For the past year, Steve Tobocman has been spearheading the Global Detroit initiative to create jobs and economic growth in southeast Michigan from strategies that deepen the region’s global connections and welcome, attract, and retain immigrants in the area. Global Detroit has been funded by the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce, the New Economy Initiative and the Skillman Foundation and has 35 key economic innovators serving on its advisory board. A final report was release in May 2010 and is available on the New Economy Initiative website at www.neweconomyintiative.cfsem.org. Global Detroit is in its second round of funding from the New Economy Initiative and is developing business plans for each of the eleven strategy recommendations identified in the report.
After attaining his law degree and masters in public policy from the University of Michigan in 1997, Steve served as the founding director of Community Legal Resources, a business law pro bono initiative that has provided more than 800 nonprofit organizations with free legal services valued in excess of $8 million.
From 2003-2008, Steve served as the State Representative from Michigan 12th State House District in southwestern Detroit, one of the state’s largest immigrant communities. In his last term, Steve served as the Majority Floor Leader, the second-ranking position in the House. During his time in the Michigan Legislature, Steve worked on a variety of economic development initiatives and wrote legislation on immigration issues to protect foreign born Michigan residents and non-citizens from consumer fraud and abuse, discriminatory treatment under State programs, and from those who would restrict Michigan driver’s licenses. Steve also authored legislation to create the Michigan Supply Chain Commission to more proactively form policies dealing with these critical issues of international commerce.
In addition to spearheading the Global Detroit work, Steve currently co-directs the Michigan Political Leadership Program at Michigan State University, co-directs the Michigan Foreclosure Task Force, and is involved in a number of nonprofit boards of directors and public policy initiatives. He has been honored by numerous groups as the Legislator of the Year, Crain’s Detroit Business (40 Under 40), Hour Detroit’s Generation Next, the American Bar Association Business Law Section, and others. |
