The Howell Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Lake Trust Credit Union, recently announced its first winner of the inaugural Livingston ATHENA Leadership Award – Cleary University’s own Kelly Genei, dean of Undergraduate Studies.
“Dean Genei’s career and community impact reflect the very essence of the ATHENA Leadership Award: professional excellence, community service, and a fierce dedication to lifting others,” reports Douglas Stein, PhD, Cleary provost and executive vice president. “It was her leadership, mentorship and initiative that earned her the position of Dean in just under four short years at Cleary,” he adds.
“When selecting the right candidate for this position, Cleary was looking for a dynamic leader with innovative vision and drive for accomplishment; someone who has demonstrated a successful record of championing a strong, vibrant and relevant undergraduate educational experience. We found all of this and more in Dean Genei.”
Her dedication to personalized learning – knowing students by name, understanding their goals, and celebrating their achievements – continues to transform Cleary’s undergraduate experience. She works to provide an intimate and inclusive student-centered business education that instills the values of The Cleary Mind.™
In addition to her work as Dean, Genei built an international award-winning DECA team at Cleary. She was a DECA leader and award recipient at Hartland High School and at Northwood University. She took over Cleary’s program as its advisor in her first year at Cleary and DECA’s second year of inception at Cleary. In the first year of her leadership, five students reached the finals at the international level and three captured grand awards – two were women and the only two females from Michigan to win. Under her guidance and mentorship, Cleary’s DECA team has achieved remarkable consistent success on an international level year after year.
She graciously onboarded Justine Defever, associate professor at Cleary, to serve as co-chapter advisor for DECA, and the two work cohesively to lead the DECA team to success. “Kelly’s mentorship was nothing short of monumental,” Defever finds. “She provided support, guidance and all of the tools I needed to step into this new role with confidence.”
When Genei’s friend, Michelle Roy, opened her own business, Genei went “beyond expectations to provide guidance and resources to support my small business venture,” Roy points out. “Her understanding of what it takes to be an entrepreneur and the unique challenges faced in a family-run business were instrumental in my success.”
In her time as a student life coordinator and DECA member, Cleary graduate Chelsea Hendra witnessed “the positive impact Kelly has had on the school, DECA and students. She always is first to step forward to make the student experience better. It was her guidance and mentorship that led me to winning DECA awards at the international level, and when I needed advice as a student life coordinator, Kelly was the first person I turned to.”
Hendra is now an entrepreneur. Shortly after graduation, she started her own business – CHXNGEMXXERS. As an international (Hendra is from Australia), she didn’t know all of the legal steps involved in setting up an LLC, and Genei walked her through them all. “Kelly always has been happy to give me the resources to place me on the path to success,” Hendra announces.
Genei spent countless nights and weekends creating the Lake Trust Entrepreneur Institute online business program to help support small business growth and success. This program she developed supports established and new entrepreneurs who want to expand their skillset.
“Kelly has strengthened Cleary University’s academic programs and inspired those around her through her mentorship, innovation, and commitment to students,” finds Alan Drimmer, PhD, Cleary president. “She not only has elevated the undergraduate experience at Cleary but has also empowered countless students and colleagues to achieve their full potential. Kelly leads with authenticity, courage, and collaboration, and we are tremendously proud to see her recognized as the inaugural recipient of this distinguished award.”
Outside of Cleary, Genei is a small business consultant through her company – Genei Consulting Group. She blends academic insight with real‑world experiences to help owner‑operators streamline processes, navigate family dynamics, and embrace emerging technology challenges and opportunities. Her goal remains steadfast – to deliver right sized solutions to small businesses that build capability, not dependency.
She also was President of GO Enterprises, LLC, in Brighton for seven years, an industrial plastics recycling, toll grinding, warehousing and waste stream management and container management services and consulting company. GO Enterprises is a Certified WBE (Women’s Business Enterprise). The company focuses on complete respect for the ecological environment. Genei successfully led operations, managed partnerships with major automotive clients and opened doors for women in male-dominated industries.
For the last few years, she has dedicated her time as a volunteer for the Livingston County Animal Shelter, and has served on the City of Brighton’s Zoning Board of Appeals, lending her business expertise to help shape community development and ensure balanced, sustainable growth.
Accolades and awards are not what drives Genei, it is the selfless desire to support others in their vision to attain their dreams. Though she serves everyone, her consistent praise, support and unwavering commitment to help women reach their full potential clearly reflects her character and determination.
In every role, she champions others—especially women—to lead with strength, authenticity, and purpose. She is a mentor, an innovator, and a courageous advocate for inclusive leadership. She embodies the spirit of the ATHENA Leadership Award through her unwavering professional excellence in academia and her deep commitment to Livingston County. Above all, Genei mirrors ATHENA’s core value of empowering and inspiring fellow women to reach their full leadership potential.
“ATHENA is about more than honoring one person – it’s about cultivating a culture of leadership and mentorship that empowers women at every stage of their journey,” says Janelle Smith, president of the Howell Area Chamber of Commerce.
The Livingston ATHENA Chapter was launched earlier this year by the Howell Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation. It is part of ATHENA International, a global organization founded more than 40 years ago with its purpose to support, develop and honor women leaders across the world.
ATHENA Leadership Award recipient Dean Genei will be honored at the inaugural Livingston ATHENA Awards event Monday, Oct. 20 from 9 am to noon at Lake Trust Credit Union headquarters in Brighton.
Tickets are $35 a person.
