Tenbusch to leave United Way for Southeastern Michigan
Michael Tenbusch
Michael Tenbusch, chief impact officer for United Way for Southeastern Michigan, is set to leave the nonprofit agency at the end of June.
In a note emailed to United Way's board, employees and educational funders, CEO Mike Brennan said Tenbusch is leaving "to further explore his interests in leadership, writing and creating change in the community."
He will work with Vice President Susan Murphy, who will assume responsibility for the agency's community impact team, over the next three months to ensure a seamless transition, Brennan said.
Tenbusch, a Crain's 40 under 40 in 2008, has spent the past 18 years improving the lives of children in and around Detroit.
Before joining United Way in 2008 as vice president of educational preparedness, Tenbusch served as COO of University Preparatory High School, a consultant to the Detroit-based Skillman Foundation and co-founded Think Detroit (now Think Detroit PAL) in 1996 with Dan Varner. Varner is now CEO of Excellent Schools Detroit.
At United Way, Tenbusch has headed efforts to improve graduation rates — which have increased to around 80 percent from rates that historically had hovered around 50 percent — and ACT scores — the more challenging of the two with just a half point increase in average scores for 2013 — at four low-performing high schools in the region.
More recently, as chief impact officer, Tenbusch, 45, oversaw United Way's progress on each of its community impact goals aimed at measurably improving the circumstances around educational preparedness, basic needs and financial stability.
"We had a great six years," Tenbusch said of his time at United Way.
"I'm not sure yet what the next leg of the journey will look like ... (but) I'm fascinated to find out."