True North Executive Solutions points the way to short-term leadership

Christina Gullo and Michelle Lee know what it’s like to sit in leadership roles at an organization, as well as the challenges and responsibilities that go along with it.

They are drawing from their professional experience to grow their new business, True North Executive Solutions.

“We have faced many of the same challenges as our clients and remember how it felt,” Gullo said. “We’ve been there — we’ve sat in those seats — and we know what to do.”

The business — which launched at the end of May — can support non-profit and for-profit organizations with management gaps by providing short-term/fractional leadership.

The support True North Executive Solutions provides allows the organizations to continue to move forward while helping provide the needed time to find the right successor.

The firm’s mission is to help businesses improve organizational effectiveness and financial viability, Gullo said.

A key component of True North Executive Solutions’ work is an organizational assessment that helps identify and address critical gaps and priorities, she explained.

In addition to leadership support and organizational analysis, other areas where the business can help organizations are with compensation, board development, succession planning and mergers and acquisitions.

True North Executive Solutions utilizes a bespoke/concierge approach, along with proven methodologies and experience, to drive growth, improve performance and enhance leadership capabilities customized to the needs of individual organizations, Gullo said.

Gullo and Lee — who share the same values, vision and goals in business — spent roughly a year laying the groundwork for what would become True North Executive Solutions.

The two say their executive experience is what sets the business apart. Both are well versed in government funding, finance, human resources, process improvement and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) work.

Because of their years of experience, Gullo and Lee are well positioned to support executives and boards, using their expertise to make tough decisions and lead through change, they say.

Gullo has over 20 years of experience, particularly in strategy planning/execution, leadership development, board governance and human resources.

Her background includes work in fiscal turnaround, development of strategic plans, transformational leadership and aligning the company to meet client/ community needs, while reducing expenses and driving inefficiencies out of the organization.

Gullo spent over 12 years as president and CEO at Rochester-based Villa of Hope, where she oversaw the agency’s $25 million operating budget with four locations.

She recently authored the book, “Courageous and Authentic Leadership,” about her professional experience.

In addition, Gullo has served as chair of Geva Theatre Center’s Board of Trustees since 2022, where an ample amount of time was spent on revamping the business model following the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was Villa of Hope where Gullo worked with Lee, who had been with the organization (formerly St. Joseph’s Villa) for more than two decades in a variety of roles of increasing responsibility, including director of human resources and chief administrative officer.

Lee is well versed in HR issues and has experience in creating efficiencies through automation and integration of systems, compensation, regulatory and legal compliance, change management, leadership development and risk management.

The issues that True North Executive Solutions can help organizations with are timely and their solutions can result in long-term benefits, Lee noted.

For example, HR has changed dramatically over the past few years in numerous ways, she said, from improving operations with automated processes to an increased focus on a company’s culture, which impacts employee retention and attraction.

“HR can really impact an organization, even in a short period of time,” she said.

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