Director, Detroit Creative Corridor Center

Matt Clayson is Director of the Detroit Creative Corridor Center. In this capacity, Matt works with numerous stakeholders, practitioners and community leaders to develop a series of strategies targeted towards growing Detroit’s creative economy. Prior to his work at the DC3, Matt was an attorney with interactive promotion company ePrize, LLC, counseling a portfolio of Fortune 500 clients on legal and strategic issues related to global interactive marketing initiatives. He also served as a Project Manager for the Tourism Economic Development Council, developing and managing a multi-media public information campaign that strengthened Detroit’s image in preparation for Super Bowl XL. Matt is an active member of the Detroit community.

He is a drafter of the Detroit Declaration and he is a founding member of Michigan Children’s Leadership Council. He serves on the boards for the Southwest Detroit Business Association and for Artserve Michigan. He has also served on numerous advisory boards and taskforces including for Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit, the Detroit Renaissance “Road to Renaissance” creative economy work group, the 2009 Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce Mackinac Advisory Committee, The Center for Michigan’s “Michigan’s Defining Moment” Campaign, Detroit Synergy and the Detroit Yacht Club.

Matt has been a featured speaker and educator on the topics of entrepreneurship in the creative industries for the U.S. Department of State, the Aspen Institute, University of Michigan Ross School of Business, Michigan State University Prima Civitas Foundation, The American Assembly, the German Marshall Fund and others. Matt, a licensed attorney in the State of Michigan, earned his Juris Doctor from Wayne State University in Detroit. He earned dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in International Relations and Political Theory from Michigan State University and completed coursework focusing on the political and economic structures of the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation at the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Brussels, Belgium.

Founder, Detroit Denim

At the time, getting let go from his corporate job during the start of a significant economic recession didn't seem like a good thing. In retrospect, it was a blessing that forced Eric to wrestle with the idea of starting his own business. Making jeans. In Detroit. By hand. With two years of careful planning and preparation and three years of being in the Ponyride Building, Detroit Denim continues to grow into a sustainable manufacturing business in Detroit. Being from Michigan, Eric's educational background includes an undergraduate degree in marketing from Western Michigan University and an MBA from Michigan State. Having spent 15+ years in technical sales in the chemical industry, Eric now is happier than he has ever been pursuing his passion of making jeans in Detroit.

VP, Leather, Shinola

Jen is the former Chief Executive Officer and co-owner of JW Hulme. She spearheaded the reinvention and revitalization of the 108 year-old American-made leather goods brand and was the 2012 recipient of the Minnesota Manufacturing Awards CEO of the year.

Jen has recently left JW Hulme to join the re-launched American brand Shinola. She is continuing her passion for domestic manufacturing by leading the development of leather goods to be made in Shinola’s Detroit headquarters where they currently manufacture high quality watches and bikes.

After focusing most of her early career in product design for several leather goods brands Jen transitioned to the business development side of fashion, becoming Vice President of Brand Management for The Sak in 1998. In 2003 Jen and her business partner discovered and purchased JW Hulme; where she established her commitment to quality domestic manufacturing.

Jen has been a regular champion of non-profit causes with her current energies being applied to The Makers Coalition as Founding Chair. Jen has been a board member for organizations such as Ad Fed and Minneapolis Mosaic.

Jen holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the University of Oklahoma where she attended as a Division I Volleyball scholarship recipient. She completed special study programs at the Academy of Arts, San Francisco.

Veronika Scott, founder and CEO of The Empowerment Plan, has built an organization that began around a single idea: to design a coat specifically for the homeless. The coat is self-heated, waterproof, and transforms into a sleeping bag at night. That idea has now transformed into a system of empowerment in which homeless women are paid to learn how to produce coats for people living on the streets, giving them an opportunity to earn money, find a place to live, and gain back their independence for themselves and their family. Veronika is the youngest recipient of the John F Kennedy New Frontier Award from the JFK Library Foundation and Harvard University.

She has received an IDEA Gold Award from the Industrial Design Society of America and has an honorary PhD of Humane Letters from Johnson State College. Veronika has been named one of CNN’s Ten Visionary Women in the World and is the winner of the 2014 DVF People’s Voice Award. She has also been named a 2015 Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur. The Empowerment Plan story has been told across the world and shared at events such as the World Summit on Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Forbes Oprah, Melinda Gates, and Warren Buffett.

Dan serves as a co-founder of Detroit Labs, where he focuses on sales, marketing, and getting things done. As a premium mobile development firm with clients such as Chevy, Domino’s Pizza and Biggby Coffee, Dan has been proving to executives and decision makers that the place to find talent, excellence and passion is in Detroit.

He previously worked for Quicken Loans where he was heavily involved in high-tech projects for Quicken Loans leadership and worked closely with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Ohio Casino projects. As an expert in mobile technology, Dan has served as a go-to resource for media across the country, including The Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg, Main Street and The Washington Post, to provide insight into tech trends and issues impacting consumers and businesses alike in the technology space.

Dan is also an experienced speaker, having presented at prestigious events like the Lowe Campbell Ewald Innovation Summit and the Ad Age Digital Conference.

Eric Pokriefka has been a product manager for more than 10 years. His work for DTE Energy is in the mobility, social media, IVR, kiosk and digital support areas. In addition, Eric has more than 20 years experience in consumer insight, digital marketing and human centered design.

Justin brewed his first batch of beer in his East Lansing apartment while attending Michigan State University about eight years ago, where he received a B.S. in psychology. After graduation, he pursued work within the field of psychology in California. He moved back to the Detroit area in preparation for further study, but changed his plans after he found a job opportunity as an assistant brewer at Detroit Beer Co. and Royal Oak Brewery. After several years of working under two very talented brewers, he was promoted to his current position as Brewmaster at Detroit Beer Co, allowing him to do what he loves in his favorite city.