News | Devon Akmon

“Understanding Who We Are” – A Town Hall Conversation

March 15, 2010 News

I’m honored and pleased to be a panelist for “Understanding Who We Are” – A town hall conversation about Detroit and Detroiters. This timely and important event will explore and discuss the diverse communities that makeup the metropolitan Detroit region. I hope you will be able to join us if you’re available on the evening of March 22. Here is the official press release for the event. Wayne State University’s Detroit Orientation Institute (DOI) and One of Us Films areRead More

Puerto Rico Travelogue: Day Five

November 27, 2009 Adventure

Yesterday started off rather normal and ended on a weird note. Highlights for the day included an outstanding Puerto Rican breakfast at La Bombonera, a relaxing walk along the Paseo de la Princesa and the western coast of Old San Juan, and our Thanksgiving dinner at Marmalade. La Bombonera was the perfect place to start the day. We enjoyed the restaurant’s renowned mallorcas and cafe con leche. Mallorcas are the perfect sweet and savory breakfast. A mallorca is “a butteryRead More

Puerto Rico Travelogue: Day Four

November 26, 2009 Adventure

Sometimes things just don’t go according to plan when traveling. Yesterday was one of those days. After spending a couple of hours hunting down the only available rental car in San Juan, we departed the Old City for a trip to a coffee plantation in Ponce. Well, at least that was the plan. After a 1.5 hour drive, we arrived at Hacinda Buena Vista with high hopes for the tour of the farm. Little did we know that Hacienda BuenaRead More

Puerto Rico Travelogue: Day Three

November 25, 2009 Adventure

Today we paid a visit to Casa Bacardi, home to the world’s most popular rum. Several years back we started a habit of visiting distilleries and breweries when we travel. Up until this point, we’ve had great luck with our experiences. Generally the visits are educational, fun, and include good times tasting good beverages. Sadly, Casa Bacardi was a bit of a letdown. It was a somewhat educational experience, but we were really annoyed that we could not tour theRead More

Puerto Rico Travelogue: Day Two

November 24, 2009 Adventure

When we arrived at The Gallery Inn on Saturday, Dharma was the first to notice the many pictures of Barack and Michelle Obama visiting the hotel. When we asked the clerk about the pictures, all she told us was that the first family visited during the primary election campaign. Yesterday we befriended the maintenance man and he filled us in on the details. It turns out the Obamas rented out all twenty-two rooms during their visit, the place was crawlingRead More

Puerto Rico Travelogue: Day One

November 23, 2009 Adventure

Greetings from sunny Puerto Rico! We arrived in the Old San Juan (Old City) late yesterday afternoon after a long day of flights and promptly headed to our sanctuary (otherwise known as the The Gallery Inn). The B&B we are staying at is really amazing. The brief description on the website aptly describes the location: The Gallery Inn, a stunning twenty-two room boutique hotel, sits high aloft the Old City’s North Wall, commanding sensuous Atlantic Ocean breezes and gorgeous viewsRead More

Emerging Leaders

July 18, 2009 News

My five month professional development training with the Michigan Nonprofit Association’s Emerging Leaders program has come to an end. In general, I’ve found that professional development trainings are either hit or miss. Emerging Leaders was right on the spot. There were several things that made this program a success. First, we had a great cohort. The group was diverse and represented many different areas from within the nonprofit sector. This afforded great discussions and a wealth of information sharing. Second,Read More