Home » Our Team

The Coleman A Young II Educational Foundation Staff and Board

We are the Coleman A. Young II Educational Foundation.

We provide out of school STEM programming to high school students in Detroit, Ml. Currently we have 70 students at our launch site, located at Martin Luther King Jr. High School. Our program runs 2 days a week (Mondays and Tuesdays) during which students work with our program director and two instructors for 6 hours, broken up into two 3-hour sessions. Our students operate on group projects which involve coding and building products, such as websites and apps. Prior to COVID, we placed five students in Princeton’s Leadership Camp, one in Google’s Summer Program, and another student has applied for the NASA Astro Girl program.

MISSION STATEMENT

The Coleman A. Young Foundation’s mission is to empower underserved outstanding student scholars by connecting them with mentors, scholarships, and internships through our partnerships with educators. philanthropic foundations, and corporations throughout the United States.

Meet the Coleman Young II Educational Foundation Advisory Board

Board Chairman, Software Entrepreneur

Gerren Scoon

Gerren Scoon is an entrepreneur and software developer based in San Diego. Gerren began his career in Finance, building anaIytics platforms to monitor risk and profitability at large banks like Morgan Stanley and impact investment firms like DevelopIng World Markets. More recently Gerren has dedicated his time to building software that promotes digital privacy for individuals and organizations. He was an early team member at ProtonMaiI based in Geneva, Switzerland. Gerren received an MBA at Harvard Business School and studied Finance and Information Systems at Boston College.

Director, Governmental Consultant Services, Inc.

Mike Hawks

Mike Hawks was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and grew up in Ypsilanti Township. He graduated from Ypsilanti High School where he excelled in football and received a full athletic scholarship from Eastern Michigan University.
He went on to receive his masters from Michigan State University. he served as Chief of Staff for the Majority Floor Leader in the Michigan House of Representatives and on the Staff of the Speaker Of the House.
He currently serves as an owner/officer of Governmental Consultant Services Inc. (GCSI) in Lansing, Michigan. GCSI is a multi-client Lobbying firm that is consistently recognized as Michigan's number one rated firm. Hawks individually has been voted among the top two lobbyists in the state by independent political surveys of Capitol insider.

CEO, Inner City Family Services

James "Skip" Walker

Meet the Coleman Young II Educational Foundation Team

CEO, Founder

Coleman A Young II

Coleman A. Young II is the President of the Coleman A. Young II Educational Foundation. Prior to establishing the Coleman A. Young II Educational Foundation, Coleman A. Young II served as Michigan State Legislator, both as a State House and State Senate. In his time in Lansing, he was instrumental in securing funding for STEM Education at Wayne State University, as well as appropriating funding for early childhood education. Mr Young has been a tireless advocate for education and educational reform. Through this foundation Mr. Young is continuing his advocacy to create STEM opportunities for Detroit’s underserved communities.
Coleman A. Young II has formed deep relationships, locally and statewide which he believes will be the bedrock of the Foundation as he continues to provide opportunities to at-risk students in middle and high school. Coleman A. Young II is a graduate of Wayne State, B.A.

CPA – Treasurer

Alan Helfer

Mr. Helfer, the Coleman A. Young II Educational Foundation Treasurer, has more than 35 years of public accounting experience in providing comprehensive and specific tax, consulting, litigation support and business advisory services to national and international clients

Mr. Helfer, the Coleman A. Young Foundation Treasurer, has more than 35 years of public accounting experience in providing comprehensive and specific tax, consulting, litigation support and business advisory services to national and international clients. Mr. Helfer’s expertise encompasses business and individual planning, entity structure, expert witness testimony, federal/state tax controversy, tax compliance, estate & trust services and the design and implementation of accounting systems. He is also a managing member of HelferBell, LLC,
Mr. Helfer holds a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in accounting from the University of Maryland, University College. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Greater Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants, and the Washington D.C. Estate Planning Council. Mr. Helfer has been recognized by SmartCEO Magazine as one of the Greater Washington regions top accountants. He was appointed by the American Arbitration Association to their panel of arbitrators in Washington, D.C. and has lectured and written articles associated with income tax and estate planning. Mr. Helfer is active on various boards in the area, including Treasurer of the Georgetown Business Association, Audit Chairman of Washington Home and Hospice, Treasurer of the Players’ Philanthropic Fund, and Finance Chairman of the Washington, D.C. Police Foundation.

Executive Director

Curtis Scoon

Curtis Scoon is the CFO for ’ICFS,’ an outpatient mental health facility. In his capacity as CFO, Mr. Scoon employs and oversees a large staff consisting of full-time employees as well as contractors. Mr. Scoon is also an independent documentary filmmaker and is currently developing a documentary focusing on mental health issues in the black community. His film company, ‘Top Of The Food Chain Films’ released its first film in November 2018. Mr. Scoon is a Queens, NY native and the proud father of two children. A daughter who is an attorney, and a son who is an entrepreneur.
Mr. Scoon has channeled his professional and personal experiences growing up in an urban neighborhood, to provide positive opportunities for youth. Mr. Scoon is a firm believer that entrepreneurship provides one with the opportunity for autonomy while creating generational wealth. In his role as Executive Director, Curtis Scoon aims to empower Detroit youth providing opportunities for them to develop as entrepreneurs.
Mr. Scoon is a Hampton University alumni and an avid reader. His passion is utilizing his drive and talents to assist and empower others through employment as well as education.

Director of Donor Relations

Raul Wikkeling

Raul Wikkeling has over a decade of experience leading business development, fundraising, media and government relations for startups, NGOs and legacy companies in the apparel, sports, technology (VR and AR), and CPG sectors. He has helped early-stage firms raise venture capital and secure media placements valued at over $1,000,000. Working in-house, he has led media outreach for the Corporate Council on Africa’s USA-Africa Business Summit and has run TV ratings and marketing analytics for Major League Soccer.
Prior to focusing on early-stage companies, Raul worked in finance in a boutique private equity shop, bringing along significant experience with mid-cap privately held firms in the leisure, food, and entertainment industries. He holds a degree in Political Science, with a minor in International Politics from Columbia University.