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@the_cw_network

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MICHIGAN📍
🎯 2025 Crain’s 40 Under 40
🎯 2026 Michigan Chronicle 40 Under 40
👷🏾‍♀️ Ecosystem Architect
🫶🏾 Community Advocate

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HARD LAUNCH ❤️
A thousand memories behind us. A lifetime of memories ahead of us @kiana_thepublicist .

On September 19, 2026, I asked the love of my life to marry me.

She said yes. 💍❤️

Of all the blessings in my life, choosing forever with you will always be one of the greatest.

Forever grateful. Forever us 🫶🏾💍

Special thank you to…
🏠: @roseestatedetroit
📸: @j.milhouse
🎤: @__mattypmusic
💐: @iam_msgolden taken in Rose Estate Detroit by @the_cw_network

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a month ago

Happy New Year!

Let’s start this year started.

Hey Siri, play Jay-Z - Public Service Announcement 🔊

Photographer: @j.milhouse
Custom Suit: @tailoreddetroit
Barber: @willxhustle

#Detroit #Michigan #WorkforceSolutions #TalentPipeline #40under40 taken in Michigan, USA by @the_cw_network

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9 months ago

‼️🔆 Crain’s Detroit 40 Under 40 ANNOUNCEMENT🔆‼️

What an incredible honor to be recognized with such a talented and prestigious group of humans. I am humbled, I am grateful, and I am extremely blessed. Over the years, I’ve always admired and been so impressed with the Crain’s 40 under 40 list. I’d say to myself, “what an inspiration these individuals are to so many”….Fast forward, in my very last year of my 30s - HERE WE ARE!

Workforce development, supporting our young people in the communities that I love, and bringing others along with me is all apart of my “Why”.

Thank you to Detroit Crain’s. To all those who have supported me on my journey, thank you. This recognition means more to me than you know. Much love to my village; my family, friends, co-workers, mentors, community. This one is for you all! The goal is to INSPIRE always 🫶🏾. taken in Detroit, Michigan by @the_cw_network

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a year ago

One thing I really admire about the Black Tech Saturdays team is how intentional they’ve been about building community. In just a few years, they’ve created something special, not just for Detroit, but for the other cities they’re expanding into. And you can feel it when you’re in the room. People genuinely WANT to be there, connect, learn and support one another.

I had such a good time being part of the experience, meeting so many entrepreneurs and professionals at my station, and watching the community they’ve built come to life.

But my favorite part? Getting to experience it alongside Christina Marie. 🤎 We both had tables at the event, so between working, meeting people and sneaking in a few moments together, it made the day that much sweeter.

A little business, a little love and a whole lot of community. My kind of Saturday. 😂

#BlackTechSaturdays #DetroitEntrepreneurs #WomenInBusiness #BlackWomenInBusiness #FYP taken in Detroit, Michigan by @the_cw_network

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3 days ago

One of my favorite parts of looking back at our proposal is realizing just how many people were in on it. 🥹

While I was completely oblivious, Christina Marie was working with people we love to bring this entire moment to life. And somehow, NOBODY told me anything. 😂

There’s something so special about knowing your love is surrounded, celebrated and supported by people who genuinely want to see you win together.

We are very, very blessed. 🤎💍

#BlackLove #BlackWLW #QueerLove #Engaged #FYP taken in Detroit, Michigan by @the_cw_network

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20 days ago

I keep thinking about how beautiful it is to be loved by someone who pays attention.

She knew I would want my hair and makeup done. She knew I would want to feel good in what I was wearing. She knew I would want Cardigan there. She knew our first trip to New York deserved a place in this moment. And she knew exactly what to tell me so I would show up without questioning a thing. 😂

What I thought was a content day was actually the beginning of one of the most intentional, thoughtful days of my life.

There is something incredibly special about realizing that while you were simply living and loving someone, they were paying attention to all the little things that make you, you.

I said yes to my favorite person. And somehow, even before she asked, the entire day felt like us. 🤎💍

This is only the beginning. Stay with us as we share more from the proposal and this new chapter of our story.

Content : @karsten.armani

#BlackLove #BlackWLW #QueerLove #Engaged #FYP taken in Detroit, Michigan by @the_cw_network

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24 days ago

The publicist finally has some news of her own… 💍

I said YES to my best friend, my answered prayer, and the woman I get to choose for the rest of my life.

Christina Marie, loving you has been one of the greatest gifts of my life. And now, I get to marry you!

God knew exactly what He was doing when He brought us together. Here’s to choosing each other again and again, and to the beginning of our very best chapter yet.

And to think, it all started with a match on @hinge

Future Mrs. Ware has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

💇🏾‍♀️: @lacedby_lexnicole
💄: @thekaylajay
🏠: @roseestatedetroit
📸: @j.milhouse
🎤: @__mattypmusic
💐: @iam_msgolden

#engaged #proposal #Blackqueerlove #wlw #justengaged by @the_cw_network

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a month ago

Detroiters hold 8 percent of the region's tech jobs. Kevin Naud and Christina Ware are running the table built to change that.

