About Us

Devon Buskins

As the product of a caring community of coaches, mentors, and teammates, Devon Buskin is a true believer in the developmental power of youth sports. For him, youth programs he was a part of, offered an opportunity to explore his strengths and build the skills he needed to be successful later in life. This crucial experience is something Devon works to pass along to future generations as the Co-Founder and CEO of The Detroit City Lions Youth Club (DCL) Founded in 2018, DCL provides over 1200 young people ages 5 to 24 with equitable access to sports, STEAM, educational, and workforce development programming & skill-building activities. Under Devon’s leadership, the organization has expanded from its original football & cheer program to include over 12 unique athletic opportunities including basketball, baseball, soccer, cheer, and dance, swimming, robotics, theatre & arts, art & culture, e-sports, volleyball, culinary arts, and more. Many of DCL’s youth participate in multiple programs in the organization, keeping them engaged and active year-round. DCL also offers wraparound family services and academic support to help create well-rounded student-athletes and ensure that participants can take full advantage of future scholarship opportunities. With the goal of exposing & connecting youth to successful sport career pathways. Which will ultimately diversify the sports industry. work. With his ultimate goal to development a registration free program for all youth in metro Detroit, where each child is afforded free play & education of their choice, which fully develops the child and impacts their families, along with their communities and putting a SMILE on each kids face!

Man on a mission

In addition to his role with DCL, Devon also currently serves as The Vice President of Partnerships & Initiatives at Strategic Community Partners (SCP).  SCP is a multifaceted national EQUITY firm, headquartered in Detroit, with 5 locations across the country. Prior to SCP, Devon served as the Director of Workforce Development at The Greening of Detroit in 2012 for nine years, where he led a nationally recognized training and employment program, placing over a thousand Detroit residents into jobs that helped to revitalize their neighborhoods and city. Under Devon’s leadership, the Greening’s Workforce Development Department scaled into the Detroit Conservation Corps.  This expansion model has now been leveraged across the country to help support adults and youth with barriers to employment in urban cities. The program has given low-income, underrepresented, unemployed, and underemployed citizens a chance for success and a renewed opportunity for a sustainable future. Devon also directed the Green Corps Youth Employment Program which employed over 1800, providing education in the fields of green jobs, urban planning, civil and environmental engineering, landscape architecture, and other disciplines, along with ACT/SAT training, resume and interviewing training, financial literacy, college visits, college fairs, and hands-on environmental education.

During his tenure with the State of Michigan (Cities of Promise initiative) under Governor Granholm’s Administration, Devon successfully scaled Detroit-area programming into state-wide and federal programs. He is a proven leader, experienced administrator, department director, and program developer whose imprint can be found on multiple local, state, and federal agencies.  Devon was coached into leadership by his grandfather, who served as the Deputy Mayor for Detroit under Mayor Coleman A. Young’s administration.

Devon is appreciative and blessed to have a strong support system of family, friends, and community members to support him in his work. He is a proud father & husband, he enjoys mentoring and coaching youth, playing sports, and being involved in his community. He is a proud graduate of the Samuel C. Mumford High School (Detroit Public Schools), where he continued his education at Western Michigan University.  Devon has received various awards and recognition in his field, including an Aspen Institute Fellowship sponsored by JP Morgan Chase & Co. and The Corporation for a Skilled Workforce, a National Leadership Award from the US. Department of Labor, two leadership awards from Parsons Brinkerhoff, an Excellence Under 40 leadership award, and is a recipient of the Ford Motor Company Foundation Men of Courage award.  His most recent accomplishments include being inducted into the Samuel C. Mumford High School Hall of Fame in 2019, a SCP Community Incubator Program award in 2020, receiving the 2021 SCP Community Keeper Award, the 2021 Torch of Wisdom Foundation Community Enrichment Hero Award, and the 2023 President of the United States Lifetime Achievement Award (Biden Administration).