Emcee

Tom Jordan

Tom Jordan is a multiple Emmy, Edward R. Murrow, and AP award-winning journalist, and was a news anchor and reporter at WWJ in Detroit.  Before coming to a WWJ, Tom worked as a TV news anchor in San Diego, Palm Springs, and Washington state. In his more than two-decade career, Tom has covered a variety of presidential campaigns; historic wildfires; live network-breaking coverage for NBC News; the Olympics; and many other events. His Emmy wins include his day-of anchoring coverage of the September 11th terrorist attacks and the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan. He was also awarded an Emmy for best coverage of the 2007 wildfires, an Edward R. Murrow award in 2015 for best newscast, and Associated Press awards for a variety of special reports.

Tom is married to his wife of more than 25 years and has four children. He is actively involved with the men’s ministry at his church.

Speakers

Andrea Riley

CMO, Ally Financial

Andrea Riley was named chief marketing officer of Ally Financial in 2015. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the company’s marketing and advertising strategies and ensuring they support the overall objectives of the organization. She is also responsible for market research initiatives and brand management. Most recently, Riley served as chief marketing officer for Ally’s auto finance and insurance businesses. She was also instrumental in the development and deployment of the Ally brand in 2009. Prior to joining Ally in 2006, Riley spent 20 years on the agency side in Detroit, where she led the Chevrolet account and launched the iconic American Revolution campaign, as well as numerous product offerings. Riley was named an Automotive News 2016 ALL STAR of MARKETING for her forward-thinking approach and creative knack with the successful launch of Ally’s brand campaign earlier in the year. In 2015, she was named to the 100 Leading Women list also issued by Automotive News, which recognizes leaders in the automotive field. In 2014 and 2015, she was named to the Forbes list of 50 Most Influential CMOs. Riley holds a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University.

Jed Howbert

Exec. Director, Jobs & Economic Development, City of Detroit Mayor’s Office

Jed Howbert is the Executive Director of the Jobs and Economy Team in the Detroit Mayor’s Office. In this position, he works with City agencies, other public partners, and the non-profit and business communities in order to design and execute programs that create jobs and attract residents to Detroit. Areas of focus include land use and real estate development, business attraction and retention programs, small business and entrepreneurial promotion, and transportation and logistics. Jed has worked previously in several roles related to urban development and real estate, including as a Senior Policy Advisor to the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development in the Bloomberg Administration in New York, and as a Vice President in the Urban Investment Group at Goldman Sachs, which specializes in the financing of complex urban redevelopment projects often in partnership with municipal governments. Earlier in his career, Jed was a Consultant with the Boston Consulting Group. Jed has an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, a Masters of International Affairs from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and an AB from Harvard College.