Meet the Workforce Circuit hosts at BTS × TCC: Kevin Naud of @detroitatwork and Christina Ware of GapBridge Strategies.

This circuit is built for two people. The business owner or leader who cannot find the talent. And the talent who cannot find the door.

In every other part of the economy, Detroiters hold 11 percent of the jobs. In tech it is 8. Close that three-point gap and 13,500 more Detroiters are working in tech, at a regional average of $111,000 a year. Do it while the industry grows and the number is 20,300 jobs and $6.8 billion in new wages over five years. Source: Detroit Future City.

Detroit at Work and GapBridge are leading the charge to move Detroiters into IT careers. Employers are starting to hire on what you can actually do: the skills, the certification, the portfolio, the badge.

Christina grew up in Southfield and West Bloomfield expecting to end up in the auto industry. She got a design degree from Ferris State and landed in recruiting instead. Fifteen years later she had built a government staffing division across eleven states. Then she left to start GapBridge, which connects employers, public agencies, and community partners so the gaps close. Crain's and Michigan Chronicle 40 Under 40. She blazed her own trail so others could see they can do it too.

Kevin came up in Ann Arbor, interned for Senator Stabenow, and spent five years analyzing workforce policy nationally. Then he came home for a Ford School master's and a seat at Detroit at Work, where he now leads the agency's engagement with local businesses. He is raising his kid in Detroit. His line: unlocking potential is not about programs, it is about responsibility.

If you are hiring, bring the role. If you are looking, bring what you can do.

BTS × TCC Half-Day Summit
Saturday, September 26 | 12–4PM
Newlab at Michigan Central
Tickets: blacktechsaturdays.com taken in Detroit, Michigan by @the_cw_network

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a month ago

Grateful to share that I’ve been selected as one of @corpmagazine 2026 Michigan Inspiring Leaders!

Michigan has shaped me, lifted me, challenged me, and inspired me. Every bit of this work is rooted in community, access, and creating pathways for people to thrive. To be recognized for that means everything.

I will never question God’s timing. The way things have been aligning lately…? Nothing but grace.

Thank you to my family, my partner, my village, my mentors, and this entire Michigan ecosystem that continues to pour into me. We are all building something special.

😎🫶🏾 by @the_cw_network

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2 months ago

Let’s run it back!!!!! This time with the Michigan Chronicle. Honored and excited to announce that I’ve been selected as a 2026 Michigan Chronicle 40 Under 40 honoree.

Grateful for this recognition and for the opportunity to continue building ecosystems that expand access, strengthen communities, and create pathways for people to thrive. @michiganchronicle — thank you for seeing me, I appreciate this more than you know.

And I’m especially grateful for my girlfriend, my family, my friends, and my entire village who show up for me, support me, and pour into me. I truly feel like I’m still just getting started!

Shabang!

#40under40 #40under40MichiganChronicle #MichiganChronicle by @the_cw_network

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3 months ago

🏳️‍🌈Happy Pride!🏳️‍🌈

This Pride season is already one for the books. Last week, I represented the Detroit Regional LGBT Chamber of Commerce as Vice Chair at the Mackinac Policy Conference. Our team took part in hosting the first‑ever LGBTQ+ reception in the conference’s history. A powerful moment of visibility, community, and progress on the island.

We also announced our next chapter, as we are expanding statewide as Michigan Pride. This is a strategic move to uplift, support, and collaborate with LGBTQ+ businesses and leaders across all of Michigan.

To officially kick off Pride Month, our chamber board leadership was invited to join LGBTQ+ leaders from across the state at the Governor’s Residence. We celebrated with Governor Gretchen Whitmer as our community honored her deep love for us and her commitment to keeping LGBTQ+ Michiganders safe and supported.

Excited for the momentum, the unity, and the leadership across our state. Here’s to a month of pride, progress, and showing up for one another. taken in Lansing, Michigan by @the_cw_network

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4 months ago

Detroit doesn’t need more people talking about potential. It needs more people building it.

That’s why I’m so excited to share a new Serious Lady Business: Detroit Series episode with @the_cw_network.

Christina (Chris) is a workforce innovation expert, civic connector, and one of those leaders who understands that real city growth happens when we connect people to opportunity.

In our conversation, we talk about talent, access, entrepreneurship, education, community, and what Detroit’s next chapter can look like when more people are invited into it.

Some of my favorite takeaways:

👉 Detroit never lost its hustle
👉 Access is created when we say people’s names in rooms they’re not in
👉 Not every student needs the same path, but every young person deserves to know what’s possible
👉 Detroit women hustle hard, build community, and lead with courage

This episode is such a good reminder that building a better Detroit is not just about big ideas. It is about people who keep showing up, connecting dots, opening doors, and doing the work.

Christina is doing exactly that, and I’m so glad we got to spotlight her story.

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and everywhere else you get your podcasts!

#seriousladybusiness #detroit #detroithustlesharder by @the_cw_network

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7 months ago