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

