Mayor Duggan announces appointment of Luke Polcyn as Senior Executive for Development & Economic Transformation

• In newly created role on the Jobs & Economy Team, Polcyn will promote economic growth through development, innovation & entrepreneurship
• Role is key part of Mayor’s strategy to make Detroit a place that attracts high growth and innovative companies
• Previously served as Deputy Group Executive for Jobs & Economy

Mayor Mike Duggan announced today that he has appointed Luke Polcyn as his Senior Executive for Development & Economic Transformation, a newly-created position designed to make Detroit the city where innovative companies and their talent can live and grow. Polcyn previously served as Deputy Group Executive for Jobs & Economy since 2020.

Polcyn now will lead the City’s efforts to champion high growth companies and strengthen Detroit’s innovation ecosystem (recently recognized by Startup Genome as the No. 1 emerging ecosystem in the world). That work includes funding, organizing, and deploying the resources that companies need to start and grow in Detroit – especially through the development and programming of innovation districts.

“Innovation and entrepreneurship are key to Detroit’s economic future,” said Mayor Duggan. “Luke and our economic development team have been doing a great job of attracting the large employers of today to our city. Luke’s new job will be to support and attract the innovators and fast-growing startup companies that can be the large employers of tomorrow. I’m confident he’ll build the environment and systems needed to do just that.”

In his prior role, Polcyn served as Detroit’s deputy lead for economic development. His portfolio will continue to include the buildout and success of strategic partnerships and innovation districts like Michigan Central and its innovation partner, Newlab; the forthcoming University of Michigan Center of Innovation; Related-Olympia’s District Detroit developments; Henry Ford Health’s new research partnership with Michigan State University; Wayne State’s TechTown; ROCK/Bedrock’s just-launched Urban Tech Exchange (UTX); and the Detroit-Ann Arbor Mobility Tech Hub consortium that applied to the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Tech Hubs program.

Polcyn said that he believes the City of Detroit has an important role to play in supporting high growth companies.

“The City’s first responsibility is to create a supportive environment. That includes giving companies speed and predictability as they move through City processes,” Polcyn said. “We’re doing that through measures like the Transportation Innovation Zone established around Michigan Central. That sends a powerful signal: we understand that you are trying to build something. The way we help you succeed is by moving at the speed of innovation, and by innovating ourselves.”

“The City also has to keep building — new developments, infrastructure, systems, and strategic partnerships,” Polcyn added. “All of that is equally important to a healthy and growing ecosystem that keeps or attracts talent.”

Polcyn said he also thinks innovation in Detroit can do more than grow the economy.

“Detroit has the networks and the engineering, research, and executive talent a founder needs to build any company,” Polcyn said. “But Detroit is the best place in the world to build companies and technology that solve problems, especially the biggest problems – transportation and mobility, climate sustainability and the energy transition. Detroit is about changing the world.”

Prior to joining the Duggan Administration, Polcyn was a principal at Miller Canfield, where his practice centered on real estate development and public finance. In that time, he served as the City’s lead outside counsel on the Stellantis Jeep plant project and associated 200+ acres of land assembly, which resulted in over 4,100 good-paying jobs for Detroiters. He also represented the City in the restructured sale of the former Joe Louis Arena site and other projects. For this work, Crain’s Detroit Business 40 Under 40 recognized him in 2019.

Polcyn is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Georgetown Law. He lives in Detroit’s Lafayette Park neighborhood.