The William D. Reynolds Award - 2025: JoAnn Chávez ’86, ’90 J.D.

JoAnn Chávez ’86, ’90 J.D.

JoAnn Chávez is senior vice president and chief legal officer for DTE Energy. She has responsibility for the management and strategic direction of DTE’s office of the general counsel and advises DTE’s board of directors and senior management on legal and related matters. She is a proud Notre Dame graduate and attributes her much of her success to the opportunities and experiences provided to students during their time on campus and after graduation.

 

Born and raised in Detroit as a sixth-generation, 100-percent Mexican-American, she stands on the shoulders of her ancestors — immigrants and Tejanos. Though a lack of access, poverty, and addiction afflicted her family, Chávez credits them with fostering the resilience and grit to break the poverty cycle, while Notre Dame provided transformational opportunities. Her mother obtained her GED the same year Chávez graduated from Notre Dame with her bachelor’s in business administration, in 1986, and her father, an alcoholic, died shortly after she obtained her law degree in 1990.

 

Determined to write her own narrative, Chávez made it her purpose is to help la próxima generacíon write their own stories, as well. She converted her success at the tables of power and opportunity into a voice for the next generation of her community who are not yet at those tables.

 

Chávez has spent the last 15+ years advocating for young people as the architect and executive sponsor of DTE’s Summer Talent Exposure Program, a college internship program designed to provide underrepresented students opportunities to develop business experience, confidence, and soft skills to help them succeed in corporate America. She is also the founder, president, and CEO of the Michigan Hispanic Collaborative (MiHC), a Michigan non-profit that focuses on economic equity and provides opportunities for first-generation students to graduate from college. MiHC delivers culturally relevant programming for both students and parents to help bring coherence to the chaos of college access.

 

“I am grateful to receive the William D. Reynolds Award and feel like this a full circle moment as ND provided me with the education, supported my family values of service, and ultimately helped transform my life in the same way that I continue to serve la próxima generacíon through this major U.S. demographic shift.”