The Skillman Foundation

Angelique Power is the president & CEO of The Skillman Foundation, a foundation that works with grassroots and grasstops advocates to transform the education system. Rooted in values of fairness, belonging, justice, and bridge-building in a purple state, the Foundation works for and with Detroit youth and grants approximately $28 million annually. The Skillman Foundation actively leverages its financial, moral, social, and reputational capital to ensure young people are designers of their own destiny, and ours.

Prior to The Skillman Foundation, Power was president of the Field Foundation, a Program Director at the Joyce Foundation and a senior executive at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. A graduate of the University of Michigan, she also holds a Master of Fine Arts and an Honorary Doctorate from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Dr. Glenn Maleyko became the State Superintendent of Public Instruction for the State of Michigan on December 8, 2025. He brings more than 30 years of experience in public education, including a decade as Superintendent of Dearborn Public Schools. Under his leadership, Dearborn achieved a graduation rate of more than 95 percent, earned six National Blue Ribbon School Awards, and was recognized as one of the top districts in Michigan.

Dr. Maleyko was named the 2019 Michigan Superintendent of the Year and has served in key statewide and national leadership roles, including President of the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators and as a representative on the National Superintendent Governing Board for the Midwest region for the AASA, which is also known as The School Superintendents Association. A committed scholar and practitioner, he has presented educational research at state, national, and international conferences and holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Dr. Maleyko is known for his Students First approach, strong community engagement, and dedication to Michigan public education.

Michelle Richard serves as Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Senior Literacy Advisor. Since joining the Whitmer administration in 2019, Michelle has designed and led statewide strategies to expand opportunities and improve outcomes for kids from cradle to career. She served as the founding director of the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential and led the state’s first Office of Higher Education. As the Governor’s senior advisor on education, Michelle championed the creation of PreK for All, the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, and free school meals. She also launched a statewide attainment strategy and Michigan Reconnect at the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. Prior to joining the Whitmer administration, Michelle was a vice president at Public Sector Consultants. She started her career as an elementary school teacher in New Orleans. Michelle earned a BA from Saginaw Valley State University and an M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea, known widely as Dr. Beverly, is director of the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential (or, MiLEAP), launched by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in December 2023 to enhance educational outcomes for Michiganders from preschool through postsecondary. With a notable career in education policy, Dr. Beverly has held key roles at various community colleges across the country, including Montgomery College, Virginia Peninsula Community College and Spokane Community College. Most recently, she served as president of Mott Community College (MCC) in Flint for nearly a decade, where she made history as the first MCC president to be named President Emeritus and the first female and first African American president in the college’s 100-year history. A nationally recognized figure, Dr. Beverly also served as president of the American Association for Women in Community Colleges and as a member of the American Association of Community Colleges Board of Directors. In 2023, she earned the title of CEO of the Year by the American Association of Community Colleges.

Dr. Nikolai Vitti has served as Superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) since May 2017. His contract has been extended twice and now runs through June 2028, making him the second-longest-serving superintendent in the district’s history. In partnership with the School Board, he has led the rebuilding of DPSCD after years of state control and was named the 2022 National Urban School District Superintendent of the Year.

Under Dr. Vitti’s leadership and the district’s Strategic Plan, DPSCD has seen its first significant, districtwide improvements in decades. Gains include increased enrollment; higher student achievement and attendance; stronger teacher recruitment, retention, and compensation; expanded arts and academic programming; more stable school leadership; and restored financial health. These improvements have reduced federal and state oversight of the district.

Dr. Vitti regularly mentors emerging superintendents and hosts district teams nationwide to learn from DPSCD’s systems and strategies.