A new and exciting chapter for Detroit Young Professionals is emerging after Michael Wheeler was named President in August 2019. Prior to his appointment, Michael, a 29-year-old Detroit resident, served on DYP’s Board of Directors for the last four years.

We interviewed Michael at one of Detroit’s most recognizable landmarks – Campus Martius— and here’s how he plans to use his wealth of experience to take DYP to the next level:

Introduce yourself. Who is Michael Wheeler?

I graduated from the University of Michigan in 2012 with a degree in economics. I always knew after college I’d go on to work for my current company, Data Consulting Group, because it’s my family’s business in downtown Detroit that my dad started 30 years ago. I’ve spent the last seven years mostly supporting clients undergoing complex system implementations. I didn’t know a lot of people that stayed in the area when I started my career. When I found DYP through a Google search, I instantly felt inspired by what they were doing.

We’re all a little quirky in some way. What’s something about you that people would be surprised to know?

Despite volunteering at a nonprofit where I routinely have to interact with new people and speak in front of crowds, I’m actually quite introverted. I just freeze up sometimes and my social battery drains fast like an old phone. After a big event, I have to plan for a day or two to recover. Lately I’ve been spending that downtime learning mobile cinematography—creating crisp videos of my weekend adventures using my iPhone. Immersing myself in the editing process helps me cut down on all the noise.

Detroit Young Professionals has an illustrious and rich history of building metro Detroit’s next wave of leaders and let’s be clear, some pretty fire networking opportunities. How do you plan to build on that as President?

I want to be known for building a high-functioning, high-output culture to anticipate scenarios and have a plan to quickly resolve issues so we can move on to the next challenge. DYP is made up of unpaid volunteers, so I need to make sure that the team knows they’re appreciated and the work environment is fun and doesn’t feel like a second job. Once we hit that level, we can start exploring new territory for the organization because we know our foundation is solid.

I’ve met a lot of young professionals who are eager to join organizations like DYP. What sets Detroit Young Professionals apart from others?

DYP has always been about economic inclusion. We accomplish that by keeping most of our events free and registration open to the public. We cap membership at $40 per year despite a growing list of membership perks. It’s a very low barrier to entry to get involved. If you’re on the fence, I encourage you to attend a free event.

This year has flown by and before you know it, we’ll be heading into 2020. What can attendees expect?

We have a really exciting progression of high-quality events planned that will carry us into 2020. We’re holding nothing back. I want people to look back at DYP’s fourth quarter in 2019 and think: “Damn, they’re killing it.” Naturally, we’re bringing this energy into 2020 and beyond.

Want to reach out directly to DYP’s new President? Here’s the best way to contact him and get involved: michael@detroityp.org