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Fractional CMOs in Detroit Making Things Happen in 2025
Detroit & Southeast Michigan Interim Chief Marketing Officers to Know
Detroit is a city of grit, reinvention, and strategic resurgence. From its industrial roots to its growing reputation as a hub for startups, healthcare innovation, and mission-driven organizations, Detroit and Southeast Michigan are becoming fertile ground for new ways of working. Among the most dynamic shifts? The rise of fractional marketing leadership—specifically, Fractional Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs).
These professionals bring executive-level marketing strategy, leadership, and execution on a part-time, interim, or project basis. They embed quickly, design winning strategies, build teams, and create real momentum—without the overhead of a full-time hire.
At Digital Reference, we are committed to elevating the professionals behind the progress. Our platform helps capture their verified work, real-world impact, and leadership stories. This blog is part of that mission—a curated spotlight on Detroit’s most impactful fractional CMOs who are helping brands grow smarter, faster, and with more intention.
Our Methodology - Detroit Fractional CMO Services
We curated this list of professionals based on:
- Geographic location: Based in Detroit or actively working across Southeast Michigan
- Professional scope: Provide fractional, part-time, or interim CMO services
- Experience and credibility: Demonstrated history of marketing leadership with verifiable client success
- Public presence: Active on LinkedIn, agency websites, or professional portfolios
- Alignment with Digital Reference values: Radical transparency, authenticity, and impact-driven work
Whether you're scaling a startup, repositioning your nonprofit, or reinvigorating a legacy business—these leaders are the people helping Detroit’s marketing landscape thrive.
Meet the Fractional CMOs in Detroit Making Things Happen
Halley Karas
https://plumgoodmarketing.com/about-plum-good-marketing/
Founder of Plum Good Marketing, Halley Karas is a strategic force in marketing leadership. With a background that blends corporate brand expertise and entrepreneurial insight, she offers fractional CMO services that help organizations clarify their messaging and elevate their voice.
Why She Stands Out:
- Focus on story-driven brand strategy and customer experience
- Passionate about amplifying purpose-led brands
- Known for helping teams align brand, messaging, and growth goals
Halley is the right fit for brands that need refined messaging and a strategy that resonates across channels.
Brian Town
https://michiganfractional.com/
As founder of Michigan Fractional, Brian Town has carved out a powerful niche as a go-to fractional marketing leader for small to mid-sized businesses. A former educator turned creative strategist, he specializes in helping companies develop clear messaging, build campaigns, and drive digital visibility.
Why He Stands Out:
- Deep understanding of Michigan’s economic and cultural landscape
- Offers video content strategy, SEO, and social media consulting
- Known for empowering founders and executives with practical, clear marketing plans
Brian is perfect for companies that want to work with a grounded, Michigan-rooted leader who blends big-picture thinking with grassroots execution.
Andy Bissonette
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andybissonette/
A creative strategist with experience in digital marketing and media, Andy Bissonette works with companies seeking to modernize their approach to brand and marketing operations. His fractional CMO services center around helping businesses create lasting impact through smart creative and strategic alignment.
Why He Stands Out:
- Background in creative leadership, content production, and campaign design
- Helps teams translate vision into practical, resonant marketing outputs
- Passionate about connecting creative teams with business strategy
Andy is a powerful addition to brands that need storytelling muscle and design-driven marketing frameworks.
Philippe Vella
https://www.linkedin.com/in/philmvella-the-part-time-cmo/
Known as “The Part-Time CMO,” Philippe Vella partners with small to mid-sized companies to provide strategic marketing direction and operational marketing systems. He is especially skilled at distilling complex offerings into compelling go-to-market strategies.
Why He Stands Out:
- Offers flexible marketing leadership on a fractional or advisory basis
- Strong in B2B messaging, competitive positioning, and sales alignment
- Helps marketing teams mature and scale efficiently
Philippe is ideal for tech-driven and service-based businesses seeking clarity, consistency, and performance.
Dave Haviland
https://www.phimation.com/about-the-founder
As founder of Phimation Strategy Group, Dave Haviland has been helping second-stage companies navigate growth for over a decade. His work often overlaps operations and marketing, making him a strategic ally for organizations evolving their identity, reach, and internal systems.
