PARKER LYNCH // EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CO-FOUNDER
Parker is one of the founding members of Born and Raised Detroit Foundation. He, along with other founding members, helped BARD's fundraising events grow from a single event to its current model of having events from coast-to-coast.
Parker holds a BA in English from Indiana University in 2006 and his dual MA in Special Education and Childhood Education from New York University in 2013. His love for working with kids and getting youth involved in philanthropy has shaped his role with BARD. He currently is patenting an education-tech device aimed at helping kids with autism and ADHD in the classroom and has been an elementary teacher for the previous eight years.
JAMISON LYNCH // CO-FOUNDER, BOARD MEMBER
Jamison (Jamie) Lynch is a founding member of the Born and Raised Detroit Foundation along with his brother, Parker. He was involved early on but moved away to focus on business studies at the University of Colorado. After graduating he spent years working on experiential software for retail environments.
Jamie is now living in New York and is married to Ashley Goodman Lynch, who is also from the Metro Detroit area. He has worked on improving technology within the BARD Foundation and has helped grow the New York chapter of the Foundation to its current standing.
XANDER STREK // BOARD MEMBER
Xander became a board member of the Born and Raised Detroit Foundation in 2018. He has always been an advocate for, and a lover of Detroit.
Xander had a short stint away from his hometown when he pursued his love for basketball and received his BA in Psychology from Grinnell College in 2012. He couldn’t stay away from Detroit for long, however, and has been working and living in the metro area since his graduation.
Xander and his wife, Anna, live in Birmingham and have two sons – Hudson and Win.
ALex wilkerson // board member
Alex Wilkerson recently joined Born & Raised as a new board member in 2018. Alex is passionate about giving back to the community, currently being involved in the Big Brothers Big Sister program, the Boys and Girls Club of Central Austin, and St. Jude’s Research Hospital.
Outside of Club Blue, Alex works as a customer success manager at Zilliant, a data science and software company in Austin. He is a jazz and blues saxophonist here in Austin, and is a big sports fan. Alex holds a B.A in International Studies and Chinese Language from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN.
Patrick thornton // Co-founder, Board member
Patrick Thornton is a co-founder of BARD. He attended Columbia College Chicago and currently lives in Los Angeles where he represents the West Coast for BARD.
madelyn wisne // Treasurer, board member
Madelyn Wisne is a newly inducted member of Born and Raised Detroit Foundation as of 2017 and has helped volunteer at multiple BARD events throughout the years.
Madelyn graduated from Miami University of Ohio with a BA in Communications in 2012 and currently lives in Royal Oak, Michigan. She holds the position as Program Officer at the Toni Wisne Sabina Foundation, a private, family foundation which focuses on benefitting nonprofits involved in serving the hungry, Michigan veterans and assisting in educational programs.