MARCH 10 • 2022 | 31

Life at headquar-
ters proved to be even 
more exciting than the 
up-and-coming executive 
had imagined. Dow and 
DuPont had been longtime 
rivals in the chemical indus-
try, giants whose leaders for 
years had toyed with the idea 
of merging in order to opti-
mize their complementary 
strengths. The theoretical 
basis for joining forces was 
actualized in 2015 when the 
two companies proposed a 
highly unusual plan to merge 
into one big company — and 
then to split into three sepa-
rate publicly traded compa-
nies, pursuing three different 
businesses: performance 
chemicals and packaging 
(Dow); specialty materials 
and nutrition (DuPont); and 
agricultural chemicals and 
seeds (Corteva).

When the plan was 
announced at the end of 2015, 
Ungerleider had risen to vice 
chairman and chief finan-
cial officer of Dow. He then 
became chief financial officer 
of DowDuPont, the $80 billion 
entity that was to be split into 
three. As the board contem-
plated the proposed leader-
ship and management teams 
for the three new corporate 
entities, a dilemma arose: The 
new Dow had been blessed 
with two excellent candidates 
for CEO: Ungerleider and Jim 
Fitterling, another longtime 
Dow veteran.
“We wanted both of them to 
say,” said Steve Miller, then a 
director of DowDuPont. “Both 
are accomplished and effective 
leaders. We were quite eager 
as a board to figure out a solu-
tion.”
The solution was naming 

Fitterling, a few years senior 
to Ungerleider, as CEO, with 
Ungerleider as president and 
chief financial officer.
The board’s calculation that 
Ungerleider’s devotion to Dow 
would overcome any disap-
pointment proved correct. “I 
think the board made a great 
decision. I mean, I’ve known 
Jim Fitterling for 30 years. He’s 
a tremendous individual. A 
tremendous leader. I think in 
many ways our skills are high-
ly complementary. He’s the 
pilot, I’m the co-pilot — we’ve 
both got to be able to fly the 
plane.”
As his corporate and civic 
profile grew, Ungerleider came 
to the attention of Jewish com-
munity leaders in Detroit, who 
invited him to travel to Israel 
in 2019, his first visit, as part 
of a delegation that included 
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. 

“The trip was life-changing 
for me,” he said. “I came home 
and I was kicking myself and 
told my wife we have to go 
again. And I can’t believe it’s 
taken me more than 50 years 
of my life to see Israel. It was 
special. It was spiritual. I don’t 
even know if I have the words 
to describe it.”
As a leader in many fields 
and a member of Bay City’s 
synagogue with his wife and 
two children, Ungerleider 
looks forward to one day 
undertaking a similar role on 
behalf of his people: 
“I don’t know what the 
Jewish community needs in 
the state, but I think they can 
count on me to help with my 
resources and my expertise. 
Whatever I can do to help 
contribute, I would. I cer-
tainly am passionate about 
the faith.” 

Elan S. Carr, Daniel Elbaum 
and Hon. Ronald Klein 
have been awarded the 
Gitelson Silver Medallion 
by the Alpha Epsilon Pi 
Foundation. The award 
recognizes AEPi alumni 
for their commitment to 
Jewish communal ser-
vices. Carr, an attorney, 
served as the United States 
Special Envoy to Monitor 
and Combat Anti-Semitism 
from 2019-2021. Elbaum is 
the head of North America 

for the Jewish Agency for 
Israel (JAFI) as well as the 
president and CEO of the 
Jewish Agency International 
Development (JAID); Klein 
has worked in the private 
sector as a business and 
transactional attorney for 
over 25 years and in the 
public sector as an elected 
official. He is a member of 
Holland & Knight’s Public 
Policy & Regulation Group 
and co-chair of the firm’s 
Israel Practice Group.

Carr
Elbaum
Klein

Mi BANK announced Bruce Kridler’s 
appointment as director of its new Private 
Client and Family Office initiative. In his 
new role, Kridler will oversee the delivery 
of additional products and services to Mi 
BANK’s high net worth and ultra-high net 
worth clients. Some of these services will 
be provided directly by Mi BANK, and oth-
ers will be delivered by Mi BANK through 
strategic relationships it will develop with other providers.

Hy Safran, 37, director of philanthropy, 
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit 
& United Jewish Foundation, was named 
as one of Oakland County’s 40 Under 40. 
The 40 Under 40 class honors young pro-
fessionals who live and/or work in Oakland 
County. These individuals exemplify 
Oakland Together, a vision for a community 
working together to leverage its strengths, 
address its challenges and find value in working with 
regional partners.

