Denise Ilitch (born November 1955) is a

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

-area businessperson, lawyer, and member of the

Board of Regents of the University of Michigan The Regents of the University of Michigan, sometimes referred to as the Board of Regents, is a constitutional office of the U.S. state of Michigan which forms the governing body of the University of Michigan, University of Michigan–Flint, and ...

. She was chair of the board from 2020 to 2021. Ilitch was rumored to be a Democratic Party candidate for

Governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of government of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the state's 49th governor. She was re-ele ...

in 2010, after having met with the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

in early January to discuss a potential run, though she later declined to run.

Background and business experience

Denise Ilitch is a second-generation

Macedonian American Macedonian Americans ( are Americans of ethnic Macedonian heritage. History Review Macedonian national feelings had shifted throughout the 20th century. According to the ''Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups'', almost all of Macedo ...

, the daughter of

Mike Ilitch Michael Ilitch Sr. (July 20, 1929 – February 10, 2017), also known as Mr. I, was an American entrepreneur and restaurateur who served as the founder and owner of the international fast food franchise Little Caesars Pizza. He also owned the D ...

and

Marian Ilitch Marian Bayoff Ilitch (born January 7, 1933) is an American billionaire businesswoman, and the co-founder of Little Caesars Pizza with her late husband, Mike Ilitch. As of March 2018, Ilitch was one of the world's seven richest women, according ...

, co-founders of Little Ceasars Enterprises Inc. She earned her bachelor's degree from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1977, and her

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the

University of Detroit The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catho ...

in 1980. After law school, Ilitch was the vice-president of Little Caesars from 1981 to 1992, during which time the business moved to downtown Detroit from Farmington Hills, sparking other investment in Detroit. She was later president of Ilitch Holdings, a privately held business that manages the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

, Little Caesars, the Fox Theatre, and other Detroit-area businesses. She is the owner and publisher of Ambassador magazine, and the owner of Denise Ilitch Designs. Ilitch is also "Of Counsel" at the law firm Clark Hill, where she advises clients in the areas of business practice, corporate law, and government policy. In May 2009, she was named as co-chair of Detroit mayor-elect

Dave Bing David Bing (born November 24, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player, businessman and politician who served as the 74th mayor of Detroit, Michigan from 2009 to 2014. He is a member of the Democratic Party. After starring at ...

's transition team.

Community involvement

Ilitch serves on the boards of many business and community organizations in the Detroit area. She is a past member of the board of directors for the Detroit Branch

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

, the

ACLU The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. ...

of Michigan advisory committee, the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the board of directors of the Detroit Branch of the

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (informally the Chicago Fed) is one of twelve Federal Reserve Banks that, along with the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, make up the Federal Reserve System, the United States' central bank. The Chicago Fed ...

. Ilitch founded the Ilitch Charities for Children, and established the Denise Ilitch Scholarship at

Walsh College Walsh College is a private college in Troy, Michigan. Founded in 1922 by Mervyn B. Walsh, it is an upper division undergraduate and graduate institution that primarily focuses on business education. History The college began with the foundin ...

for women to complete advanced degrees.

University of Michigan Board of Regents

On November 5, 2008, Ilitch was elected statewide to an eight-year term on the

. She made controlling university tuition costs a centerpiece of her campaign. Ilitch was one of only two members of the Board of Regents to vote against a tuition hike in July 2009. She was reelected in 2024, defeating Palestinian American activist Huwaida Arraf who challenged her for the Democratic nomination in August and going on to win the November general election alongside Republican

Carl Meyers Carl Meyers is an American investment manager and politician. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he is currently a member of the Regents of the University of Michigan. Education Meyers graduated from the Universi ...

2010 gubernatorial election

After John Cherry dropped out of the campaign for governor of Michigan in January 2010, Ilitch met with senior advisors at the

, including the President. Ilitch also met with the

Democratic Governors Association The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) is a Washington, D.C.–based 527 organization founded in 1983, consisting of U.S. state and territorial List of current United States governors, governors affiliated with the Democratic Party (United St ...

while in

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

She announced the following month that she would not enter the race, citing the compressed campaign schedule.

References

External links

Denise Ilitch's bio at Clark HillIlitch Charities for Children
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ilitch, Denise Living people American entertainment industry businesspeople Lawyers from Detroit University of Michigan alumni 1955 births American people of Macedonian descent Regents of the University of Michigan Businesspeople from Detroit Ilitch family