Curtis Ivery, 2025 Recipient of the Neal Shine Award for Exemplary Regional Leadership

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In divisive times, the messages from three metro Detroit leaders were welcome — collaborating for the best possible outcome, empowering people to achieve their potential, uniting to make an impact.

The three leaders accepted awards for their work in skilled trades, community development and education on Tuesday, Oct. 7, during the 18th annual Shining Light Awards at Ford Field. Nearly 300 people from across metro Detroit gathered to recognize their achievements.

“We are living in uncharted times and sometimes it’s very unsettling,” said Lisa Johanon, executive director and co-founder of Central Detroit Christian Community Development, who accepted the Eleanor Josaitis Unsung Hero Award. “But, friends, it’s not about you or me. It’s about us and we. We, joining together to help a hurting world.”

That spirit of unity reflects the purpose of the Shining Light Awards, which recognize people who build bridges across communities and promote regional cooperation and understanding. The awards honor the legacies of late Free Press Editor and Publisher Neal Shine, late civil rights activist and Focus: HOPE Co-founder Eleanor Josaitis, and basketball legend and former Detroit Mayor Dave Bing. The program is presented by the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition and the Detroit Free Press.

Curtis L. Ivery — Neal Shine Award for Exemplary Regional Leadership

Curtis Ivery has led Wayne County Community College District for 30 years as chancellor of the six-campus college. When he arrived, the institution was struggling, with three presidents in five years, board infighting and frequent administrative turnover.

Ivery, now 76, expected to stay only a few years, but he remained to oversee an era of growth. Under his leadership, WCCCD expanded its campuses, improved facilities and modernized course offerings. About 12,000 students enroll in degree programs each fall and spring semester, while another 40,000 take part in non-degree and vocational programs each year.

“We are about collaboration,” Ivery said as he accepted the award. “When we can’t get it done at one location, we have no problem reaching out to another location to put in place whatever is necessary to serve students.”

Lisa Johanon — Eleanor Josaitis Unsung Hero Award

Lisa Johanon co-founded Central Detroit Christian Community Development Corp. in 1993 to provide youth programming after a national organization she worked for ended its Detroit operations.

Since then, the organization has expanded to offer early education programs, job training, small business development and housing support in Detroit’s 48202 and 48206 ZIP codes. It has repaired more than 700 homes, helped nearly 800 Detroiters become first-time homeowners and manages more than 100 affordable housing units.

“If there’s ever a time for regional cooperation instead of division, it’s now,” Johanon said. “We need to set aside our political differences, our economic differences, our cultural differences and any other petty differences we may have with each other.”

John Perkins Jr. — Dave Bing Young Leader Award

John Perkins Jr. lives in a home his father built — a symbol of the generational wealth his family has worked to sustain. That experience introduced him to carpentry and inspired his career in the skilled trades.

Now a business representative for the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights, Perkins connects young people to apprenticeship opportunities and started a monthly mentoring program that features guest speakers and career resources.

“We’ve mastered the art of construction, the science, the engineering, the logistics,” Perkins said. “But what if our greatest achievement isn’t found in the buildings we raise but in the people we uplift? The true measure of our success isn’t just in the concrete or the framework — it’s in human potential, the lives we touch and the communities we nurture.”