People Making a Difference: Rev. Joan Ross

For Black History Month we would like to give tribute to some of the great Detroiters, both past and present, who’ve worked hard to improved the quality of life in their city. Detroit’s greatest asset is its people; and each week in February we’ll acknowledge people who were called to make a difference in the lives of those around them; paving the path toward an improved Detroit for the future.

Rev. Joan Ross
Director of Greater Woodward Community Development Corporation

Born in Washington D.C, Reverend Joan Ross graduated from Howard University and went into business management. In 1984 she moved to Detroit and bought three fast-food chain restaurants. She later sold the restaurants to open a night club with a business partner. Years later, her and her partner both decided to sell the nightclub and pursue a new life calling, ministry. Ross attended ministry school at Word of Faith and became an ordained minister in 2002. She ministered in Europe and Jamaica before she was asked to come to St. Matthews & St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church, in 2007, to help the church start a nonprofit organization. St Matthews & St. Joseph’s sits in the North End community and one of its founders was William Lambert; 19th century Underground Railroad Activist. The organization formed in 2008 and was named after Lambert at first, but later changed its name to Greater Woodward Community Development Corporation (GWCDC).

The GWCDC has made significant strides, in the Greater Woodward and North End area, towards sustainable neighborhood design and resident empowerment. “In order to make a community sustainable, you couldn’t just keep building low income housing, you had to look at the community as a whole and identify the problems and challenges it faces in order to become fully sustainable.” Rev. Ross and the GWCDC is now focusing on creating a stream of wealth by creating jobs for North Enders, by North Enders. GWCDC is also looking at the future while considering climate justice concerns. They will soon install solar panels to their project house, and believe that this will lead to the first solar hub on the North End and will both create jobs as well as begin the establishment of a “zero utility bill zone”. The goal is to make the North End as close to “off the grid” as possible to achieve true sustainability.

From business owner to Reverend and Director of a CDC that is making a significant difference in Detroit; Rev. Ross is a kind-hearted and wonderful asset to the neighborhood and city. Asking Rev. Ross to come to the St. Matthews & St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church was definitely a “God idea”

To find out more information, visit GreaterWoowardCDC.org