FOUNDING STRATEGIC ADVISOR TO THE CEO Releasing Innovations | Advisory / Volunteer

Company Description Releasing Innovations is a Detroit-rooted innovation company focused on building ecosystems that help people, businesses, and communities move from survival to sustainable success. Operating at the intersection of mental health and wellness, human development, entrepreneurship, education, and community development, the organization creates spaces and programs for healing, learning, working, and thriving. Its emerging ecosystem includes initiatives in wellness, micro-business development, hospitality, workforce development, community gathering, and innovative real estate concepts. Guided by the belief that people should not have to “survive success,” Releasing Innovations designs systems, relationships, and resources that support long-term stability and growth. The company is committed to shaping the future of community development by building smarter, more human-centered, and connected ecosystems in Detroit and beyond.
Role Description The Founding Strategic Advisor to the CEO – Releasing Innovations | Advisory / Volunteer is a contract, remote role providing high-level strategic guidance to the CEO and leadership team. Day-to-day responsibilities include advising on organizational strategy, ecosystem design, and growth priorities across wellness, entrepreneurship, education, and community development initiatives. This is not a ceremonial advisory-board appointment.
Releasing Innovations is seeking an accomplished builder, operator or civic/business leader who wants to help a founder turn an ambitious Detroit-rooted vision into an executable and sustainable enterprise.
Releasing Innovations is building connected approaches to community development at the intersection of real estate, entrepreneurship, hospitality, wellness, education and human development. Rather than creating isolated programs or properties, our vision is to develop places, businesses and initiatives that reinforce one another helping people and communities move from survival toward sustainable success.
Qualifications
As Founder & CEO, I am intentionally building a team of people who know things I don't, have built what I have not yet built, and are willing to challenge my thinking as we move from concept toward execution.
I am specifically seeking one Founding Strategic Advisor who is willing to walk more closely with me through that journey.
• This person will serve as a trusted thought partner to the Founder & CEO—helping evaluate opportunities, establish priorities, pressure-test business and development strategies, navigate consequential relationships and decisions, recognize risks, and translate vision into disciplined execution.
• Someone who will ask difficult questions and understands what it takes to build.
• A professional comfortable saying “not yet,” “think bigger,” “prove it first,” or “here's the person you need to speak with.
• One who believes that meaningful development in Detroit can be both commercially disciplined and deeply human.
Ideal backgrounds may include:
- Real estate development
- Entrepreneurship
- Investment/CDFI/banking
- Hospitality
- Economic development
- Corporate leadership
- Community development or building/scaling complex organizations.
This is initially an advisory relationship rather than an operating position. Expectations, cadence, term, confidentiality, potential committee/board involvement and any future expanded relationship will be mutually defined based on fit. No employment, investment or compensation is implied by this posting. What will come from this search is bigger than filling a seat: I hope to find someone who believes in what we're building, believes in my capacity to build it, and is willing to help me become the leader capable of carrying the vision forward.

Work arrangement
Yes