16 | APRIL 22 • 2021 

to really think differently 
about how we take on envi-
ronmental sustainability in 
Detroit,” Goss said. 
Goss said she relied 
on Raines heavily for the 
thought leadership strategy 
of the coalition and support 
during the process. 
“I’ve seen 
Jodee take vague 
concepts that 
are unclear to 
everyone else 
and get it done 
— make sure all 
the voices are at the table 
and be really clear about 
what is needed to actualize 
a vision.” 
Goss, who is Black, 
believes Raines serves as 
a strong ally in the fight 
against racism. 
“She is certainly empa-
thetic, inclusive and 
action-oriented,” Goss said. 
“At this time, for a lot of us 
who are focused on anti-rac-
ism and racial equity, having 
allies who are focused on 
being action-oriented while 
making sure all the voices 
are heard is how you get this 
done. 
“All voices in the pro-
cess matter to her, and 
when there are moments 
where people are excluded 
or where there’s a point of 
inequity, she does anything 
she can in her power per-
sonally to rectify that,” Goss 
said. 

DYNAMIC LEADERSHIP
Eugene Driker, past pres-
ident of JVS and a past 
board member of the Jewish 
Federation, is a neighbor of 
Raines and is fully aware of 
how important her appoint-
ment is as a Jew.
“It couldn’t be more 

important at this time,” 
Driker said. “Jews share 
important places in our 
society with the African 
American community, the 
Asian American community 
and with minority commu-
nities who are feeling the 
pain of being attacked by 
white supremacists, racists 
and antisemites. 
“To have someone of 
Jodee’s stature take on this 
important position and a 
newly created role at an 
organization that’s been 
around for over 50 years is 
very important for that orga-
nization and for the Jewish 
community,” he added. 
“It’s another indication of 
how active younger people 
in the Jewish community are 
in reconnecting to Detroit.” 
Driker believes the values 
and leadership qualities that 
have carried Raines through 
her career will contribute 
mightily to her work with 
New Detroit. 
“I don’t think she’s fright-
ened off by 
difficult issues,” 
Driker said. 
“I think all of 
her different 
jobs have con-
fronted seri-
ous problems, 
whether she was dealing 
with water quality at the 
Erb Foundation, or philan-
thropic needs at the Jewish 
Fund, or taking an organi-
zation like the Downtown 
Synagogue — that was very 
much on life support 10-15 
years ago — and helping 
turn that around to being an 
extraordinarily dynamic and 
exciting place to be. 
“She’s not frightened off 
by a challenge, and that’s 
what you need in leaders.” 

Eugene 
Driker

Anika Goss

continued from page 14

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