Speaker proposal

The Detroit Economic Club is happy to consider speakers who maintain our stature as one of the ‘most valued podiums’ in the world. The criteria for speaker submission are:

Speaker Criteria:

Mary Barra, Chair & CEO, General Motors (2024)

BUSINESS

  • Chair or CEO of a Fortune 100 company or global organization
  • Recognizable thought-leader in his/her industry
Secretary Janet Yellen & Governor Gretchen Whitmer (2024)

GOVERNMENT

  • Heads of State
  • U.S. Cabinet Members
  • U.S. Government: Senate/House
  • Majority or Minority Leaders
  • U.S. Presidential Candidates
  • Mayoral, Gubernatorial, Senatorial & Presidential Debates
Tom Izzo, Men's Basketball Head Coach, Michigan State University (2024)

SOCIAL

  • Leaders in areas of humanity, race relations, sports, entertainment and the arts

Speech Topics must be:

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., President & CEO, SHRM (2022)

Timely and newsworthy

Dan Gilbert, Founder & Chairman, Rocket Companies (2024)

Forward-thinking

Jamie Dimon, Chairman & CEO, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (2023)

National and/or
global in scope

Patti Poppe, CEO, PG&E and Jim Fitterling, Chair & CEO, Dow (2025)

THE DETROIT ECONOMIC CLUB DOES NOT:

  • Support political campaigns
  • Facilitate fundraising
  • Provide a platform for public service announcements
  • Advertise products or services
  • Host leaders from associations or non-profits

SPEAKER INQUIRIES MUST INCLUDE:

  • Bio of speaker
  • Proposed speech topic
  • Dates of availability
Mike Sievert, CEO, T-Mobile (2024)
Dr. Lisa D. Cook, U.S. Federal Reserve Governor (2022)

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION

The Detroit Economic Club receives speaker proposals throughout the year, and does not maintain a submission deadline.

YOUNG LEADER CONFERENCE KEYNOTE AND BREAKOUT SPEAKERS

The Young Leader Conference committee is in the final stages of finalizing this year’s conference theme and speaker details. Please note that this is an unpaid speaking opportunity, but it offers visibility within DEC’s extensive professional network.

To streamline the application process, all speakers are required to complete the same form (please do not send cold emails). The conference committee will review submissions regularly after the open call begins in February. If you are still interested in applying, we will notify our subscribers via email and share updates on social media. 

To stay up to date on the application process, we encourage you to create an account at https://etix.econclub.org/ and subscribe to our social channels.