Steve Tobocman, Executive Director

Steve Tobocman has launched innovative nonprofit enterprises in community development, immigrant economic development and other arenas. Since 2010, he has served as executive director of Global Detroit, a regional economic and community development organization advancing immigrant-inclusive strategies to drive the growth, revitalization and broadly shared prosperity of Detroit and Southeast Michigan.

Steve also led the creation and growth of the Welcoming Economies Global Network, a 10-state regional network of immigrant economic development peer initiatives across the Rust Belt, and co-led the economic integration session at the Obama White House’s first immigrant integration convening. Steve has authored numerous studies and research reports and is often a featured speaker on the topic of immigrant economic development and has opinion pieces on the topic appear in the Washington Post, Politico, and numerous local and national publications.

From 2003-2008, Steve served as the elected representative from Michigan’s 12th State House District in Detroit, home to one of the state’s largest immigrant communities, and ended his term as the Majority Floor Leader. During his time in the legislature, Steve focused his work on economic development, but also wrote the Michigan Immigration Clerical Assistance Act to protect immigrants from predatory immigrant service providers, fought for in-state tuition equity for undocumented students and opposed attacks on immigrants’ abilities to obtain Michigan drivers’ licenses.

In addition to his work with Global Detroit, Steve co-directs the Michigan Political Leadership Program at Michigan State University and is a partner at New Solutions Group, LLC, a Detroit-based consulting firm providing creative solutions for the common good.

Steve earned his Juris Doctor cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School and a Masters in Public Policy from UM’s Ford School of Public Policy. He has taught several semesters at the Ford School, as well as Wayne State Law School. He lives in Southwest Detroit with his wife Sharon Dolente and two children.

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