Anika Goss

Why you should listen

Anika Goss is the CEO of Detroit Future City (DFC), a think-and-do tank focused on land use, sustainability, economic equity and community development in Detroit, Michigan. She leads a team of experts implementing the DFC Strategic Framework: a comprehensive 50-year guide to decision-making and investment in Detroit. She also led the development of several significant research studies, including "Growing Detroit's African-American Middle Class" in 2019 and "The State of Economic Equity in Detroit" in 2021, as well as a web-based dashboard that tracks economic equity in Detroit and the surrounding region. Her organization has invested more than $2.5 million toward the acceleration of vacant land revitalization through green infrastructure in Detroit by developing tools and resources, educational programming, research and direct project support of community-led green-space projects. This work has developed a network of more than 120 resident leaders and nonprofits equipped and focused on this collaborative effort. Goss has been crucial in redirecting capital to areas of the city where the most vulnerable people of color live.

Goss serves on the board of several national and local organizations, including The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program Network for Economic Inclusion.