Thomas (Tom) J. Lewand

Tom Lewand is the Chief Executive Officer of the Marygrove Conservancy, an organization that stewards a 53- acre campus in northwest Detroit, the site of the former Marygrove College which operated from 1905 until 2019. A major initiative of the Conservancy is managing a landmark partnership with the Kresge Foundation, the University of Michigan and the Detroit Public Schools to create a “cradle-to-career” (P-20) educational ecosystem on the site. Additionally, the Conservancy is leading the redevelopment of the campus into a transformational educational, economic and civic anchor for the neighborhood. Tom also serves as Vice Chairman of Urbaneer, a Grand Rapids-based startup urban tech company working at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds to create next generation living spaces. From 2016 to 2019, Tom was CEO of Shinola/Detroit, LLC, a producer and retailer of modern, handcrafted watches, leather goods, audio products, jewelry and journals.

Prior to becoming CEO at Shinola, Tom was the President of the Detroit Lions from 2008 to 2015. He held a myriad of positions and responsibilities within the front office during his 20-year tenure with the Lions, beginning in 1995, including acting as the club’s principal player contract negotiator, representing the franchise on all NFL matters, and overseeing the development and construction of Ford Field, which opened in downtown Detroit in 2002. Tom received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan in 1991, and completed both his Juris Doctor at the University of Michigan Law School and his Master’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan Business School in 1996. Tom also aided the Michigan football program in various capacities on a volunteer basis while attending the school.

Tom is active in the Detroit community, acting as Past Chairman of the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau and serving on the Boards of Directors of the Detroit Zoological Society, the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, the Detroit Mayor’s Workforce Development Board and the Parade Company. He also is on the Corporate Advisory Board for the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.

Tom was named as one of Crain’s Detroit Business “40 Under 40” in 1998, which honored and recognized 40 top business people in the Detroit area under the age of 40. He was also recognized nationally twice, in 2003 and 2005, by the Sports Business Journal as one of the top “40 Under 40” sports executives in the United States.