The Embracing Our Differences Michigan Team

Nancy Margolis

Executive Director

Nancy has spent a lifetime working to break down barriers and bring diverse populations together.

In high school she organized and led a community -wide brotherhood day.

In college, she helped remove religious restrictions from groups. As the deputy director of the Washtenaw County’s anti-poverty agency, she worked with minority groups to ensure equal representation in leadership roles in Head Start, senior nutrition programs, and Foster Grandparent Programs.

Read about Nancy Margolis.

Lynne Settles

Art Director

A retired Ypsilanti high school art teacher, Lynne has inspired numerous artistic endeavors. The Ypsilanti student artwork featured on banners around Ypsilanti was part of a district-wide exhibit selected to go to Washington D.C. to be displayed at the US Department of Education. Unfortunately, the exhibit had to be canceled because of the pandemic. Lynne spearheaded large wall murals which depict little-known African American history in Ypsilanti.

Read about Lynne Settles.

Kay Wade

Education Director

Kay Wade began her teaching career at Willow Run High School in 1970 teaching English.  During her 24 years there, she taught a variety of English, Science, and Social Studies courses which included the required US Government course. She developed curriculum guides and created new courses for English and Social Studies. 

Read more about Kay Wade.

Chris Gant

Project Director

Chris came to the US from Berlin, Germany in 1992.

Chris was the Evaluation Program Manager for GEAR UP at the University of Michigan, School of Social Work, a federally funded college access program where she developed a strategic plan and built collaborations across university departments.

Read more about Chris Gant.