The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan has named Nicole Sherard-Freeman as COO, effective July 10. Sherard-Freeman was most recently group executive of Jobs, Economy and Detroit at Work, and executive director of the Mayor’s Workforce Development Board for Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan.
In this new role, Sherard-Freeman will join the foundation’s leadership team and report to Richard (Ric) DeVore, president of the Community Foundation. She will oversee the foundation’s donor services, finance, grantmaking services, information technology, program, and the New Economy Initiative (NEI) teams.
“We are thrilled to have a proven leader with Nicole’s experience join the Community Foundation,” says DeVore. “She has established herself as a results-oriented collaborator across public-private partnerships, with a commitment to under-resourced communities and communities of color. We look forward to having Nicole join our leadership team at this exciting time when we are charting our future strategic plan.”
The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan has awarded $1.4 billion in grants to nonprofit organizations. Sherard-Freeman became Detroit’s executive director of Workforce Development and Detroit at Work in 2019. Prior to that she served as the president and CEO of Detroit Employment Solutions Corp. (DESC).
From 2014 to 2018 Sherard-Freeman was managing director for Corporation for a Skilled Workforce, a national research-to-action nonprofit that led JPMorgan Chase’s New Skills at Work portfolio in Detroit. She also held leadership positions in banking, global business-to-business services.
“Nicole has been a tremendous asset to our city and to my administration,” says Duggan. “Her leadership in creating Detroit at Work and guiding our successful job attraction efforts has changed the trajectory of thousands of Detroiters’ lives for the better. She will bring that same level of outstanding leadership to the Community Foundation, and I look forward to continuing to work with her in her new capacity.”
Born and raised in Detroit, Sherard-Freeman is a graduate of the Detroit Public School system. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and has completed graduate studies in Organizational Management and Development at Fielding Graduate University. She serves on the national board of WorkRise: An Urban Institute Initiative; and serves locally on the boards of Detroit Economic Growth Corp., and the Governor’s Workforce Development Board. She is a guest lecturer at the University of Michigan.
“The past six years with Mayor Duggan and his administration have been the most impactful of my entire career,” says Sherard-Freeman. “I’m excited to bring the experience, relationships, and perspective I’ve gained in Detroit to the Community Foundation team as we advance our strategy for permanent, positive change in the region.”
Sherard-Freeman has been recognized for her leadership, including Michigan Chronicle’s Women of Excellence; Crain’s Detroit Business Notable Women in Non-Profits, 50 Names to Know in Government and 100 Most Influential Women in Michigan; and Axios Detroit 2022 Power Players.
