Breakfast with Purpose

JoAnn Chávez is senior vice president and chief legal officer for DTE Energy. Chávez has responsibility for the management and strategic direction of DTE’s office of the general counsel and advises DTE’s board of directors and senior management on legal and related matters. Chávez also has responsibility for the oversight of ethics and compliance, corporate security, corporate emergency management and tax. Prior to joining DTE in 2007, Chávez served as an international tax partner for KPMG LLP with experience serving large multinational clients. Chávez earned a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Juris Doctor from the University of Notre Dame.

Chávez is a strong advocate for young people and is the founder of the Michigan Hispanic Collaborative (MiHC), a Michigan non-profit, that focuses on economic equity and provides opportunities for first-generation Hispanic students to graduate from college. MiHC delivers culturally relevant programming for both students and parents to help bring coherence to the chaos of college access. Chávez sits on the DTE Energy Foundation, the Cristo Rey Network, Invest Detroit, the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan, and the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute boards of directors. She also serves on the Notre Dame Law School and the University of Michigan School of Education Advisory Councils, and the State of Michigan Women’s Commission, and is the past chairwoman of the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce board of directors.