34 | MARCH 9 • 2023
W
atching Rihanna rock the
Super Bowl Halftime show, I
noted to a living room full of
fellow millennials how validating it is to
see the NFL catering to our generation’s
musical tastes rather than those of our
parents.
“That’s because now we are the
parents,
” someone quipped.
It’s true. Millennials — those kids who
would never settle down — are now
adults who are, by and large, settling
down. And as Rihanna’s maternity
wardrobe attested, many are balancing
busy careers with young families.
In a roundabout way, all that explains
Danielle DePriest’s opportunity
and challenge as board president of
NEXTGen Detroit.
“I think it’s hard for millennials
because our attention is so divided;
people are starting careers and starting
families,” DePriest said.
For more than a decade, NEXTGen
Detroit has been a gateway for young
Jewish adults to engage with our
community. Some 4,000 people attended
its lively events in 2022 alone. Safe to say
that if you’re in its target age group (21 to
39) and reading this, you’ve had a drink,
made a friend and maybe even climbed a
rock wall with the organization.
Those activities will continue to
happen. Yet DePriest and NEXTGen
Detroit are also looking further ahead,
thinking not just about how to engage
those who need to hire a babysitter before
RSVPing to an event, but also about how
to get them to commit their precious
time and resources toward supporting
Jewish institutions. Although millennials
are generally generous in giving to causes
they connect with, they can, according
to multiple studies, be a tough sell
when it comes to blanket support for
organizations and institutions. Along
similar lines, Pew’s 2020 survey of Jewish
Americans revealed the younger set is
less likely to feel connected with the
broader community.
“Our generation is ready to make
financial contributions to the community,
but we’re more motivated by seeing
the impact firsthand,” DePriest said.
“NEXTGen Detroit’s role is to bring that
impact to the forefront.”
It’s no accident that DePriest, who lives
in West Bloomfield, is the one steering
NEXTGen Detroit at this moment. She
understands the pressures of competing
priorities firsthand: In addition to her
duties at NEXTGen, she’s a wife, mother
to a 1-year-old and a shareholder at a
law practice (Zausmer PC). She also sits
on the Executive Committee for Jewish
Family Service. Those who work with
DePriest say her talent for multitasking
extends to being able to see how details
build toward organizational goals.
“It’s an amazing experience to have
a partner and friend who understands
the bigger picture and who never misses
diving down to the smallest details,” said
Tomer Moked, Federation’s director of
NEXTGen Detroit.
DePriest, a lifelong Tamarack camper
and product of Frankel Jewish Academy,
is also a walking, talking embodiment of
why community institutions matter and
how they can be sustained over multiple
generations. She benefited from a rich
Jewish communal life growing up and
saw her family, particularly her mother
and grandfather, take the time to give
back.
“I was raised in a family that really
valued taking action consistent with your
NEXT DOR
VOICE OF A NEW GENERATION
The Next
Generation
for NEXTGen
Detroit
DAVID ZENLEA
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
Meet NEXTGen Detroit Board
President Danielle DePriest.
Danielle
DePriest