About Us | Great Lakes Strategic

I. Our Framework

The 5-P Model.

Every engagement is guided by our proprietary framework for assessing, analyzing, and optimizing organizational health — five pillars that apply equally to a municipal department and a nonprofit board.

Purpose

Mission, vision, and values — ensuring the core reason for being is clear and aligned with every action.

Programs

Impact and delivery — effectiveness, efficiency, and innovation in achieving intended outcomes.

People

Leadership and stakeholders — how well the organization engages and empowers staff and volunteers.

Partnerships

Collaboration and networks — strategic alliances and community engagement that expand reach.

Prosperity

Financial and operational sustainability — long-term planning to deliver on the mission.

II. Why Us

Experience from the inside, not just from the outside looking in.

Our firm is built on more than 50 years of combined experience across the public, private, and mission-driven sectors — bringing senior-level leadership and certified expertise to every engagement. We don't send junior consultants to study your problem; the same people who've run the department, chaired the board, and signed the budget are the ones in the room with you.

Public Sector Insight

Inside municipal government, not just advising it

Our leadership includes a former DDA Board Member and Treasurer — so every recommendation is fiscally responsible, politically feasible, and built for implementation within an actual municipal framework.

Non-Profit Expertise

Risk-aware, credentialed, and campaign-tested

A risk-aware perspective honed in insurance and risk management, combined with a Certified Non-Profit Professional (CNP) designation and a track record leading major, sustained fundraising campaigns.

Human Capital Expertise

Senior HR credentials, not generalist advice

Our leadership holds SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) and SHRM-SCP (SHRM Senior Certified Professional) designations — bringing certified, executive-level precision to culture, talent, and labor relations work.

Execution

Strategy with project-management discipline

We pair strategic vision with the meticulous oversight of Project Management Professional (PMP) principles — so plans are built to actually run, not just to be approved.

Actionable Expertise

We eliminate the "consultant gap" by translating high-level strategy into practical, implementable solutions for real-world challenges.

Risk-Aware Strategy

We build resilient plans that protect our clients' public trust and assets by proactively identifying operational, financial, and legal risk.

Integrity & Transparency

We uphold the highest standards of transparency, especially concerning compliance mandates like the Open Meetings Act.

III. Leadership

The people behind the practice.

Based in Adrian, Michigan, our team's relationships and track record are built in Southeast Michigan and Lenawee County — the foundation from which we serve clients across the broader Great Lakes region.

Jacob Cooper

Founder & Consultant

Jacob founded Great Lakes Strategic on the principle that non-profit organizations deserve access to the same caliber of operational and resource support as major corporations. He brings a risk-aware perspective to the sector, honed through years of high-level work in insurance and risk management for clients ranging from small enterprises to Fortune 500 corporations.

A proven leader in sustainable funding, Jacob spearheaded a $500K+ annual fundraising campaign for eight consecutive years, and has served on multiple boards spanning social causes, animal welfare, and education.

CNP PMP B.A. Communication

jacob.cooper@greatlakesstrategic.com · 517-260-1709

Deb Elliott

Lead Consultant, Human Capital & Organizational Strategy

Deb brings more than two decades of senior human resources leadership to Great Lakes Strategic, most recently as Senior Vice President — Chief Human Resources Officer & Secretary at Gleaner Life Insurance Society, where she led HR strategy for over nine years following a decade as Assistant Vice President of Human Resources at TLC Community Credit Union.

Her background spans the full scope of organizational health — from conflict resolution and employee benefits to executive-level governance — and she has also served as an adjunct instructor at both Adrian College and Siena Heights University, where she earned a Master's in Organizational Leadership and a B.A. in Business Administration. Deb is based in Adrian, Michigan.

SPHR SHRM-SCP M.A. Organizational Leadership

deb.elliott@greatlakesstrategic.com · 517-403-5101

IV. Method

How an engagement runs, from first call to handoff.

Diagnose

Interviews, document review, and data analysis to establish what's actually true — not what the org chart implies.

Frame

A small set of real strategic options, each with honest tradeoffs, presented to leadership before any plan is drafted.

Build

A plan built around your actual governance process — board votes, council approvals, union conversations — from day one.

Hand Off

Implementation tools your own staff can run without us. We are not in the business of permanent dependency.