Shayla Zimmerman

Shayla (Shay) Zimmerman (she/her) is a dedicated and tenacious leader committed to co-liberation and community care. Embracing intersecting identities, she is a Disabled and neurodivergent activist. She began community organizing at 15, since focusing on building community resilience and capacity in non-profits and grassroots efforts.

She is a first-generation graduate with a Master of Public Health from the Population and Health Sciences program at the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Social Work from Wayne State University. Additionally, she is certified in Spatial Epidemiology/Health Geography and Project Management. She is the inaugural recipient of the Emerging Social Work Leader Award from the National Association of Social Workers, and her contributions in flooding recovery and violence prevention have left a lasting impact. 

Currently, she serves as a Program Officer at the Institute for Sustainable Communities leading implementation of Environmental Justice – Eastern Regional Grantmakers (EJ-ERG). As a dedicated neighbor, she is a member of the East Side Flooding Task Force, Metro Detroit Flooding Recovery Project, and the Detroit Watershed Planning committee. She is an alumna of Barack Obama’s National Change Collective Fellowship and the Detroit Equity and Action Lab Racial Equity Fellowship. Before joining ISC, she was the Associate Director of Special Projects, Community Impact for United Way for Southeastern Michigan and an esteemed moderator of “What’s the Word Wednesday Town Halls,” leading panel discussions around equity and community building.

She is a fourth-generation Detroiter and currently calls the East Side of Detroit, home. In her free time, she loves to travel, read non-fiction books, and walk with her dog, Izzy.