Board of Directors

The Center for Urban Youth and Family Development is proud to have the support of our Board of Directors. A collection of community members, business leaders, and purpose driven individuals, our dynamic board is our guiding light.

Marsialle Arbuckle, Sr. is the founder, President, and CEO of The Center for Urban Youth and Family Development and Chairman of its Board of Directors. He founded CUYFD in 2009 after a 27-year career at Ford Motor Company. His own experience growing up in the foster care system shaped the organization’s early work with youth in and leaving care. In 2018, CUYFD formed its community coalition and received a federal Drug-Free Communities grant. In 2025, CUYFD served more than 1,000 Detroit youth.

Mr. Arbuckle speaks on youth leadership, mental health, and substance misuse prevention. He presented on responsibility, leadership, and mental health at the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. 10th District Undergraduate Summit. He was host and featured speaker at the International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day program at DABO Detroit, presented by the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network and the Wayne County Suicide Prevention Coalition. He also emcees CUYFD’s community town halls. He is the author of I Have a Story to Tell, an account of his childhood in foster care, which he shares with young people in CUYFD programs.

Mr. Arbuckle received the Spirit of Detroit Award from the Detroit City Council in 2026. He also received the 2012 Michigan Hometown Health Hero Award from the Michigan Department of Community Health. He chaired the boards of the Michigan Neighborhood Partnership (2001–2007) and the Hartford Head Start Agency Inc. (1995–2001). He was a board member of the Michigan Foster Care Review Board (2005–2007) and the Detroit Omega Foundation (1996–1999). He holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Affairs and an Associate Certificate in Business Studies from Indiana University Bloomington. He also holds a master’s degree in Business Management from Central Michigan University. He is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. He is married to Barbara Arbuckle and has two children, Marseille Arbuckle Jr. and Jamillah Caldwell.

Dr. Connie Mitchell

is a native Detroiter, a physician, with a passion for teaching prevention and self-awareness in medicine. She is the Secretary of the Board of Directors at the Center for Urban Youth and Family Development. She graduated from Wayne State University School of Medicine in 1990 and took her residency in Family Medicine at St. John Medical Center. Her professional interests include Health Care Risk Assessment, Holistic medicine, and teaching prevention and healthy living to youth. Her community engagement activities include recording for the Tenth Precinct Community Relations, Board of Directors member at the Unity Credit Union, and a member of the Dance Ministry and the Health Ministry at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church.

Barbara Arbuckle

 is a Licensed Social Worker in the state of Michigan with over thirty years of   experience serving disadvantaged populations.  She has previously worked with the Indiana Department of Family Services, Detroit Jobs Corps Center, Jewish Vocational Services and Lincoln Behavioral Services.  She is a graduate of Saint Joseph’s College. She is a member of the Urban League Guild of Detroit and Southeast Michigan, VIP Mentoring Program and the Livonia Democratic Club. Barbara is married to Mr. Marsialle Arbuckle and has two children: Marseille Arbuckle, Jr. and Jamillah Caldwell.

Nicole Liggins

Nicole Liggins is a Group Product Manager at General Motors. She leads a team of product managers responsible for remote vehicle data products that generate $40 million in monthly revenue. She joined GM in 2019 as a quality testing engineer and later worked as Senior Technical Product Owner and Senior Mobile Architect. As architect, she guided the redesign of four global mobile apps with more than 3 million active paid monthly users. Nicole began her technology career through the Detroit Labs QA Apprenticeship Program. Before that, she spent four years as business manager for a Farmington Hills healthcare business, where she handled budgets, accounting, and regulatory compliance. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Michigan and mentors fellows through Venture for America.

Terrell Turner

 is a professional in the transportation business for over two decades. His volunteer activities include the design and implementation of the Senior Program, a Deacon-in-Process and a member of the Male Chorus at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church. His professional engagements enable him to work with The Development Center in Detroit, a Mental Health Facility working with adults with mental illness and youth with emotional disturbance and mental illness. Furthermore, he manages the transportation activities for the Center for Urban Youth and Family Development for their summer and Saturday programs.

Jerome Morgan

 is the President and CEO of Morgan Development, a multi-billion dollar real estate development company that has built many large homes in the Detroit area. He is a passionate real estate developer and has also developed numerous upscale single family housing units like Morgan Estates besides owning other ventures like the Harbor Hill Marina, J&M Constructions, Castle I and Castle II Development Companies. He provides guidance and insight to the center from a business perspective and with program development of the semi-independent living facilities. He has two daughters.