Beginning today at noon, the public can cast an online vote to choose the winner of the Oakland County Executive's Elite 40 under 40 Class of 2019.
About 250 applications and nominations were reviewed by a panel of judges, looking for the top 40 young professionals and thought leaders who live or work in Oakland County. The 40 honorees have achieved excellence in their field and contributed to the quality of life in their communities. Of that group, the three candidates who scored the highest are placed before the public vote to determine a 2019 winner. This is the eighth year of the Elite 40 program.
"I'm excited about this outstanding class of talented and passionate leaders who are committed to improving their professions and their communities every day," County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said. "These young leaders are wonderful ambassadors for Oakland County."
Voting continues through noon Friday, Jan. 25. Individuals may vote once every 24 hours at Elite40.com. Among other opportunities, the top vote-getter will introduce Patterson at his State of the County address on Feb. 7. Online voters may choose between:
- Dr. Candice Colby-Scott, 36, physician, Michigan Ear Institute
Colby-Scott is a Farmington Hills resident who received her medical degree from the University of Michigan School of Medicine and undergraduate degree from Ferris State University. She is a board-certified ear, nose and throat surgeon specializing in the treatment of patients with diseases and disorders of the ear and skull bases, with a special focus on pediatric hearing loss and cochlear implantation. She is originally from Bay City and a member of the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians. She collaborated with a program at Central Michigan University through which she expanded its Cochlear Implant Program. She operated on three sisters, ages 4, 6 and 9 who were all candidates for cochlear implants after hearing aids no longer provided benefits. The surgeries were performed on the same day. "It was a very special moment to share this journey with these young girls and their family," Colby-Scott said. "This was very rare that sisters would be candidates at the same time."
- Nicholas C. Kristock, 27, chief executive officer, Empathy 313
Kristock is a Novi resident and holds a master's degree in business administration from Oakland University. He describes himself as a serial entrepreneur and servant leader who founded three non-profit organizations. In 2015, he started Fleece & Thank You, which provides hope and comfort to hospitalized children by giving donors the opportunity to make the child a fleece blanket and a video message of hope. It has generated more than 41,000 blankets since inception. He is a former Oakland University Division 1 soccer player and played professionally in Australia in 2014-15. While in Australia, he was on the startup team for Orange Sky Laundry, the world's first mobile laundry service for the homeless. "My life's purpose is to serve the social impact space," Kristock said. "Whether it be through building businesses that solve social problems, mentoring organizations on how to better solve the social problems they are facing or speaking to audiences about the importance of doing what we can to make this world better, I am constantly focused on helping solve real problems and making a real impact."
- Kristin Rohrbeck, 32, director, Center for Autism Research Services (OUCARES), Oakland University
Rohrbeck is a Farmington Hills resident with an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and a graduate degree in developmental psychology from Ohio State University. As director of OUCARES, she serves over 2,300 people impacted by autism spectrum disorder in southeast Michigan with more than 100 annual programs. The award-winning OUCARES program has been featured more on various TV, radio and other media. In 2018, she led the development of a partnership with the Ted Lindsay Foundation, which resulted in a $1 million gift to grow OUCARES programs to support teens and adults living with autism spectrum disorder. She developed an employment readiness skills program for adults which resulted in more than 30 adults either receiving jobs or continuing their education to reach career goals. She is a graduate of the Leadership Oakland Cornerstone program. "I am constantly looking at trends in the disability community to try to improve the quality of life for families that I serve as well as future generations," she said.
These are members of the 2019 Oakland County Executive's Elite 40 Under 40 class. Ages listed for each class member are as of Jan. 1:
- Melissa Atherton, 32, attorney, Fishman Stewart PLLC
- Meaghan Barry, 30, partner and designer, Unsold Studio
- David Bosman, 37, attorney, Bodman PLC
- Eisha Branner, 35, director of programs, Max Out Fitness and Oakland County Sheriff PAL
- Dr. Candice Colby-Scott, 36, physician, Michigan Ear Institute
- Robin E. Dillard-Russaw, 38, magistrate/deputy court administrator, 46th District Court
- Erin C. Flynn, 31, attorney, Kelley & Kelly P.C.
- Paul J. Gallagher Jr., 30, founder/president/CEO, Genesis In-Home Care, LLC
- Danielle D. Hughes, 27, dream director, The Future Project
- Mary Isrow, 36, deputy deployment director, continuous process improvement, U.S. Army
- Rev. Eric Johnson, 38, pastor, King of Kings Lutheran Church
- Sean Kammer, 34, downtown manager, City of Royal Oak DDA
- Nicholas Kristock, 27, CEO, Empathy 313 LLC
- Dr. Laura Lamb, 36, research scientist and assistant professor, Beaumont Health
- Daniel McHugh, 33, vice president/financial advisor, Advance Capital Management
- Don McLean, 33, senior manager, global marketing & communications, MMS Holdings Inc.
- Navid Hadinejad Mehram, 35, CEO, Great Lakes Water Authority
- Dr. Kennetha S. Mentor, 37, speech-language pathologist, Beaumont Health
- Megan Noland, 32, director of gov't affairs/senior advisor, Oakland County Sheriff's Office
- Steven Pacynski, 34, attorney, Clark Hill PLC
- Adelaide Pascaris, 36, manager, area government/community affairs, ITC Holdings Corp.
- Venus B. Phillips, 35, head of public markets, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
- Adam Raezler, 36, director of government relations and corporate communications, Orlans PC
- Tony G. Reames, 38, assistant professor, University of Michigan School for Environment & Sustainability
- James M. Reid IV, 39, attorney/shareholder, Maddin, Hauser, Roth, & Heller PC
- Becky Ridky, 32, executive director, Michigan Senior Olympics
- Kristin Rohrbeck, 32, director, Center for Autism Outreach Services, Oakland University
- Madelyn Rzadkowolski, 31, director of curatorial services, Meadow Brook Hall
- Davin Salvagno, 38, growth and development director, Northwestern Mutual
- Alyson Schramm Naeger, 29, CEO, Schramm's Mead
- Deleah Sharp, 39, medical technologist, Henry Ford Health System
- Nick Skislak, 35, president/CEO, SS Digital Media
- Kristin Marie Lawson Sliwinski, 38, supervisor/administrator for Learning Options High School, Lake Orion Community Schools
- Klementina X. Sula, 32, chief development officer, Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital
- Dan Terbrack, 38, financial advisor/field director, Northwestern Mutual
- David A. Uhrig, 37, director of bands, Rochester High School
- Benjamin VanderWeide, 34, natural areas stewardship manager, Oakland Township Parks & Recreation
- Daniela M.T. Walters, 33, patent attorney, The Dobrusin Law Firm PC
- Aaron T. Whatley, 35, parks & recreation director, Orion Township
- Matthew Wollack, 30, CEO/founder, Noble Child
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