Newsletter
Summer 2025
A Year of True North: How It All Began
We launched True North Executive Solutions with a bold idea rooted in real experience: that organizations navigating change need more than just advice, they need a trusted partner who’s been in their seat.
With decades of combined leadership as CEO, COO, and CHRO, we knew the weight of leading through complexity, transitions, and uncertainty. We also knew the profound value of having the right support in those moments. That understanding became the heart of True North.
What started as an idea to provide interim and fractional leadership services quickly evolved. We realized our greatest impact came from helping organizations step back, assess holistically, and act strategically. This led to us to taking a step back and assessing our service offerings and pivoting to more strategic focused services, such as our Future Ready Organizational Assessment, Strategic Planning Enablement and Comprehensive HR Evaluation. (You can learn more about our services here: True North Executive Solutions)
Our mission is clear: to guide organizations in transition toward stability and sustainable growth. Our clients come to us when:
They’re preparing for a leadership change.
They’re tasked with creating a strategic plan.
They’re facing HR gaps, high turnover, or compliance risks.
They need to scale, but don’t know where to start.
We meet those challenges with a unique advantage: we’ve lived them. As former C-suite executives, we bring not only strategic expertise but also deep empathy and clarity. We don’t just diagnose problems; we design realistic solutions grounded in lived experience.
What sets us apart is our signature approach:
🔹 We’ve been in your seat, and we remember how it felt.
🔹 We future proof your business with strategy, structure, and sustainability.
🔹 We guide you through transitions with honest insight and a calm, collaborative approach.
We’ve helped boards prepare for CEO transitions, supported HR teams through compliance evaluations, and empowered leaders to make bold, informed decisions. We’ve also refined our brand with a clear value proposition: We empower you to build the strategic HR and operational foundation to ensure your organization is future ready.
As we look ahead, we’re energized by the organizations and leaders we’ve partnered with and those we’ve yet to meet. Thank you for trusting us, believing in us, and growing with us.
Here’s to the next year ahead and to helping more organizations navigate change with confidence.
Warmly,
Christina Gullo & Michelle Lee
Co-Founders, True North Executive Solutions
In this issue:
True North Year in Review
True North Highlights
Key HR Updates and Action Items
Courageous and Authentic Leadership
Non-profit Grant Funding Opportunity
Partnership Spotlight: Mission Advancement Group, LLC
True North Year in Review
True North Highlights
We’re thrilled to share some exciting milestones and upcoming opportunities!
Heading to New Orleans
We’ll be facilitating four dynamic workshops at the Family Focused Treatment Association’s 39th Annual Conference, July 20–22, in New Orleans.
Chris will be hosting a roundtable discussion on “Bringing DEIB into the Workplace Through Lived Experiences” and then facilitating two sessions: "Beyond the Blueprint: A Deep Dive into Transformational Strategy" and "Building an Effective Board: Strategies for Success" exploring both strategic planning for impact and building high-performance boards.
Michelle is presenting a workshop & case study on "ACE Leadership: The Power of Authentic, Courageous, and Emotionally Intelligent Leadership in Shaping an Organizational Culture for Success!"
We are looking forward to engaging with mission-driven leaders from across the country!
Certified Woman-Owned Business
We are proud to announce that we are now officially WBE Certified through Monroe County! This recognition strengthens our ability to support organizations through an equity-centered lens.
Credentialed in Cash Compensation
Michelle recently earned her Cash Compensation Certification from the Career Learning Institute, adding even more expertise to our strategy and compensation offerings.
Key HR Updates and Action Items
NYS Lactation Leave
Effective June 19, 2024, all New York employers must provide 30-minute paid lactation breaks for nursing employees. This is in addition to any unpaid break time already required under state and federal law.
Key points:
Breaks must be paid and provided each time an employee needs to express milk for three (3) years following childbirth.
Employers must make reasonable efforts to provide a private, non-bathroom space for lactation.
This applies to all employers, regardless of size.
Now is a great time to review your lactation accommodation policy and ensure your team is trained on these new requirements. Additional information can be found here:
Breast Milk Expression in the Workplace | Department of Labor
NYS Prenatal Care Leave
Effective January 1, 2025, New York State requires all private-sector employers to provide 20 hours of paid prenatal leave per year to pregnant employees.
Key Points:
Separate from other sick leave
Available immediately upon hire
Paid at the employee’s regular rate (or minimum wage, whichever is higher)
Usable hourly for appointments like exams, monitoring, or fertility care
Cannot request medical documentation or personal health details to approve this leave
Make sure to update your leave policies and train managers on this new requirement.
Additional guidance can be found here: