The Women of Ferry Street: Then and Now celebration highlights the significant role women played in the historical development of Detroit's Ferry Street and honor's the women of today whose work is inspired by the legacies and achievements of these female trailblazers. 

Ferry Street is a City, State and National Historic District

2024 Women of Ferry Street Honorees

Council Member Angela Whitfield Calloway

Council Member Angela Whitfield Calloway is a dedicated lifelong Detroiter currently serving District 2 on the Detroit City Council. Before her successful election, she built a diverse career as an adult education instructor, human resources administrator, hearing officer, and small business owner. Council Member Whitfield Calloway is an alumna of Cooley High School, Spelman College, Detroit College of Law, and The Campaign School at Yale University.

Passionate about fostering positive change, Council Member Whitfield Calloway fearlessly advocates for quality education, safer neighborhoods, and an enhanced quality of life for Detroiters. Before her time on the City Council, she dedicated extensive hours to community service and managed a historic non-profit for minority women, showcasing her commitment to uplifting marginalized communities.

Dr. Sonia Hassan Duggan

Dr. Sonia Hassan Duggan is Associate Vice-President at Wayne State University (WSU), a professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Maternal Fetal Medicine. She has founded and led all research, program administration, staffing and budget allocation for multiple Women’s Health initiatives and centers throughout WSU and in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health. In addition, Dr. Hassan has extensive policy experience including currently serving as co-chair of the State of Michigan’s Maternal Infant Health and Equity Collaborative and has several roles supporting access of medical care to pregnant women in the State of Michigan with a focus on underserved populations and health equity.

Dr. Hassan currently leads the Coordinating Center for the Synergy of Scholars for Maternal and Infant Health Equity in Michigan, a statewide network of 14 healthcare institutions and universities responsible for implementing protocols for the reduction of maternal and infant mortality.

Dr. Hassan has authored or co-authored over 400 publications, multiple patents and was the lead author of a landmark international trial that demonstrated an intervention that decreases preterm birth. She has created and directed leadership development programs for students, fellows and residents and has personally mentored hundreds of undergraduate, graduate and medical students and junior faculty on scientific research, clinical practice and community-based programs.

Dr. Kimberly Andrews Espy

Dr. Kimberly Andrews Espy is the 13th president of Wayne State University. She began serving in this role on Aug. 1, 2023. She has more than 25 years of experience in higher education and was the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA), prior to joining Wayne State. At UTSA she championed social and economic opportunity by promoting affordable access to a top-quality research university education.

Working collaboratively across every corner of UTSA’s campus, then-Provost Espy furthered an outstanding academic environment, including the establishment of the University of Texas School of Public Health San Antonio and seeks to do the same by establishing the Wayne State University School of Public Health.

While at UTSA she strived to advance social mobility through improved student learning, which she strengthened through a strong focus on the recruitment and retention of outstanding diverse faculty who are leaders in their disciplines.

President Espy continues this advocacy at Wayne State where she introduced the university’s prosperity agenda with three pillars: accelerate the mobility of students, empower health for urban neighborhoods and fuel innovation for competitiveness. Additionally, she is working to ensure the goal of college to career is embedded throughout the university.

Liseann Gouin

Liseann Gouin is a founding officer of the Japan America Society of Michigan and Southwestern Ontario. Through programs and public communication, she promotes mutually beneficial friendship and understanding among local American, Canadian and Japanese people. She strives to ensure the positive reception of the more than 15,000 Japanese nationals living in Michigan and contributing to the Detroit area globalized automotive industry.

A leader in the Detroit area for decades, she has an extensive network of corporate, institutional and governmental relationships through which she creates and collaborates on projects and programming that foster Japan-American relations. Liseann has chaired the Friends of Asian Arts and Cultures Board of Directors at the Detroit Institute of Arts. She has served on a range of community committees such as the Committee for the Restoration of the Freer House Garden at Detroit’s Charles Lang Freer House.

Monique D. Marks

Monique D. Marks has dedicated her life to serving the community with a prolific professional career spanning over 20 years where she has held a myriad of roles. She currently is President & CEO of the historic Franklin-Wright Settlements. Established in 1881, it is the oldest continuous operating settlement house in America today.

A native Detroiter, Monique received her education in the Detroit Public Schools and went on to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master of Social Work degree from Wayne State University. Monique’s studies have taken her around the world with the opportunity to live abroad and return home to promote advocacy and change for children and families in the community.

As a licensed therapist, her role as a non-profit executive extends beyond the board room and into courtrooms, classrooms and communities where she is committed to fostering the social and emotional growth of those she serves. She is married to attorney and pastor, Dr. Bertram Marks, where collectively they work to build capacity and awareness in the community.

