Michigan Mobility Fellows celebrates inagural year, opens applications for second cohort

The inaugural year of the Michigan Mobility Fellows (MMF) program is in the books - and it was one for the books.

Wayne State University played a key role in partnership with the Community Economic Development Association of Michigan (CEDAM), Michigan Central, and the State of Michigan's Office of Future Mobility and Electrification to launch the MMF program, which supports the next generation of leaders working to advance mobility across the state of Michigan.

The MMF program is a salaried, highly selective 15-month program designed to make Michigan's mobility future more inclusive, accessible, and sustainable by improving the way people, goods, and ideas move across the state and region. It places recent graduates from across the country with host organizations, empowering fellows to gain hands-on experience addressing real-world mobility challenges and make vital industry connections.

The MMF program was developed in collaboration with Wayne State's Detroit Revitalization Fellows program, which has supported 80 fellows since launching in 2011 within the university's Department of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development.

Six fellows comprised the MMF program's inaugural cohort, lending their perspectives and expertise to a variety of Michigan-based mobility organizations and early-stage companies while also completing capstone projects. These fellows are:

"Any inaugural or pilot cohort is going to be a learning experience and an immensely rewarding journey - this one was that and more," said CEDAM's Melvin Henley, director of the MMF program. "It was an incredible journey, and we are so proud of what these fellows accomplished in the program's first year. Their work speaks for itself."

Drawing on the foundations of Wayne State and CEDAM fellowship models, partners worked to deliver a successful inaugural MMF cohort that lasted from October 2024 to December 2025. The program's first-year success is a testament to Wayne State's commitment to spurring equitable economic development and serving as an anchor and catalyst within the city's entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem.

Reflecting on an outstanding first year

The MMF program is a unique doorway to the vast world of mobility, which CEDAM defines as "the movement of people, goods, and information using clean energy across land, water, and air." By situating fellows within organizations and early-stage companies shaping the modern mobility landscape, they get to learn how the industry works, meet its key players, and examine the issues and opportunities on everyone's minds.

But the MMF program is much more than matching fellows with organizations. It provides a holistic, all-encompassing experience, one that enables fellows to make lasting connections and chart the course of their livelihoods. In the workplace, this means helping fellows get engaged, explore new areas of focus, and expand their network. But the program places equal importance on personal development and hands-on learning outside of work.

"I can't stress enough how important the fellowship's professional development aspect is," Henley said. "If there's something a fellow is interested in beyond the program, we ensure they're able to pursue it, whether it's a conference, workshop, programming. This program is not just professional learning, but lifelong learning."

Cohort one alumnus Joey Allen, born and raised in Plano, Texas, served as a transit planner for MTA Flint. He said some of the MMF program's most memorable moments occurred during extracurriculars: trips to Cincinnati and Upper Peninsula ice caves, meeting Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer in Lansing, and more.

"Getting to explore Michigan and beyond with a group of peers as passionate about mobility as I am was fun and enlightening," Allen said. "We had a group chat and we hung out not only throughout the programs, but outside of that time as well. Having a likeminded group to go through the experience with made everyone feel supported and confident."

All this helps create mobility professionals that are not just well-versed specialists, but well-rounded thinkers that strengthen and broaden the mobility ecosystem across the state of Michigan, Henley said.

"When you trust this process, you'll come out having real-world access, yes, but you'll also emerge a more established, more confident, more vocal professional - no matter what discipline or position you go into," he said. "Mobility can be fragmented: having someone whose role is to be a connector and communicator is a real difference-maker."

Become a part of cohort two - apply today

Henley attested to how exciting Michigan's mobility ecosystem is right now thanks to the new technologies, organizations, and ideas poised to reshape it in the coming years. He extended a word of gratitude to the host site partner organizations in particular, noting their willingness to innovate and push the envelope.

"I cannot overstate how incredible these host site organizations have been," Henley said. "They play an invaluable role in the program's success. The fact that they have been willing to trust a newer program, bring in new and emerging professionals, and provide a learning-rich environment is a testament to them."

In all, Henley said there has never been a better time to get involved in Michigan's mobility sector.

"The mobility sector is changing and growing, and we need more folks to be a part of this work, to bring their uniqueness to it," Henley said. "There's no better place to forge the future of mobility than Michigan."

If you're a recent graduate or an early career professional, the MMF program wants to hear from you.

Apply today to be a part of the second cohort of the Michigan Mobility Fellows. Learn more about the positions available for this year's cohort.

Fellows receive $75,000 in total salary over the course of the fellowship ($60,000 per year), and must be a recent graduate (within two years) of any degree. Host sites for cohort two include:

• Washtenaw County Facilities Management & Resiliency Office (Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor)
• Arbor SPARK (Ann Arbor)
• Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, Office of the Great Lakes (Lansing)
• Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities (Traverse City)
• Transportation Riders United (Detroit)
• Energy Storage Safety Products (Detroit)
• ThermoVerse, Inc. (Detroit)
• Grand Valley Metropolitan Council (Grand Rapids/Kent County)
• Metro/Central County Transportation Authority (Kalamazoo)
• Tuscola County EDC (Caro)
• City of Grand Rapids, Mobile GR Department (Grand Rapids)
• Mass Transportation Authority Flint (Flint)

To learn more, review the program's information packet and contact Henley at [email protected]. Applications for cohort two close March 31 at 11:59 p.m. Offer letters will be sent in May ahead of the program's June 16 launch date.

Henley's final words of wisdom to applicants and future fellows: "Envision where it is you want to be and where you want to go in your journey as a professional and as a person. Visualize that path, and we can help you get there."

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