Monica is a Co-Founder of the Pontiac Holonomy Incubator and PHIN-CO L3C. She is a Researcher, Designer, Social Entrepreneur, Urbanist, Digital Design and Systems Thinking Process Developer with a particular focus on K-12 Education and the global movement of people back to cities. 

Before committing to this work, she studied Moral & Political Philosophy, History and Literature at The Evergreen State College, ending with an independent research/thesis project on Political Theorist Hannah Arendt. This led to a follow-on effort adapting the book Evil in Modern Thought: An Alternative History of Philosophy by Susan Neiman in the form of a documentary media storytelling platform, based on a two day interview with Neiman filmed at the Institute for Advanced Study in July 2007. She presented this work and the theme of Digital Adaptation at the HASTAC (Humanities Art Science Technology Advanced Collaboratory) University of Michigan Conference in 2011. Digital Media & Learning, Ethics & Religion, Democracy and Democratic Creative Processes have remained compelling inquiries on her journey.

In 2010 Monica began to study Design, Digital Learning and Systems Thinking upon meeting Co-Director Jim Ross and discovering the 21st Century Digital Learning Environments design consultancy, while producing a documentary titled “Detroit Green City” and capturing the “Green Team” Eastern Market mural installation with Detroit Mural Factory for Detroit Edison Public Schools Academy. The group was facilitating an early MacArthur Foundation Digital Media and Learning grant development with the school and the “Green Team” was the pilot model. Shifting focus to learning the history of design in Michigan and how to translate ideas to practice via Systems and Design Thinking for K-12 became lifelong research and practical pursuits. 

In 2014 the Pontiac Holonomy Incubator was formed to serve as an ad-hoc, informal strategic development site at 4 N. Saginaw to facilitate possibilities-thinking and community connection to the controversial Phoenix Center demolition effort, and to share connected evidence-based design models for its potential future regarding downtown Pontiac and surrounding schools. PHIN-CO was beta-tested throughout the process to serve as a Digital Design Thinking platform for schools and organizations.

Formative evidence based pilot model tests and development projects that have shaped understanding via 21st Century Digital Learning Environments and the Pontiac Holonomy Incubator / PHIN-CO: