.  I look forward to advancing solutions that can help us be a leader in these areas.”

Matt lives in Detroit’s Indian Village with his wife, and is restoring their historic 99 year-old home.

Bethany Betzler, Associate Director:


Bethany BetzlerBethany develops and manages the Detroit Creative Corridor Center's business start-up and acceleration programs,  ensuring that relevant programs are tailored and delivered to viable creative sector businesses, and that they address existing gaps in current services offered to creative sector entrepreneurs. In addition to her work with the DC3, Bethany is also a co-founder and partner of the UK-based Idea Engineering Agency, a think-tank and consultancy focused on developing new practices geared towards successful idea generation and implementation. Bethany has consulted start-up businesses in fields such as fashion, architecture, contemporary fine art, branding, media, and interior design. Bethany earned her MA with distinction in Enterprise Management for the Creative Arts at the University of Arts London, and studied creative entrepreneurship through a scholarship program at the London Business School. She earned a BA in Contemporary Dance Choreography from Columbia College in Chicago. Her previous work includes the founding of a Chicago-based dance company and coordinating an L.A. based film festival, along with ongoing work as a freelance writer.

Melinda Anderson, Events Director:


Melinda AndersonMelinda Anderson founded MeMe Design + Events in 2007, and has managed and produced large-scale corporate events, weddings, and social occasions for 20 to 2000. During this time she has planned events for The Detroit Opera House, Detroit Electronic Movement Festival, ESPN, Jay Leno, and Lee Iacocca. Committed to designing and understanding events in a way that few others do, Melinda always goes the extra mile to ensure the success of every event that she produces.

Born and raised in Detroit, Melinda has a Bachelor's in Architecture from the University of Michigan, and has lived and worked abroad in Berlin and Palermo.

Katherine D. Maurer, Curator, Project Coordinator:


Katherine MauerBorn in Lansing, Michigan, Katherine studied fine art at the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting, and Sculpture. In the summer of 2008 she fell madly in love with the city of Detroit and promptly relocated and acquired a cat and a bicycle.  Now she is a Detroiter. In addition to her work with Detroit Creative Corridor Center, she has participated in numerous group art shows in the area, including showing her paintings at Trumbullplex Detroit and Affirmations in Ferndale. She is also an active community member, most recently working on the Kittenaid project to improve the lives of feral cats. Katherine lives and works in the Woodbridge neighborhood of Detroit, with three cats and at least fourteen plastic dinosaurs.

Jacquelin Kirouac, Project Coordinator:


Jakki KirouacBorn in the city of Detroit, Jacquelin Kirouac is a community-minded, creative young professional and an avid supporter of the Detroit arts community. She completed a studio arts degree with a focus on new media at Oakland University (OU) while holding a creative consulting position at the OU Technology Center.

During this time, Jacquelin became involved with many of Detroit’s key creative and cultural programs including signature Metro Times promotional events, Paxahau’s Movement Festival and the Detroit Opera House annual gala event BravoBravo.

After completing her Bachelor’s Degree, she has continued her community work in Detroit with the Metro Times, Gowanie Golf Club, Detroit By Design and MeMe Design + Events with responsibilities including project management, crowd-sourcing and new-media consultation. She is a member of the Detroit Young Professionals and is currently working as the Project Coordinator for the DC3′s Detroit Design Festival.

Adrian Pittman, Programs Manager:


Adrian PittmanAdrian has more than 18 years of experience in business strategy, user experience design and high-tech marketing. He's partnered with Fortune 500 companies on both domestic and international fronts, including with Apple, Nissan/Infiniti and Verizon. He co-founded both the Module and FutureMidwest digital conferences in 2009 and 2010, respectively, and served as strategic director for several angel investment groups, facilitating product launches in the United States and abroad.

Though his professional pursuits have taken him across the country, he's a Detroit native who brings to bear the weight of his strategic and operational experience on DC3's organizational and national outreach program goals. He is eager to participate in developing the next generation of influential creative industry companies, founded right here in Detroit.

 

Photos Credits: Noah Stephens