Managing Partner of Pinnacle Construction Patners, LLC
Spirit of UDM: Alumni Achievement Award
2016
Bio:
In 1968, University of Detroit created Project 100, a program designed to admit and support inner-city public and parochial high school graduates with high academic potential to the University. Michael A. Carter, Sr., was in the inaugural class of that groundbreaking program.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in political science, he held a series of positions early in his career, including teacher, swimming coach and purchasing agent. He returned to the University to earn his MBA, founded a janitorial company, and later worked as a sales rep and in the healthcare industry. In 2002, he founded Athena Health Club and Day Spa in Nashville, Tenn., and became managing partner at Pinnacle Construction Partners, LLC, a Tennessee-based construction firm that does business in several states.
A lifelong advocate of education for all, Carter partnered with University of Michigan and NBA star Jalen Rose to form the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy in Detroit and is president of Operation Graduation, the fundraising entity for the academy. In Tennessee, he is a former board chair of the Nashville Public Education Foundation and United Way of Metropolitan Nashville. He is a member of The 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee and many other civic organizations. He has also served on UDM’s Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Liberal Arts & Education.
Carter attributes his success at UDM, and in his life’s work, to his Project 100 counselor, Dr. Dolores A. Davis-Penn. Dr. Davis-Penn provided unwavering support and guidance, particularly during Carter’s freshman year. Mindful of the support needed and dedicated to helping students succeed, Carter and his wife Pamela L. Carter ’71 established a scholarship fund in honor of Dr. Dolores A. Davis-Penn, which provides generous financial assistance to qualified graduates of the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy.
Citation:
Michael A. Carter, Sr. came to University of Detroit in 1968 as a member of the inaugural class of Project 100, a program designed to help inner-city youth succeed at the University.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and returned for his MBA before opening a janitorial company. Success in business led him to founding a health club and day spa in Nashville, Tennessee. He later became managing partner at Pinnacle Construction Partners, LLC, in Tennessee.
Thankful for his education, he has dedicated himself to assisting others. He helped form the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy in Detroit and has served on the Nashville Public Education Foundation. He is also a member of the boards of the United Way of Metropolitan Nashville and the Dean’s Advisory Board for the UDM College of Liberal Arts & Education. He is also a member of many civic organizations, including The 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee.
He and his wife Pamela ’71 created the Dr. Dolores A. Davis-Penn Scholarship in honor of the Project 100 counselor who helped him while he was a student at UDM. His philanthropic foundation also provides scholarships for students in Michigan, Tennessee and other areas.
Distinguished graduate of the College of Liberal Arts & Education, Michael Carter, Sr. was honored with the Spirit of UDM: Alumni Achievement Award on April 24, 2016.