About Us - FOUNDERS

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Spacelab Detroit

AE Collaborative

Noir Design Parti

Karen A.D. Burton is a consultant and architectural designer who has

contributed technical expertise to the design teams for large-scale architectural projects in Michigan and Las Vegas, NV. Karen is the co-founder of SpaceLab Detroit, a professional shared office and coworking space, to fill that need and give small businesses and startups resources to grow and compete for larger projects and to be a part of Detroit’s

resurgence. Karen is co-chair of the Pathways to Inclusion committee of ULI Michigan; a charter member of the Detroit chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects and the National Association of Black Women in Construction, and a former board member of

 the Detroit chapter of the National Association  of Women in Construction. Karen is a graduate of the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning and has completed coursework toward a Master of Business Administration at Wayne State University. She is a 2019 graduate of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program.

Renovare Development

Renovare Opportunity Fund

Ostara Press

 Jill is the Managing Partner of Renovare Development, a woman-owned social impact commercial real estate development company headquartered in Detroit. Her 25-year background includes private real estate development, private law practice, consulting and community development. As an attorney and private real estate developer, she has managed complex brownfield redevelopment projects comprising over 100 acres in multiple states. Jill has held the position of Chief Executive Officer for multi-million-dollar corporations focused on affordable housing and community and economic development, driving operations and overall vision for each organization. Jill was named a 2021 "Woman of Influence by GlobeST Magazine and a 2017 “Woman of Distinction” by the Wayne State University Council on the Status of Women and a 2016 winner of the Melvin Simon Award from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Foundation. She is the Co-Chair of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Michigan District Council and the founder of ULI Michigan’s Women’s Leadership Initiative, designed to promote leadership for women in the real estate industry, and a member of the Women's Development Collaborative. She is a licensed attorney and active member of the Michigan State Bar Association. 

Downs Diversity Initiatives

Dominion Real Estate Advisors

Rachele Downs is a veteran commercial real estate sales and economic development executive with 20+ years of representing institutional, corporate, and government and philanthropic entities. Currently, she is a

Vice President with Dominion Real Estate Advisors, and the founder of Downs Diversity Initiatives, LLC, a community and economic development consultancy specializing in strategy, program design, and project

management focused on diversity and inclusion in real estate, entrepreneurship, and workforce development. Rachele is a past-president of CREW Detroit and was the founding Program

Manager for Wayne State University’s Detroit Revitalization Fellows, where she designed, developed, and directed this innovative pilot program to increase the capacity of community and economic development organizations at the forefront of Detroit’s revitalization. Rachele also led inGAGETM, Inforum’s strategy to position Michigan as the Midwest hub for

high-growth women entrepreneurs, where she designed and developed a comprehensive entrepreneurial support platform to assist Michigan women. Passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion, Downs works tirelessly to improve and strengthen community access to resources in economic development, commercial real estate, and educational

preparedness.

Linchpin Legal

FiVG

After clerking for Michigan Supreme Court Justice Marilyn Kelly 15 years ago, Lisa amassed over a decade of in-depth experience in tax-based real estate finance, commercial transactions, and corporate law. Lisa has

negotiated commercial leases throughout the country for office, industrial, retail and flex space use for multi-national companies, and she has closed over $115 million in state and federal NMTC allocations across four states.

Furthermore, she has been involved in multiple public-private partnerships between private entities and state, county and local participants. Lisa is skilled in closing complex commercial real estate transactions,

structuring tax credit financing, advising tax exempt organizations and counseling businesses regarding legal matters. She regularly advises clients about national and local economic development incentives in

commercial transactions and counsels small and mid-sized clients on organizational and compliance matters to support their growth and development. Lisa is a graduate of Michigan State University and a cum

laude graduate of Wayne State University Law School.

P8 Real Estate Solutions

Brinda Devine is the founder of P8 Real Estate Solutions, As a consultant and small-scale development, Brinda has + 25 years in the commercial real estate industry with experience in development, asset management and managing diverse portfolios of real estate assets.    Brinda is a successful published author and passionate speaker about living a purpose driven life. She holds a M.B.A from Wayne State University in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a Bachelors of Science from Wayne State University in Finance. She is  a 2023 cohort  alumni of Builders+Backers Detroit,  2020  cohort alumni  of  the Equitable Development Initiative in Detroit through Capital Impact Partners, an active member of Urban Land Institute (ULI),  a committee member of the ULI Small Scale Local Product Development Council, and holds a Michigan Real Estate Brokers license.