There’s no better way to learn about our program than to hear from our young people and those who work with them every day. Learn more about making a request to have an MGP alum or staff member share their experiences and expertise at your upcoming event, staff meeting or any meaningful gathering.
Learn About Our Leadership
Reneé Fluker
Founder and President
Midnight Golf Program
Reneé Fluker, Founder and President of the Midnight Golf Program, oversees daily program operations and manages all phases of donor relations. She spends her evenings mentoring 250 metro-Detroit high school seniors each week. Since 2001, over 2800 students have matriculated through the program, with 90% enrolling in college. The Midnight Golf Program started with 17 students meeting at Franklin-Wright Settlements, a small community center in Detroit, to learn golf skills. Today, the program has expanded to a 30-week curriculum for two cohorts that has helped hundreds of metro Detroit’s at-risk high school students enter college and various professional careers. Students are educated on topics including financial literacy, college readiness and community activism—while being exposed to the game of golf.
A graduate of Wayne State University, Reneé uses her social work background to support students’ progression through the program. After 35 years of service, she retired from the Michigan Department of Human Services. She is a lifetime member of the NAACP and was inducted into the African American Golfers Hall of Fame. Reneé is a member of the Michigan Chronicle Women of Excellence class of 2015, a 2016 Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated Women of Distinction Honoree, and received the 2017 Community Impact Award from the Wolverine Bar Association. Also in 2017, Reneé was named one of the Gary Burnstein Clinic’s Esteemed Women of Michigan and received the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Detroit: Irvin F. Swider Eternal Flame Award. Reneé was named one of Crain’s 2018 Notable Women in Nonprofits, and was selected for the McGregor Fund’s 2019 Miller Fellowship. She serves on the advisory board for African American Golf Digest Magazine and The Gasper Financial Group Board of Advisors. Reneé has a son, Jason, daughter-in-law, Christianne, and a new granddaughter, Jenavieve.
Visit our Media Kit.
David J. Gamlin Sr.
Executive Vice President, Programs & Fund Development
Midnight Golf Program
David J. Gamlin Sr. is the Executive Vice President of Midnight Golf Program (MGP) and has served in that role since 2001. He leads the programming, develops the mentors and facilitates the program’s evaluation. He also focuses on developing relationships with partners that ensure the financial sustainability of the organization including individuals, corporations and philanthropic entities.
Midnight Golf is focused on the successful transition of high school students to college, through college and connecting students to career opportunities. The program focuses equipping youth with professional communication skills, financial education and college success. More than 2,500 Detroit area youth have been part of Midnight Golf since its inception.
Mr. Gamlin was as a global equity trader for two major Wall Street investment firms. He served in corporate leadership with two automotive suppliers. For more than a decade, he worked as a Program Director at New Detroit, Inc. focusing on education policy and youth development. His service to youth includes leading the Detroit Center for Entrepreneurship, Camp Enterprise, and currently the Midnight Golf Program.
David Gamlin Sr. earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Business and French from Hillsdale College. He also earned a certificate in Community Problem Solving from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
MGP has served 3,200 students since 2001 and many have wonderful perspectives on a variety of topics and their own stories of grit, determination and perseverance. Upon request, our team can arrange student speakers based on availability.
Fast facts about MGP students:
- Each year, we work with 250 high school seniors and 1,800 college students or early career professionals.
- All of our students are from Southeast Michigan and are represented at about 65 high schools throughout the area.
- Our alumni base reaches all over the country and are leaders and practitioners in a variety of career fields.
- 31% of college-bound students from the MGP Class of 2020 are attending an HBCU, which more than triples the national average for African American students.
- 30% of students are first generation college students.
Click HERE to read some of our students’ remarkable stories.
