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Tanya Saldivar-Ali
Tanya Saldivar-Ali is a Southwest Detroit native, community builder, and entrepreneur whose work sits at the intersection of culture, the built environment, and community ownership. As Business Development Director of AGI Construction, founder of DFO313, and co-founder of the Design-Build Green Hub, Tanya brings three interconnected lenses to her work: building places, building people, and building community capacity.
With roots in construction and urban planning and nearly three decades of community leadership, Tanya draws from her lived experience growing up in Detroit and her deep connection to immigrant, Latino, and working-class communities. Her work focuses on creating more equitable pathways to development, construction opportunities, entrepreneurship, and ownership while honoring the culture, history, and relationships already rooted in place.
Through AGI, DFO313, and the Green Hub, Tanya is exploring a simple but powerful question: Who gets to design, build, own, and shape the future of our communities?
Her philosophy: Buildings are cultural vessels. Development should create opportunity. And regeneration means building for the next generation.
Dina Sanders-Harris
Dina Sanders-Harris is the Founder, President, and CEO of National Faith Homebuyers (NFH), a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding access to sustainable homeownership and strengthening communities. With decades of experience in housing, homeownership and community development, she has built a career focused on removing barriers to homeownership and creating opportunities for families and communities. With decades of experience in housing, homeownership, and community development, Dina has helped 20,000+ families receive counseling, 10,000+ households achieve homeownership, and develop and sell 700+ affordable homes. Through innovative partnerships and initiatives like Detroit Down Payment Assistance, Dina continues to expand access to sustainable homeownership and create meaningful opportunities for families and communities. Her leadership and service have earned recognition from HUD and the Congressional Black Caucus, among others. WSDi is proud to celebrate a leader who is helping build stronger communities, one homeowner at a time.
The annual event serves as a cornerstone for the WSDI community, highlighting the successes of the WE Develop flagship accelerator program. WE Develop provides emerging women developers with the pre-development funding, resources, and mentorship necessary to move their projects from concept to reality, with a focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) components.
“Our annual event is more than just a celebration; it’s a catalyst for change,” says Karen Burton, President of WSDI. “By bringing our community together at the Scarab Club, we are reinforcing the network of support that helps women overcome traditional barriers to funding and resources in the development industry. We are building more than buildings—we are building a movement.”
WSDI is grateful for the continued support of its current sponsors, who are instrumental in driving this mission forward: MSHDA (Michigan State Housing Development Authority), Michigan RE Journals, ThreeSquared, Inc., SME and TEG.
Individuals and organizations interested in sponsoring the annual event can reach out to us at contactus@womendevelop.org to receive information on various sponsorship levels.
