Now in its fourth year, the Michigan Chronicle’s influential 40 Under 40 Award has become a coveted honor among successful young Detroiters. Touted as champions of local economic empowerment and as political and business catalysts, the 40 Under 40 Award winners symbolize not only accomplishment but also the promise of a brighter future.

This year, four of those awardees — Charli E. Rose, Lynita Taylor, Daniel Wallace and Bianca Wilson — are Wayne State Warriors.

Charli E. Rose

Rose earned a bachelor’s in mortuary science from Wayne State University and later became a licensed mortician. She currently works as a funeral director at Andrews Funeral Home in Detroit. She is noted in her field for going beyond expectations to provide timely and supportive service to grieving families.

She also acts as a community outreach affiliate for the Wayne County Executive’s Office, assisting countywide with awareness efforts, communications and charity works. She’s currently a graduate student at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

Lynita Taylor

The manager for the diversity and inclusion programs at Wayne State University’s Mike Ilitch School of Business, Taylor heads the PwC MPREP Scholars program, which is geared toward recruiting and retaining multicultural undergraduate students and preparing them for careers in various business concentrations.

Tasked with building MPREP from the ground up, Taylor has drawn as many as 60 students to the program in less than two years. She is also a part-time faculty member in the Ilitch School and takes classes herself in the doctoral program at the WSU College of Education.

Taylor said she felt surprised, honored, humbled and grateful to be named among the 40 Under 40: “There are times you wonder if you are doing the right thing. To be recognized by the community, it keeps you going.”

Daniel Wallace

Wallace received his bachelor’s in journalism from Wayne State, where he discovered his passion for what he said to be his most transferable skill: writing.

A former member of the WSU Journalism Institute for Media Diversity, Wallace has been with General Motors for eight years, currently help to lead global diversity initiatives. His focus is on the inclusion efforts of the company and he is responsible for, among other things, managing GM’s African American portfolio and authoring the company’s diversity and inclusion report.

Originally hired to maintain the website and online communication dedicated to GM retirees, Wallace began to grow the digital network as well as its shared content, creating an online community among the retired workers along the way.

Asked about the award, Wallace — who returned to Wayne State University for his M.B.A. — said, “The 40 Under 40 Award has been given to an incredible list of talented professionals. To now be among that list is extremely humbling.”

Bianca Wilson

Wilson is a graduate of the master of social work program at Wayne State University. A licensed clinical social worker who is heavily involved in community organizations, Wilson is the on-call therapist for all of Wayne County hospitals. She is a school social worker in the Oak Park public school district and also assists in its the Guidance Center.

The innovator behind the company Umbrellex, Wilson oversees the multiple divisions of care for individuals who need therapeutic and psychiatric attention.

Wilson said she was grateful for the honor and credited WSU for a commitment to excellence through inclusion that has impacted her own work.

“Wayne State represents diversity to me,” said Wilson.

For more information on the 40 under 40 Award and the other honorees, visit https://michiganchronicle.com/2019/09/05/2019-michigan-chronicle-40-under-40-honorees/.