Faye Nelson is Director of Michigan Programs at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, providing leadership and oversight of the foundation’s investments in Michigan and leading its statewide grantmaking priorities in collaboration and partnership with stakeholders throughout the region.
Prior to joining the Kellogg Foundation, Nelson served as the 2017-2018 Sojourner Truth Fellow at the University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. Nelson was Vice President of DTE Energy and President and Board Chair of the DTE Energy Foundation. Additionally, she served as the inaugural President and Chief Executive Officer of the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy.
Nelson serves on the board of several Detroit area organizations, including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Henry Ford Health System and Health Network.
She is the recipient of numerous awards, including from Crain’s Detroit Business, NBC News, and the Michigan Environmental Council.
Nelson earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Mercy College of Detroit and a law degree from the University of Detroit School of Law. She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and a life member of the Sixth Circuit Judicial Conference.