Jeanette Pierce is the President of City Institute, helping cities tell their story so more locals and newcomers feel connected to and truly care about their community—ultimately helping with attraction and retention.
Since 2005, Pierce has used experiential learning and nontraditional tours to help more than 150,000 locals and newcomers in Detroit love where they live and work by teaching them about Detroit’s assets, small businesses, historic neighborhoods, city planning and development policies, and innovative solutions to the challenges the city faces.
Pierce and her team continue to work with companies in Detroit to help their employees gain a deeper understanding and connection to Detroit. She believes that when people are informed and engaged in shaping a place’s future that there is a much better chance of that city becoming an equitable and thriving place for all.
Pierce has presented at more than 200 events, including Atlantic Magazine’s CityLab Conference, Governor’s Economic Summit, and Downtown Las Vegas Annual Meeting. She has received the following honors: Top 50 Women Leaders in Michigan, Top Forty Under 40 by Crain’s Detroit Business, Thirty in Their 30’s by DBusiness Magazine, and Shining Light Future Leader Award by Detroit Free Press.
She serves on the Boards of the Michigan Municipal League Foundation and Detroit Historical Society. Pierce earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Aquinas College.