Who We Are

We are women with over 50 years of combined experience in city hall and in the business communities of Detroit. Our joining together brings clients the relationships of accomplished individuals from both the legislative and executive branches of government. We are smart, connected, and ethical.

 

Meet Our Team


  • Founder | CEO

    Sheila Cockrel is a community organizer, leader, and activist with over five decades of experience in serving Detroiters in the areas of civic and community engagement, government, public policy, and public affairs. Sheila is the founder and CEO of Crossroads Consulting - a full-service firm that provides a select and diverse client base with strategic advice and consultation on local government processes and community engagement. Sheila is also the CEO of CitizenDetroit - a nonprofit dedicated to keeping Detroiters civically informed and engaged.

    Sheila served as a Detroit City Council member for 16 years and earned the respect of colleagues, department head, and executive branch officials. She has extraordinary knowledge and insight about how Detroit works. 

    Throughout the late 60s and 70s, Cockrel’s activism and community organizing passion allowed her to lead demonstrations and rallies against police brutality, absentee landlords and jail conditions, as well as petition campaigns such as the one to abolish STRESS.

    In 1993, Sheila was elected to Detroit City Council where she served for 4 terms until she retired from council in 2009 when she founded Crossroads Consulting. Sheila continues to inform and engage Detroiters through her Crossroads Consulting and CitizenDetroit work, and is a proud Corktown Detroit resident where she sits on the executive board of the Corktown Business Association.

    Sheila attended Wayne State University where she a holds a B.A. in Philosophy and a M.A. in Urban Planning from Wayne State University.

    Awards and Positions

    • Adjunct professor with the Honors College at Wayne State University - 2009 – 2019


    • Chair, Ford Michigan Central Station Neighborhood Advisory Council


    • Executive Board, Corktown Business Association


    • Distinguished Warrior Award 2014 – Detroit Urban League


    • Partner and Advisor Detroit Historical Society
 for the Detroit 67 Project

 

  • Consultant

    Jehan earned dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and English from Michigan State University and obtained her Juris Doctorate from Wayne State University Law School. After holding various positions at City Hall, Jehan served as Managing Member of C&G Solutions PLC, a specialized firm providing legal and consulting services. She ultimately co-founded and became Managing Partner at Great Lakes Legal Group PLLC, concentrating her practice in business and commercial matters, government affairs and probate matters.

    Jehan has assisted a multitude of entities- both for-profit and nonprofit- with compliance and operational issues, as well as performed legal and policy analysis on local municipal matters, including zoning approvals, government-sponsored tax incentives programs, contracts and more. She has also successfully represented clients through judgment in a variety of civil and estate matters.

    Jehan served as President for the Wolverine Bar Association (WBA) and Wolverine Bar Foundation (WBF) during the 2016-17 Bar Year. She currently serves as Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of CitizenDetroit Action Group, Board Member for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit, Contributor to the Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE), Member of the State Bar of Michigan Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee, Hearing Panelist for the Michigan Attorney Discipline Board, Board Member for Pretty Brown Girl Foundation, and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, Detroit Alumnae Chapter.

    Jehan has been recognized six times by Michigan SuperLawyers®. She received the 2015 and 2016 Martindale Hubbell ® Client Distinction Award, along with the Martindale Hubbell ® Client Champion Award 2018-2021. She was also recognized as one of Michigan Chronicle’s ’40 under 40’ and as a ‘Woman of Excellence’. Jehan was appointed in 2017 by United States Senator Gary Peters to the Michigan Senate Judicial Advisory Committee, which vets candidates and makes recommendations to fill vacancies on the federal bench, in the Eastern District. She is admitted to practice law in Michigan and before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

 

“The minute I met Sheila, I knew she was the right choice as a partner to help me better understand the “lay of the land” within the City of Detroit. Her deep experience and expertise within local government coupled with her extensive network and the deep respect she has within the community were the right combination to help enable our approach to supporting Detroit. She is a pillar of the Detroit community, and I was grateful to have her support both personally and professionally. She was my Detroit Sherpa and our work together brought forth many important and impactful opportunities.”

— Kathleen (Lisa) Cawley, Accenture Leadership, Accenture

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