Why He Stands Out:
- Focus on growth-stage businesses, often between startup and enterprise
- Merges organizational consulting with executive marketing leadership
- Known for building long-term marketing systems and leadership capacity
Dave is the partner you want when your business is past the early hustle and ready to scale with structure and intention.
Cory Dunham
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cory-dunham/
With a specialty in demand generation, revenue marketing, and go-to-market execution, Cory Dunham provides operational CMO services to growing teams. His work centers on driving pipeline, connecting marketing with sales, and delivering measurable impact.
Why He Stands Out:
- Strong focus on revenue accountability and marketing operations
- Background includes B2B SaaS and early-stage tech
- Helps organizations go from "marketing activity" to marketing ROI
Cory is the architect behind scalable demand engines that produce real business outcomes.
Michele Szczypka
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-szczypka/
A seasoned marketing executive, Michele Szczypka brings decades of experience in healthcare marketing, nonprofit campaigns, and reputation strategy. Her fractional CMO services are rooted in clarity, mission alignment, and communications excellence.
Why She Stands Out:
- Former VP-level leader at national health organizations
- Expert in integrated marketing communications, executive branding, and stakeholder engagement
- Focused on organizations doing impact-driven or public-facing work
Michele is a great fit for mission-oriented teams that need strategic alignment across purpose and promotion.
Todd Robinson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd23robinson/
With a sharp eye for performance marketing, paid media, and funnel optimization, Todd Robinson works with startups and growth-stage companies to create and fine-tune marketing machines. His fractional CMO work includes acquisition strategies, campaign analytics, and multi-channel marketing.
Why He Stands Out:
- Deep experience in digital strategy, data-driven marketing, and SEM
- Builds repeatable, scalable marketing programs for tech and B2B firms
- Passionate about aligning marketing spend with business performance
Todd is a data-first marketing executive who helps brands unlock growth through smart experimentation and iteration.
Why Detroit is a Rising Market for Fractional CMOs
As Detroit and Southeast Michigan continue their resurgence, a growing number of companies are choosing fractional leadership models to fill key executive roles. Marketing is often at the top of that list.
Why fractional CMOs thrive here:
- Many businesses are scaling regionally or repositioning post-pandemic
- Startups and mission-driven orgs need strategy without full-time overhead
- The region values practicality, purpose, and performance
- Fractional CMOs bring the right mix of experience, flexibility, and strategic insight
Whether you’re an early-stage founder, a revitalized nonprofit, or a scaling manufacturer—Detroit’s marketing leaders are ready to drive your next chapter.
The Digital Reference Perspective
At Digital Reference, we’re on a mission to make the talent economy more transparent, structured, and human. For fractional CMOs, that means:
- Collecting client-verified references and marketing impact metrics
- Building structured professional portfolios that reflect real work
- Driving reputation-based hiring that moves beyond resumes
We believe that reputation is currency—and we’re here to help marketers turn their past impact into future opportunity.
Final Thoughts
The professionals featured in this list are the architects of Detroit’s next wave of brand and marketing success. Whether you need to build demand, elevate your story, or scale your customer experience, these fractional CMOs are ready to lead.
Interested in more Fractional Michigan Content? Checkout:
- Fractional COOs in Ann Arbor
From Halley Karas’ brand storytelling to Todd Robinson’s performance insights, this is a lineup of marketing minds worth knowing. Explore their work. Connect with them. And when you’re ready to tell your own story—start with Digital Reference.
Explore Our Global & National Fractional CMO Services Directories
Start here if you're looking for a broad list of vetted agencies and platforms offering fractional CMO services across regions:
Fractional CMO Services in the USA
The U.S. has one of the most developed markets for fractional CMOs, particularly in tech, SaaS, and DTC. With access to world-class operators who’ve led growth at scale, hiring from the U.S. means deep specialization and a high standard for strategic leadership—even on a part-time basis.
Fractional CMO Services in the United Kingdom
UK-based CMOs bring a global sensibility with strong roots in brand-building, storytelling, and demand gen. Whether you're scaling in EMEA or need a transatlantic marketing partner, hiring from the UK often means balancing creativity with commercial acumen.
