May 3, 2021
You are reading the periodic newsletter of Woodbridge Neighborhood Development (WND), the nonprofit, tax-exempt, resident-led community development organization in Detroit's historic Woodbridge neighborhood.
2021 Board of Directors seated
Four new members replacing those with expiring terms
WND is pleased to welcome Renita Branford, Andrew Moss, Jai Singletary, and Sara Timberlake to the Board of Directors for 2021! They join existing members Otto Cureton, Tanya Moutzalias, Madhavi Reddy, Jeff Reid, and George Roberts.
Jeff Reid, Board President
Senior Product Manager - Automotive, SiriusXM
Neighborhood Resident
Tanya Moutzalias, Board Vice-President/Treasurer
Visual News + Content Manager, Ford Motor Company
Neighborhood Resident
Otto Cureton, Board Secretary
Respiratory Therapist,
Detroit Receiving Hospital
Neighborhood Resident
Renita Branford
K-12 Educator,
Detroit Public Schools
Neighborhood Resident
Andrew Moss
Operations Manager,
Advance Plumbing & Supply Co.
Madhavi Reddy
Executive Director,
Community Development Advocates of Detroit
George Roberts
Principal, Civic Companies
Jai Singletary
Community & Policy Coordinator, Office of City Councilmember Raquel Castañeda-López
Sara Timberlake
Staff Designer, Quinn Evans
Neighborhood Resident
...and big thanks to those moving on

WND thanks outgoing members Ana Howrani Heeres, Emily Thompson, and Gary Winston, who each served three-year terms on the Board, providing insight, time, and expertise to our work as we built early programs and policies. We will miss your energy and ideas. Thank you!
Ana Howrani Heeres
Emily Thompson
Gary Winston
Evette Napier, 1974 - 2021
The Board and staff team remain devastated by the January death of our friend, neighbor, and past Board President, Evette Napier.

We plan to celebrate her life this summer in her beloved Scripps Park. Learn more about Evette and her contributions to our neighborhood in this video announcing her as recipient of the 2020 Gene Kuthy Award for Outstanding Board Leadership.
Welcome New Team Members and Roles!
Rieanna Stewart hired as
Program Manager
We are thrilled to welcome Rieanna Stewart as our new Program Manager, leading resident and park programing, minor home repair, and other community-building efforts. A Challenge Detroit Fellow, Rieanna has a background in nonprofit management, event planning, and business operations, and most recently led the team at Detroit Experience Factory designing custom events for Detroit visitors and residents alike. Please join us in welcoming Rieanna to Woodbridge! Contact her here.
Sheree Walton joins WND in new
Community Organizer role
WND is excited to welcome Sheree Walton into a newly launched Community Organizer role, leading efforts to reach residents, youth, and businesses underserved by our programs. Sheree worked for many years in the public sector before deciding to go back to school; She is currently pursuing a degree in Urban Studies at Wayne State University. Sheree grew up in Woodbridge and attended the original Hancock School before graduating from Murray Wright High School (now Frederick Douglass). Please join us in welcoming Sheree BACK to Woodbridge! Contact her here.
Chris Holmes named
Director of Policy + Property Development
On our team since 2019, Chris was promoted from Policy Manager to Director of Policy + Property Development this past Fall in recognition of her growing role leading the organization's redevelopment work. Chris heads WND's Land + Housing Committee and is our point on all proposed new developments, working with City departments and developers, and managing land stewardship. Chris has a background in risk management and commercial banking and lives in Woodbridge. Congratulations, Chris! Contact her here.
Help us plan summer and fall events
5-minute Woodbridge Neighborhood Feedback survey
Help us design fun and safe 2021 community events and programs by filling out this 5-minute survey or joining the Program Committee which meets next on May 11 at 6:30pm. Contact Rieanna to get involved.

Some ideas we're working on:
  • movies in the park, dog park events
  • bike parade!
  • fitness/yoga in Scripps
  • sports clinics, kids reading circles
  • porch music, open streets
  • art and walking tours
Neighborhood History Documentation Project
Attention old-timers and history aficionados!
WND is excited to team up with the Detroit Historical Society for our Neighborhood History Documentation Project.

The project will create a platform to collect authentic information to spark important conversations about the neighborhood’s past and its future, while providing a resource for community elders, students, planners, and advocates in learning and talking about the neighborhood.  

We need your help to complete the project! 

  1. We will be collecting oral histories from long-term residents, or former residents, with a particular focus on pre-urban renewal Woodbridge. If you or someone you know lived in Woodbridge in the 1980’s or prior and would like to participate in an oral history interview, please contact Chris by May 7th.
  2. If you have documents relating to the neighborhood’s history, or photographs of neighborhood buildings (churches, businesses, homes, etc.), and you’re willing to include them in the archive, please contact Chris by May 7th. (Note: we will return the items to you after they’re scanned). 
Neighborhood Events and Info
Woodbridge Citizens' Council

  • Meets second Thursday of every month via Zoom until safe to meet in-person
  • Next Meeting: May 13, 6PM
  • Click here to get on the list for notices
Bryant-Vermont Park Cleanup 5/15

  • Saturday, May 15, 9am - noon
  • Meet at corner of Bryant and Vermont, west of Rosa Parks
  • Join neighbors and members of Detroit Audubon to prep our newest pocket park for a big Spring planting
  • Come for the work and fellowship, stay for the Dutch Girl Donuts!
WND Committees Convene in May
SAVE THE DATE: JUNE 5
Motor City Makeover
Neighborhood-Wide Cleanup

  • City provides supplies and picks up debris, trash, large branches, etc.
  • Neighbors will be polled in advance re problem locations. Past cleanups have targeted Lodge overpasses, alleys, and vacant lots.
  • Look for volunteer signup soon
New neighbors on your block?
WND has a "Welcome to Woodbridge" flyer with answers to questions about parking, public safety, trash/bulk pickup, voting, contact numbers for the City and elected officials, and how to get more involved in the neighborhood.

Download the flyer here or pick one up at a neighborhood info kiosk (Scripps Park, outside the Woodbridge Estates Leasing Office, and corner of Putnam and Commonwealth).
Woodbridge Neighborhood Development | 440 Burroughs, Suite 180, Detroit MI 48202
(313) 516-8948 | gaabo@woodbridgendc.org | www.woodbridgendc.org