Kim Trent

As Deputy Director for Prosperity for the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, (LEO), Kim Trent is charged with guiding and building support for efforts to boost the economic security of Michigan citizens through policy, strategic initiatives, programs and partnerships. Her leadership duties at LEO include serving as the key staffer to the Michigan Poverty Task Force. She leads the department’s prosperity division, which includes the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office, Office of Global Michigan, Michigan Women’s Commission,  Michigan Community Service Commission, MI-STEM Council, and Black Leadership Advisory Council. She also serves as LEO’s Equity and Inclusion Officer.  

Trent's career has included leadership roles on the staffs of former Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow and former Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm. For seven years, she held various key staff positions at Michigan Future Inc., a think tank dedicated to boosting prosperity in Michigan. She also served as an elected member of the Wayne State University Board of Governors from 2013 until 2019.

A native Detroiter with Michigan roots that stretch back to the 1830s, Trent holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Wayne State University. She also completed graduate studies at the University of Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa. She has completed fellowships with the American Political Science Association in Washington D.C. and the Michigan Political Leadership Program at Michigan State University and is a graduate of the Detroit Regional Chamber's Leadership Detroit program. She lives in Detroit with her husband and son.