UM-Dearborn alumni honored on two young notables lists

It’s a big point of pride that our graduates are committed to making Michigan a better place. In fact, in 2017, more than 90 percent of UM-Dearborn graduates who accepted employment after graduation stayed in Michigan* — giving a huge boost to the state’s economy. Here are some more cases in point for 2019: Five UM-Dearborn 30-somethings who recently earned shout-outs on two business-focused notables lists.
 

Allandra Bulger, 38, ’03 B.A.

Executive Director, Co.act Detroit, New Center, Detroit
Honored in Crain’s Detroit Business ‘40 Under 40’

Fifth-generation Detroiter Allandra Bulger’s latest endeavor hopes to give a boost to Detroit’s diverse and growing nonprofit scene. In collaboration with Detroit’s TechTown business incubator, Bulger recently launched Co.act — a 6,500-square-foot hub in New Center that’s offering an array of support services for area nonprofits. Prior to that, Bulger was already making an impact as deputy director of Detroit Future City, an inclusive community-based planning initiative in Detroit. She also teaches in the nonprofit management certificate program at Oakland University. Read more about Allandra at Crain’s Detroit Business.

Aaron Burrell, 34, ’07 B.A.

Member, Dickinson Wright, Detroit
Honored in Crain’s Detroit Business ‘40 Under 40’

In his young career as a lawyer, Aaron Burrell has already had a number of meaningful wins. But prevailing in a class-action lawsuit that forced the state to pay for Hepatitis C medication for a vulnerable class of patients tops his list. "I've received letters and calls from patients saying, 'Thank you. You've changed my life.' Normally I don't hear that representing corporations,” Burrell told Crain’s. Burrell also co-chairs Dickinson Wright's Diversity and Inclusion committee, which oversees the implementation of the firm's diversity and inclusion programs. Read more about Aaron at Crain’s Detroit Business.

Devon O'Reilly, 33, ’08 B.B.A.

Director of Entrepreneurship, Detroit Regional Chamber 
Honored in Crain’s Detroit Business ‘40 Under 40’

Dearborn-raised Devon O’Reilly is the Detroit Regional Chamber’s entrepreneurship specialist and helps starts-ups working in all corners of the economy. In his role there, which he’s held since 2014, he also organizes the Detroit Policy Conference and the NeighborHUB grant program, which aims to extend Detroit’s economic revitalization into neighborhoods beyond downtown. Read more about Devon at Crain’s Detroit Business.

Christopher Scott, 37, ‘11 M.S.E.

Senior Electrical Engineer, U.S. Army CCDC Ground Vehicle Systems Center, Warren
Honored in DBusiness ‘30 in Their Thirties'

Christoper Scott’s engineering work at the U.S. Army’s CCDC Ground Vehicle Systems Center is about as high stakes as it gets. There he’s worked on everything from unmanned ground vehicles that are currently deployed on battlefields to innovative new armor for military trucks. Outside of that work, you can find Scott delivering motivational talks for high school and college students — often drawing on his own experience coping with depression and anxiety as a young person. Read more about Christopher at DBusiness.

Jacob Zuppke, 31, ‘12 B.B.A.

Executive Vice President, AutoPets, Auburn Hills
Honored in DBusiness ‘30 in Their Thirties'

Automation’s impact on society is a hotly debated topic at universities, but we’re pretty sure most people would put a cat litter box that does the scooping for you in the win column for humanity. That’s the flagship product of AutoPets, where alum Jacob Zuppke has helped grow sales of the Litter Robot nearly four fold since joining the company in 2015. According to DBusiness, AutoPets is also planning to move into a new 50,000-square-foot headquarters in Auburn Hills later this year. Read more about Jacob at DBusiness.

###

*Source: UM-Dearborn Career services 2017 Graduation Survey; 49 percent response rate.