Fractional CMO Services in Canada
Canada’s marketing consultants offer a unique blend of U.S.-adjacent market knowledge and European-influenced brand thinking. CMOs from Canada are often adept at cross-border strategy, digital-first execution, and cost-effective scaling for both startups and nonprofits.
Fractional CMO Services in Australia
Australia is home to a rapidly growing fractional talent ecosystem, with a strong emphasis on lean growth, ecommerce, and APAC expansion strategy. CMOs here often bring a scrappy, startup-savvy approach—ideal for early-stage or global-minded teams.
Fractional CMO Services in the United Arab Emirates
Hiring a fractional CMO from the UAE gives you access to multilingual, multi-market strategists who understand high-growth sectors like fintech, hospitality, and real estate. With experience operating across MENA and beyond, UAE-based leaders are often skilled in both regional
Fractional CMO Services in India
nuance and global brand building.
India’s fractional CMOs are known for blending strategic marketing with operational efficiency. Many bring deep experience in tech, SaaS, and outsourcing models—and are especially skilled at scaling customer acquisition and digital strategy on tight budgets.
These lists feature curated selections of leading firms and consultants offering fractional and part-time CMO services, often categorized by industry focus, engagement style, and executive depth.
Check Out Our Local Fractional, Part-Time, and Virtual CMO Talent by City
We’ve curated regional directories so you can find fractional CMOs near you—whether you want someone who understands your local market or you’re building an in-person team.
Ann Arbor Fractional CMO Services
Ann Arbor’s tight-knit business ecosystem and university-adjacent innovation make it a great place to find CMOs who blend intellectual rigor with grassroots marketing strategy. Expect data-driven marketers with strong startup and research-sector experience.
Austin Fractional CMO Services
Austin’s creative-meets-tech energy fuels a vibrant pool of fractional CMOs who thrive in fast-moving environments. Many bring experience across SaaS, lifestyle brands, and B2B marketplaces—perfect for startups with a story to tell and scale.
Boston Fractional CMO Services
Boston fractional CMOs often bring deep experience in healthtech, edtech, and B2B enterprise marketing. With a strong talent pipeline from local universities and innovation districts, these leaders pair analytical strength with strategic polish.
Chicago Fractional CMO Services
Chicago’s CMOs are pros at navigating between scrappy and structured. You’ll find leaders here who know how to scale growth functions for midmarket companies and bring calm to complex go-to-market systems.
Dallas Fractional CMO Services
With a strong presence in healthcare, real estate, and professional services, Dallas-based CMOs often bring industry-specific insights and relationship-first marketing chops—plus the ability to scale regionally and nationally.
Los Angeles Fractional CMO Services
LA-based CMOs bring a strong blend of entertainment, DTC, and brand-forward experience. Whether you’re building a lifestyle brand or scaling a content-first product, these marketers know how to make it resonate—and convert.
New York City Fractional CMO Services
New York’s marketing leaders are built for speed, scale, and big vision. Hiring a fractional CMO here means access to world-class brand architects, revenue ops pros, and category definers who move quickly and deliver results.
Phoenix Fractional CMO Services
Phoenix is emerging as a hub for cost-efficient growth, and its CMOs are leading the charge. You’ll find leaders with expertise in real estate, healthcare, and service-based businesses—great for companies expanding in the Southwest.
San Diego Fractional CMO Services
San Diego fractional CMOs often come with deep domain knowledge in biotech, healthtech, and mission-driven startups. Their approach combines high-level marketing strategy with a clear understanding of regulatory and clinical nuances.
San Francisco Fractional CMO Services
In SF, CMOs are operators as much as storytellers. You’ll find talent with experience in VC-backed startups, PLG models, and growth experimentation—ideal for companies scaling in competitive or saturated markets.
Tampa Fractional CMO Services
Tampa is quickly becoming a go-to market for tech and remote-first startups. CMOs here bring the ability to build growth foundations from the ground up, often for businesses transitioning out of the founder-led phase.
Washington, D.C. Fractional CMO Services
DC’s fractional CMOs stand out for their strategic messaging, policy awareness, and nonprofit expertise. They’re trusted by think tanks, advocacy orgs, and mission-led startups that need to tell complex stories with clarity and credibility.
– The Digital Reference Team
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