51视频-Dearborn alumni honored on two young notables lists

October 1, 2019

See which grads made the annual Crain's Detroit Business 鈥40 under 40鈥 and DBusiness 鈥30 in their Thirties鈥 lists.

 51视频-Dearborn graduates at commencement 2019.
51视频-Dearborn graduates at commencement 2019.

It鈥檚 a big point of pride that our graduates are committed to making Michigan a better place. In fact, in 2017, more than 90 percent of 51视频-Dearborn graduates who accepted employment after graduation stayed in Michigan* 鈥 giving a huge boost to the state鈥檚 economy. Here are some more cases in point for 2019: Five 51视频-Dearborn 30-somethings who recently earned shout-outs on two business-focused notables lists.
 


Allandra Bulger, 38, 鈥03 B.A.

Executive Director, Co.act Detroit, New Center, Detroit
Honored in Crain鈥檚 Detroit Business 鈥40 Under 40鈥

Fifth-generation Detroiter Allandra Bulger鈥檚 latest endeavor hopes to give a boost to Detroit鈥檚 diverse and growing nonprofit scene. In collaboration with Detroit鈥檚 TechTown business incubator, Bulger recently launched 鈥 a 6,500-square-foot hub in New Center that鈥檚 offering an array of support services for area nonprofits. Prior to that, Bulger was already making an impact as deputy director of Detroit Future City, an inclusive community-based planning initiative in Detroit. She also teaches in the nonprofit management certificate program at Oakland University. Read more about Allandra at .

 

Aaron Burrell, 34, 鈥07 B.A.

Member, Dickinson Wright, Detroit
Honored in Crain鈥檚 Detroit Business 鈥40 Under 40鈥

In his young career as a lawyer, Aaron Burrell has already had a number of meaningful wins. But prevailing in a class-action lawsuit that forced the state to pay for Hepatitis C medication for a vulnerable class of patients tops his list. "I've received letters and calls from patients saying, 'Thank you. You've changed my life.' Normally I don't hear that representing corporations,鈥 Burrell told Crain鈥檚. Burrell also co-chairs Dickinson Wright's Diversity and Inclusion committee, which oversees the implementation of the firm's diversity and inclusion programs. Read more about Aaron at .

 

Devon O'Reilly, 33, 鈥08 B.B.A.

Director of Entrepreneurship, Detroit Regional Chamber 
Honored in Crain鈥檚 Detroit Business 鈥40 Under 40鈥

Dearborn-raised Devon O鈥橰eilly is the Detroit Regional Chamber鈥檚 entrepreneurship specialist and helps starts-ups working in all corners of the economy. In his role there, which he鈥檚 held since 2014, he also organizes the Detroit Policy Conference and the NeighborHUB grant program, which aims to extend Detroit鈥檚 economic revitalization into neighborhoods beyond downtown. Read more about Devon at .

 

Christopher Scott, 37, 鈥11 M.S.E.

Senior Electrical Engineer, U.S. Army CCDC Ground Vehicle Systems Center, Warren
Honored in DBusiness 鈥30 in Their Thirties'

Christoper Scott鈥檚 engineering work at the U.S. Army鈥檚 CCDC Ground Vehicle Systems Center is about as high stakes as it gets. There he鈥檚 worked on everything from unmanned ground vehicles that are currently deployed on battlefields to innovative new armor for military trucks. Outside of that work, you can find Scott delivering motivational talks for high school and college students 鈥 often drawing on his own experience coping with depression and anxiety as a young person. Read more about Christopher at .

 

Jacob Zuppke, 31, 鈥12 B.B.A.

Executive Vice President, AutoPets, Auburn Hills
Honored in DBusiness 鈥30 in Their Thirties'

Automation鈥檚 impact on society is a hotly debated topic at universities, but we鈥檙e pretty sure most people would put a cat litter box that does the scooping for you in the win column for humanity. That鈥檚 the flagship product of AutoPets, where alum Jacob Zuppke has helped grow sales of the nearly four fold since joining the company in 2015. According to DBusiness, AutoPets is also planning to move into a new 50,000-square-foot headquarters in Auburn Hills later this year. Read more about Jacob at .

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*Source: 51视频-Dearborn Career services 2017 Graduation Survey; 49 percent response rate.