Two Rochester Hills Residents Earn Top Spots In Oakland County's Elite 40 Under 40 List

ROCHESTER HILLS, MI — Two Rochester Hills residents were named finalists in Oakland County Executive's Elite 40 Under 40 Class of 2017, according to a press release. Judges reviewed almost 400 applications and nominations and whittled the list down to the top 40 young professionals and thought leaders who live or work in Oakland County and "have achieved excellence in their field and contributed to the quality of life in their communities."

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson announced in his Feb. 8 State of the County address that the winner of the 40 Under 40 Class of 2017 was Brooke Wilson Vitale of Royal Oak, with two Rochester Hills residents, Richard J. Chalmers, D.O. and Carrie Schochet, rounding out the top three as finalists. Below please find their biographies, courtesy of the Oakland County government's office.

Chalmers, 36, is Director of Family Medicine Residency at McLaren Macomb Hospital. He started his family practice in 2010 with the McLaren Medical Group and was named director of the family medicine residence program at McLaren Macomb Hospital in 2015. He is an assistant clinical professor at the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Also, he is director of the hospital’s Medical Outreach Clinic, which treats uninsured patients free of charge. Chalmers has been to Guatemala three times through DOCARE International, providing care to over 3,000 patients. Chalmers is married and has two sons.

Schochet, 37, is the CEO/Founder, Purple Squirrel Advisors. She heads a Troy-based boutique executive search firm that connects unique C-level and senior executives with leadership positions. She is also founder of CFO Next, a group she launched in 2013 when she discovered a lack of resources and networking opportunities for transitioning or unemployed senior financial executives. The group placed 60 people into new career opportunities in the first two years and assisting another 20. She is a passionate philanthropist, raising funds for a number of non-profits, including ALS research, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Power Company Kids Club. In 2016, she co-founded 100 Businesses Who Care to connect executives who want to make an impact in metropolitan Detroit. The group is set to give a $50,000 donation to a local non-profit twice a year starting in 2017. Schochet is married and has three children.

Here is the full list of the 2017 Oakland County Executive’s Elite 40 Under 40 class:

• Brooke Wilson Vitale, 29, Owner of Love and Buttercream bakeries
• Hallie Armstrong, 37, Senior Naturopathic Doctor, Beaumont Health
• Matthew Baumgarten, 32, Berkley City Manager
• Andrea Carollo, 37, Realtor, Max Broock Realtors
• Alicia Chandler, 37, General Counsel – Continuing Care, Trinity Health
• Nathan Clinton-Barnett, 32, Vice President of Clinical Services, Safe Balance LLC
• Alex Delavan, 34, Director of Sponsored Programs, Oakland University
• David DeLind, 30, Marketing Program Manager, 1986
• Derek Dickow, 37, Founder, Steward Media
• Matt Einheuser, 31, Watershed Ecologist, Clinton River Watershed Council
• Joanne Forbes, 34, Department Chair of Art, Design/Humanities, Oakland Community College
• Sean Forbes, 35, Co-Founder, DPAN.TV The Sign Language Channel
• Kristin Griffith, 30, 2nd Grade Teacher & Elementary Technology Educator, Auburn Hills Christian School
• Anthony Grupido, 21, CEO, Handsleight LLC
• Sherikia Hawkins, 35, City Clerk, City of Pontiac
• Michael Hohf, 31, Sr. Vice President & Financial Advisor, Advance Capital Management
• Adam Jahnke, 33, Principal and Co-Founder, Vault Equity Partners
• Yasser Khan, 37, Executive Vice President & Chief Sales Officer, IBM Miraclesoft
• Jessica Knapik, 38, Program Analyst, Walsh College
• Anjan Kumar, 38, Assistant Director of Medical ICU, Pulmonary & Critical Care Associates – St. John Hospital & Medical Center
• Andrew Kurecka, 29, Manager of Outcomes Research, MedNetOne Health Solutions
• Samantha Mariuz, 25, Director of Authorities, City of Auburn Hills
• Sam Marzban, 34, Detective Sergeant, Oakland County Sheriff’s Office
• Tylar Masters, 37, President, Tylar & Company
• Dustin McClellan, 26, Pontiac Director, The Power Company Kids Club
• Maureen McGinnis, 38, Judge, 52-4 District Court
• Shaun Moore, 38, Director of e-Learning, Oakland University
• Tany Nagy, 37, Owner, Pulse Design Studio
• Jeena Patel, 37, Partner, Warner Norcross & Judd LLP
• Emily Paula, 26, Human Resources Business Partner, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
• Katya Pruett, 37, Manager Public Relations and Communications, BorgWarner Inc.
• Katheryn Rohrhoff, 34, Staff Nurse, Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital
• Pratheep Sevanthinathan, 36, Owner, Seva Law Firm
• Kayla Smith, Executive Director, 26, Hazel Park Promise Zone Authority
• David Tessler, 34, VP & Co-Owner, Rain Marketing Inc.
• Leyanna Torres, 32, Principal Product Engineer NAOSS Packaging Manager, ZF TRW
• Kathryn Tuck, 37, Director of Foundation Giving, Leader Dogs for the Blind
• Danielle Zuccaro, 34, Director Human Resources, Common Ground

Patch photo