Jodee Raines

Jodee Raines currently serves as COO for New Detroit, Inc., a 55-year-old racial justice organization that dismantles racism by moving hearts and minds to change policies and systems. Recognized twice by Crain’s Detroit Business—first as one of Metro Detroit’s Most Influential Women and more recently as one of its Notable Women in Nonprofits-- Jodee has led significant organizational growth and transformation as a professional and volunteer at some of Detroit’s finest institutions, including Executive VP of Programs at the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, Director of The Jewish Fund, Program Officer at The Skillman Foundation, and President of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue. Jodee has a J.D. from Wayne State University and practiced nonprofit and corporate law at Bodman PLC. She currently serves on the Board of Visitors of Wayne State University Press and the Detroit Advisory Board of Adamah.

2023 Honorees

2023 Women of Ferry Street:Then and Now – Press Release
2023 Event photos

Jacqueline Wilson 

Jacqueline Wilson is a former energy consultant for Schneider Electric, a global leader in energy management. She also spent more than two decades in corporate sales for AT&T and WorldCom. Now, as the First Lady of Wayne State University, Jacqueline champions the cause of addressing homelessness at Wayne State and in Detroit, as well as supporting the university's community outreach and engagement efforts. She established the HIGH (Helping Individuals Go Higher) Program with a mission to ensure no student abandons their dream of earning a degree solely because of housing or financial challenges. The HIGH Program provides resources for students in need, such as housing support, textbooks and other school supplies, clothing, transportation, and child-care assistance.

Ann Nicholson 

Ann Nicholson has been an active board member of Wayne State's Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute since 1998. A dedicated advocate for child and family well-being, she was instrumental in supporting the Institute through difficult times early in her involvement and guiding it toward the position of strength it holds today. She is also an engaged and generous member of the Charles L. Freer House (home of the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute) and has provided critical support for several aspects of its revitalization. Ann is co-president of the League of Women Voters of Grosse Pointe. She served as a trustee of Oakland University for 16 years and board secretary of the Japhet School for five years. She is also the immediate past president of the Young Woman's Home Association and serves on the capital campaign committee for Alternatives for Girls, two organizations dedicated to improving life options for Detroit's girls and women. 

Nancy Tellem

Nancy Tellem is a co-founder of BasBlue. When she moved to Detroit in 2015 from Los Angeles, she made a commitment to herself that she wanted to do something to give back to the community. BasBlue is a newly renovated mansion in the Midtown area that is dedicated to bringing women together, from experienced professionals, to entrepreneurs and those who are just starting out in their careers. The space is located on the corner of Ferry and John R streets. The gathering space is handicap-accessible, featuring a full-service cafe, several lounge areas, conference rooms, an event space and a health and wellness area. The home is operated completely by women and was founded by Tellem and a seasoned community executive and entrepreneur, Natacha Hildebrand.

Carla Walker-Miller

Carla Walker-Miller is the Founder and CEO of Walker-Miller Energy Services (Walker-Miller), a 20-year-old values driven company that changes lives through energy. Determined to create positive change, Carla is a visionary who leads with both empathy and tenacity. In 2018, she made three transformational decisions in the life of the company. She instituted a $15.00 per hour minimum wage, resolved to only recruit team members who embrace the company's culture of kind excellence, and adopted second chance policies that gives previously incarcerated citizens fair opportunities for employment. A long-time Detroit booster, Carla champions diversity, equity and inclusion in the energy industry by aggressively recruiting and training a workforce that reflects the rich diversity of the communities her company serves. Carla received her bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Tennessee State University.

Dr. Geneva Williams 

Dr. Geneva Williams is Vice Chair of the Michigan Women's Commission and is the chief executive officer of Dr. Geneva Speaks, LLC., where she provides leadership and personal development coaching and nonprofit consulting. Dr. Williams was the first female executive vice president for the United Way of Southeastern Michigan, and a co-founder and former president of Black Family Development, Inc. She earned her Doctor of Education with a concentration in Educational Leadership and Public Policy from Wayne State University.

Susan T. Mosey 

Sue T. Mosey earned a degree in urban planning from Wayne State University and has been the executive director of Midtown Detroit Inc. (MDI) for thirty years. The nonprofit organization is responsible for community development, marketing, real estate, small business development, and arts programming within the area now known as Midtown. Her organization has often been cited as one of the catalysts for much of the development and business activity in the area. Among the projects Sue and her team completed was the Inn on Ferry Street.

2023 Women of Ferry Street: Then and Now, presented by:

• WSU, Division of Government and Community Affairs
• WSU, University Freer House
• WSU,Wayne State University Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute
• Cinnaire | Advancing Communities
• Queen Lillian Development
• BasBlue