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Detroit
Hero Story
BreAnna is lifelong Detroiter. Whether using her service and community organizing experience as an AmeriCorps member, years of musical education and practice, her knowledge of public policy learned during her time earning a Master’s in Public Administration, or her love for the City of Detroit, BreAnna seeks out ways leverage her personal and professional capital to pay it forward to the community she cares for so deeply.
As a Full-Time member volunteer with the AmeriCorps Urban Safety Program at Wayne State University in Detroit, Breanna completed more than 3,400 service hours from 2013-2015. During her AmeriCorps service, she learned skills such as public speaking, data analysis, and project management. She credits her service for teaching her the value of community-led efforts and being a better neighbor.
BreAnna’s responsibilities as an AmeriCorps member included facilitating the work of community residents to organize neighborhood block clubs. She served in the Osborn and Cody neighborhoods, and as a one-person she team helped to establish five block clubs in each neighborhood, and a Bike Patrol Neighborhood Watch in Osborn.
After BreAnna completed her second member service term in early 2015, she remained with the AMUS Program in the staff role of Program Coordinator. Her experience as a member was reflected in her thoughtful communication and organization of daily service activities, and the coaching, mentorship, and motivation she showed for the members who now served under her leadership.
As Program Coordinator, BreAnna developed the Youth CompStat data analysis and reporting process, in which youths aged 17-24 gathered data the first model for such an initiative in Detroit and the U.S. With roots in the traditional CompStat model of improving public safety through the use of crime data analysis and strategic action, the Youth CompStat program was led and implemented by Detroit youth ages 17-24 serving with the AmeriCorps Urban Safety Program. Using their lived experience, the members conducted analysis, reporting, and action planning to identify positive solutions for both victims and perpetrators of youth crime.
In 2020, BreAnna left the AMUS Program and Wayne State to take on the position of Corporate Social Responsibility Representative with Marathon Petroleum. With her first-hand knowledge of the AMUS Program's benefits to both residents and members, BreAnna continues to champion the AMUS Program's Detroit Youth Service Corps through her work at Marathon, creating access to funding that bolsters the Youth program and adds services and resources to many local communities.
Alongside the contributions BreAnna is able to make to the community through her professional work, she continues to be an avid volunteer, dedicating over 10 years to organizations across Detroit. She is particularly focused on youth development and addressing basic community needs. An accomplished pianist with an undergraduate degree in Piano Performance, BreAnna volunteers regularly as a piano teacher, offering lessons at no cost to children under age 15 as part of the Continuing Education program at the Perry Outreach Center in Detroit . In 2023, Breanna spoke on a panel at the Wild Life Habitat Council's Annual Conference, where she shared her insights on integrating community engagement into corporate strategy.
Looking ahead, BreAnna is focused on growing her consulting company, which supports small nonprofits in developing the materials they need to effectively compete for grants. With a strong commitment to both professional and personal growth, Breann continues to seek opportunities that allow her to contribute meaningfully to both the corporate and nonprofit sectors.
Detroit
Hero Story
BreAnna is lifelong Detroiter. Whether using her service and community organizing experience as an AmeriCorps member, years of musical education and practice, her knowledge of public policy learned during her time earning a Master’s in Public Administration, or her love for the City of Detroit, BreAnna seeks out ways leverage her personal and professional capital to pay it forward to the community she cares for so deeply.
As a Full-Time member volunteer with the AmeriCorps Urban Safety Program at Wayne State University in Detroit, Breanna completed more than 3,400 service hours from 2013-2015. During her AmeriCorps service, she learned skills such as public speaking, data analysis, and project management. She credits her service for teaching her the value of community-led efforts and being a better neighbor.
BreAnna’s responsibilities as an AmeriCorps member included facilitating the work of community residents to organize neighborhood block clubs. She served in the Osborn and Cody neighborhoods, and as a one-person she team helped to establish five block clubs in each neighborhood, and a Bike Patrol Neighborhood Watch in Osborn.
After BreAnna completed her second member service term in early 2015, she remained with the AMUS Program in the staff role of Program Coordinator. Her experience as a member was reflected in her thoughtful communication and organization of daily service activities, and the coaching, mentorship, and motivation she showed for the members who now served under her leadership.
As Program Coordinator, BreAnna developed the Youth CompStat data analysis and reporting process, in which youths aged 17-24 gathered data the first model for such an initiative in Detroit and the U.S. With roots in the traditional CompStat model of improving public safety through the use of crime data analysis and strategic action, the Youth CompStat program was led and implemented by Detroit youth ages 17-24 serving with the AmeriCorps Urban Safety Program. Using their lived experience, the members conducted analysis, reporting, and action planning to identify positive solutions for both victims and perpetrators of youth crime.
In 2020, BreAnna left the AMUS Program and Wayne State to take on the position of Corporate Social Responsibility Representative with Marathon Petroleum. With her first-hand knowledge of the AMUS Program's benefits to both residents and members, BreAnna continues to champion the AMUS Program's Detroit Youth Service Corps through her work at Marathon, creating access to funding that bolsters the Youth program and adds services and resources to many local communities.
Alongside the contributions BreAnna is able to make to the community through her professional work, she continues to be an avid volunteer, dedicating over 10 years to organizations across Detroit. She is particularly focused on youth development and addressing basic community needs. An accomplished pianist with an undergraduate degree in Piano Performance, BreAnna volunteers regularly as a piano teacher, offering lessons at no cost to children under age 15 as part of the Continuing Education program at the Perry Outreach Center in Detroit . In 2023, Breanna spoke on a panel at the Wild Life Habitat Council's Annual Conference, where she shared her insights on integrating community engagement into corporate strategy.
Looking ahead, BreAnna is focused on growing her consulting company, which supports small nonprofits in developing the materials they need to effectively compete for grants. With a strong commitment to both professional and personal growth, Breann continues to seek opportunities that allow her to contribute meaningfully to both the corporate and nonprofit sectors.