Meet the 2025 Morningside Community Organization Leadership – Old and New
Every May brings flowers, warmer temperatures (hopefully), and a Morningside Board election. At the May general meeting on May 13, we elected new leadership, which includes a mix of new faces and familiar ones. Officers serve two-year terms in staggered elections, and the six at-large board members serve one-year terms.
Sharon Davis-Cawthorne, President, believes in volunteering in her community, which is an extension of her service in the Army and in AmeriCorps. With over 15 years of experience in the administration and operation of nonprofits, then transitioning into social entrepreneurship, Sharon has applied her experience towards fostering financial literacy. A native of Portland, Oregon, Sharon and her husband Jon, the parents of three, have made Morningside their home since 2019. In her personal time, Sharon enjoys spending time with her family, including her poodle Bishop, writing, gardening, and taking a good long walk.
Twiana Odom, 1st Vice President, has truly lived by her motto: Be the change. A few years ago, she started a monthly Gleaners food distribution in Morningside. When it was abruptly canceled a few years later, Twiana and her family decided to start their own garden to provide fresh fruits and veggies to help enrich our community. Over the last several years, she’s been going door-to-door to encourage residents to get help with their property taxes through the HOPE program. Twiana also has taken the lead on Morningside’s winter holiday party and was a strong advocate for establishing the Brilliant Detroit community center on Balfour. She’s passionate about building partnerships with business owners in the community.
Nic Hall, 2 VP, Nic has been a proud Morningsider since 2018. It was during the pandemic that Nic got really involved with MCO. Nic has led efforts in helping out by creating the website and facilitating Zoom meetings. Nic proudly works for the Ford Motor Company, and at home, is kept company by three cats and waaay too many plants to count. When he’s not at home or at work, you can usually find him biking around the neighborhood, enjoying a coffee at Morningside Cafe, or having a cocktail at Warren Cafe.
Eric Dueweke, Secretary, and his wife Diane McCloskey have lived on Three Mile for 34 years. Eric has been involved with Morningside for over 30 years, serving on the Board for much of that time. He retired in 2021 from the University of Michigan, where he taught Urban Planning to grad students for 19 years. Eric serves on several other nonprofit boards, including U-SNAP-BAC and the Community Development Advocates of Detroit.
Adrian L. Green, Treasurer, and his wife Veronica have lived in Morningside since 2011. He has dutifully served as Treasurer for the last four years. He is a lifelong Detroit eastsider and is very active in the religious, civic, political, and fraternal arenas in the city. Adrian is a graduate of Florida A&M University. He worked for the Michigan Department of Corrections for 20 years, including one year as a member of the Michigan Parole Board. He is also the former Director of Probation for the 36th District Court. Since 2018, Adrian has been working with the Detroit Public Schools Community District as a Dean of Climate and Culture, and he is currently assigned to East English Preparatory Academy at Finney. In his spare time, Adrian enjoys golfing and barbecuing.
And here are our at-large board members:
Alanna Williams was born and raised on the eastside. She’s the Community Outreach Liaison for U-SNAP-BAC, a housing resource center on the corner of Alter and E. Warren. Her job entails managing all of their social media, writing and disseminating their newsletter, and attending community meetings to assess neighborhood needs and keep up with community events. She has one older sister, and her parents live in Cornerstone. Alanna loves to go for walks, especially by a body of water, and enjoys music and singing, art, and fashion.
Charon Nogues, her husband Gaston, and son Daniel, moved back to Detroit from LA in 2018. A lot of sweat equity went into slowly renovating their Land Bank house on Nottingham at Cornwall. They’ve worked hard to create a welcoming community space on vacant lots around their home by planting flowers and trees and adding a movie screen frame and seating from repurposed materials. As if that weren’t enough to keep her busy, Charon plans to help organize more community clean-ups and create community gardens and pockets parks with the newly formed “Busy Bees.” She’s also passionate about dealing with Morningside’s stray cat population through the TNR (Trap-NeuterRelease) program.
Jeffrey D. Lewis II: A true product of Morningside, Jeffrey has dedicated much of his efforts over the last several years to uplifting his childhood neighborhood. Jeffrey has served as the Editor in Chief of the “best newsletter in the city of Detroit,” The Morningsider, since 2019. He’s also the owner of one of the best spots on the emerging East Warren corridor, Morningside Cafe. Jeffrey has been a board member of MCO since 2017.
Lauren Tewilliager has only lived in Morningside for one year, yet she is already an enthusiastic volunteer for our neighborhood. She works as a veterinary technician for the ASPCA animal control center and shares her home with two cats - Harley and Tim – and Norman the dog. For relaxation, Lauren loves to be outdoors, biking riding or playing golf. You might also find her watching the latest movies at a big-screen theater.
Quintin Sweat is a dedicated public servant and longtime Detroit resident with over a decade of experience in the city he proudly calls home. For the past three years, he has lived in the vibrant Morningside neighborhood. Quintin currently works for the City of Detroit in the Office of Contracting and Procurement. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Renée Harrison-Sweat, and cheering on his favorite hometown teams—the Lions, Tigers, Pistons, and Red Wings.
A native of Atlanta, Ga, Will Parker and his husband Sean have lived on Maryland Street in northwest Morningside since 2023. Will works as a construction contractor and is currently restoring their 100-year-old home. He enjoys helping Sean with their community garden, woodworking, and good food. Will is an advocate for blight prevention, feral cat care, and strength through community organization.
