Centralight

Isaiah Oliver When we left Isaiah Oliver, the soft-spoken graphic design major was teaching one course at Mott Community College and living with fraternity brothers in Flint. He had hoped to move to Florida that year, but connection to his parents and three younger brothers kept him in the Mitten. Oliver worked his way up at the community college, gradually taking on greater responsibilities, including managing grants, and he was able to learn and grow there for a decade. He has a new job today, and it's a big one – vice president for community impact for the Community Foundation of Greater Flint. He helps oversee the foundation's $164 million in assets. The nonprofit has helped the residents and families of Flint by doling out more than $90 million in community grants. The former frat boy also was elected president of the Flint School District's Board of Education in 2011. "I'm 33 years old. There's so much room for growth," he says. "I live by this: I think everyone has this thing inside of them, and everyone has to showcase the gifts they've been given. The world is at its best when everyone has that opportunity to provide that unique thing to the world." He's polished and professional today. Oliver exudes enthusiasm for the challenges of an embattled school district and a community grappling with crime and poverty. It's hard to believe he was once a shy graphic designer working at the Student Book Exchange. One key to his transformation: Baby Zaiah Oliver came into the world in 2010. Oliver and his wife, Shay, welcomed another girl, Carrington, three years later. "When Zaiah was born, in that moment, it was bigger than me. But I also realized it was up to me," Oliver says. "There was no more selfish Isaiah. I had to create a home. I had to create an infrastructure for her to grow. I had to put cushy things on the corner of the dining room table and put on someone else's shoes. "I had a responsibility to do something for someone. And it changed my life." Oliver ran for school board the following year after raising $15,000 as a no-name candidate. He says his duty extends to all children in Flint. "There was no way I could raise my daughter without being affected, with 11,000 students not being provided with the resources they deserved." > 17 centralight spring '15

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