Crain's 100 Most Influential Women in Michigan provides snapshot of women's leadership

Some of the notable women named to the list include well-known figures such as Mary Barra, chairman and CEO, General Motors Co.; Martha Firestone Ford, president of the Detroit Lions; and Betsy DeVos, charter school advocate. The list also includes a wide range of other leading women known in their industries. Among them are:

• Christina Freese-Decker, president, Spectrum Health, Grand Rapids
• Mona Hanna-Attisha, M.D., the pediatrician who spotlighted the lead contamination of Flint water
• La June Montgomery Tabron, president and CEO, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Battle Creek
• Renee Tabben, market president-Grand Rapids, Bank of America
• Gretchen Valade, philanthropist, past chairman of Carhartt
• Kym Worthy, prosecutor, Wayne County

"This report of extraordinary women covers a wide spectrum of race, age, geography and industry – many of which are traditionally male-dominated," said Jennette Smith, editor of Crain's Detroit Business. "The good news is we found plenty of women in the C-suite leading hospitals, managing large investment funds, growing companies, leading groundbreaking research and looking out for the public health.

"It's really an inspiring selection of profiles."

Twenty-eight of the women in the report are from outside Crain's traditional five-county coverage area, a testament to the many powerful leaders in Grand Rapids, Lansing, Flint and other business communities around the state. 

Nominations for the 100 Most Influential Women in Michigan came from readers, from Crain's reporters and editors, from a formal scan of the publication's news stories involving women-led companies and initiatives, from key players and partners, as well as nominations from past honorees when Crain's published 100 Most Influential Women in Southeast Michigan in 1997, 2002 and 2007.

Selections were determined in-house by top editors and the publisher with consideration to impact (women who manage big budgets, big teams or big civic initiatives); diversity (ethnicity/race/age, industry and geography); and proven leadership. Honorees from previous iterations of this report were largely not included unless they had a significant job change or leadership development milestone.

Crain's Detroit Business not only decided to expand the list of influential women to the entire state, but the publication took the initiative one step further by launching The Michigan Directory of Women to connect powerhouse women with boards in need of the best and brightest directors.

"The directory will offer companies the opportunity to identify the skills they want most on their boards – audit and finance expertise, compliance, cybersecurity or some of the other emerging issues many companies face," said Mary Kramer, publisher of Crain's Detroit Business. "A search professional will help them identify candidates in a completely confidential process at a very affordable fee based on the company's size."

The directory will launch Tuesday, June 21, when Crain's will honor the 100 women named to its list at a special event at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. For event registration, go to crainsdetroit.com/events.

About Crain's Detroit Business
For more than three decades, Crain's Detroit Business has served Southeast Michigan's business influencers and decision-makers with must-have news and information that can't be found anywhere else.

About Crain Communications
Crain Communications is a privately held media company that produces trusted and relevant news publications, lead generation, research and data products, digital platforms, custom publishing, and events with uncompromising integrity. Reaching 6 million business decision-makers and consumers across the United States and in select markets in Europe and Asia, the company's 56 brand portfolio consists of 22 print publications and 34 digital-only news sites. Many of Crain's brands are the most influential media properties in the verticals they serve including Automotive News, Autoweek, Advertising Age, Modern Healthcare, Plastics News, Business Insurance and Pensions & Investments. Headquartered in Detroit, the company has 880 employees in 13 locations delivering exceptional news content over a variety of platforms to empower the success of its readers and clients.

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SOURCE Crain's Detroit Business

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