Future of Work Town Hall | Steering the Future: Moving the Motor City’s Auto Industry Forward

Nolan Finley is Editorial Page Editor of The Detroit News, a position he’s held since May 1, 2000. He directs the expression of the newspaper’s editorial position on various national and local issues and also writes a column in the Thursday and Sunday newspapers. Prior to that, Finley was the newspaper’s Deputy Managing Editor, directing the newsroom. Previously, he served as Business Editor, and in various editing positions on the city, state and metro desks. He was also a reporter, covering Detroit City Hall during the Coleman Young administration.

Finley has been with the newspaper since 1976, starting as a copy boy in the newsroom while a student at Wayne State University. Nolan also co-hosts One Detroit show on Detroit Public Television and often appears on Flashpoint on WDIV. He is a graduate of both Schoolcraft College in Livonia and Wayne State, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in journalism. Follow Nolan on Twitter @NolanFinleyDN.

Sandy K. Baruah is president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, the third largest chamber of commerce in the nation. The Chamber represents the business interests of a region comprising 5.4 million residents and 11 Fortune 500 companies. Baruah joined the Chamber in 2010 after a distinguished career in Washington, D.C. He previously served President George W. Bush as an administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

Baruah was one of the senior officials shaping the federal government’s response to the 2008 credit crisis and assistance to the U.S. automotive industry. In 2016, Gov. Rick Snyder appointed Baruah as chair of Michigan’s 21st Century Economy Commission. He is a frequent commentator on local and national media regarding political developments, automotive industry matters, and Detroit and Michigan issues. Follow Sandy on Twitter @Baruah_DRC_CEO.

Glenn Stevens is the executive director of MICHauto and serves as the Detroit Regional Chamber’s vice president of automotive and mobility initiatives. In this role, Stevens provides strategic direction and leadership to the MICHauto program in its efforts to promote, grow and retain Michigan’s automotive and next-generation mobility industries.

Stevens has more than 25 years of management, strategy and operations experience across the automotive, steel, and capital equipment industries. Prior to joining the Chamber, Stevens served as senior vice president of membership and sales with the Original Equipment Suppliers Association, as well as other leadership roles with Blue Water Automotive Systems, Kolene Corp., and National Steel Corp. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and an executive MBA from Michigan State University. Follow Glenn on Twitter @glennrstevens.