Detroit native and nonprofit executive brings deep experience in community engagement, organizational transformation, fundraising and storytelling
DETROIT—Sept. 14, 2026—United Way for Southeastern Michigan (UWSEM) today announced that Dr. Annis Stubbs has joined the organization as Chief Brand & Engagement Officer, a new executive leadership role focused on strengthening United Way’s connection with communities across the region and bringing its brand, communications, government relations and engagement efforts together under a unified strategy.
Stubbs brings extensive experience in nonprofit and civic leadership, organizational transformation, fundraising, community engagement and culture strategy. With deep ties to Detroit, she has spent much of her career building relationships and bringing people together around a shared purpose.
As Chief Brand & Engagement Officer, Stubbs will lead UWSEM’s brand, communications, marketing, events, volunteer engagement, advocacy and community activation strategies. She will work closely with teams across the organization to strengthen United Way’s visibility and ensure community voices and experiences remain central to how the organization communicates, engages and mobilizes people around its mission.
“Dr. Stubbs brings the kind of leadership, community connection and vision we need as United Way continues to evolve,” said Dr. Darienne Hudson, president and CEO of United Way for Southeastern Michigan. “She understands that building a strong brand starts with building strong relationships and trust. We look forward to her insight and background of leadership to moving us forward and growing our impact across the region.
Stubbs’ experience includes founding and launching Teach for America Detroit, where she helped establish the organization’s local identity while building relationships with school partners, community leaders, donors and civic stakeholders.
“I’m thrilled to join United Way for Southeastern Michigan and help build on its long history of showing up for families and communities across our region,” said Dr. Annis Stubbs, Chief Brand & Engagement Officer. “I grew up in Detroit. The families United Way serves are families I know. This role is personal. As Chief Brand and Engagement Officer, my job is to make sure the story we tell matches the work we do and that the communities at the center of this mission see themselves reflected in it. United Way for Southeastern Michigan is already doing serious work across this region. I want more people to know it.”
Dr. Stubbs went on to hold senior leadership roles with Teach for America, including serving as Chief People Officer. In that role, she led a team of more than 100 people responsible for culture, engagement, leadership development and the organizational experience of approximately 3,500 staff members.
She also served as Teach for America’s Senior Vice President of Strategy and Innovation and helped lead large-scale organizational transformation across 52 regions and more than 1,200 staff members. Her work included implementing new operating models, accountability systems and organizational strategies designed to strengthen performance and impact.
She also spent nearly a decade as an organizational consultant and executive coach advising nonprofits, school districts and senior leaders on people strategy, brand positioning and institutional change. In that role, Stubbs advised organizations including The Skillman Foundation, The Florida Department of Education and The Broad Residency at the Yale School of Management.
Her experience also extends deeply into philanthropy and relationship building. Dr. Annis Stubbs built a diversified funding base that raised approximately $19 million over four years, working with foundations, individual donors, corporate partners and other stakeholders. Throughout her career, she has viewed storytelling as an essential tool for connecting people to a mission and moving them from awareness to action.
That combination of experience will be central to Stubbs’ work at United Way.
In her new role, she will help strengthen the connection between UWSEM’s community impact and the way the organization tells its story, engages supporters and creates opportunities for people to participate in its work. That includes developing stronger pathways for individuals to move from learning about United Way to becoming volunteers, advocates, donors and long-term partners.
Stubbs will also help ensure United Way continues to show up authentically in the communities it serves. Her leadership philosophy emphasizes proximity to community, listening to lived experiences and building coalitions that allow organizations to work alongside residents rather than simply on their behalf.
The addition of the Chief Brand & Engagement Officer role reflects UWSEM’s continued evolution as the organization works to increase its visibility, deepen community participation and bring together partners around some of Southeast Michigan’s most pressing challenges.
About United Way for Southeastern Michigan
United Way for Southeastern Michigan, a member of the United Way Worldwide network and an independently governed 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, works to help households become stable and ensure children have the support they need to thrive. For more than one hundred years, United Way has been a leader in creating positive, measurable, and sustainable change in communities throughout southeast Michigan. United Way works in partnership with donors, agencies, corporate and municipal partners to help families meet their basic needs of housing, food, health care, and family finances, and ensure children start school ready to learn and graduate ready for life. To give, advocate, volunteer or learn more, visit UnitedWaySEM.org.
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