Co-Director

As co-founder of True North Team Building, Michelle Powers brings 25 years of leadership experience in experiential learning, training, and hospitality management. Michelle has held Executive Director level positions at other experiential learning organizations, during which time she developed and led the execution of corporate leadership training curricula for Fortune 100 concerns, and experiential programming for public and private schools. Michelle also served as the Sports Center Director for the Doral Arrowwood Conference Center and Resort, managing all related aspects of program development, activities, personnel management and budget administration. Over the course of her career, Michelle has built a comprehensive, first-hand knowledge of all facets of experiential learning, hospitality, training and team building – from group facilitation, program design and evaluation – to technical support, administration and budgetary oversight.

As Managing Partner of True North Team Building, Michelle leverages her diverse skill set as program planner, facilitator, motivator and business manager, lending tangible, long-lasting value to every group she leads. Michelle holds a B.S. in Sports Management from the State University of New York at Cortland. She is a certified trainer in DiSC® Assessments.

In her spare time, Michelle enjoys hiking and traveling.  Michelle’s favorite True North programs include: Customized Experiential Challenges, The Remarkable Race  and Everything DiSC Workshops.

Chief Experience Officer

Prior to co-founding True North Team Building, Cindy Crean held corporate management positions in capability development, strategic planning and brand management, working in global consumer products goods companies. It was during the early stage of her corporate career that Cindy felt fortunate to have been mentored by a Vice President who fully understood the value of team and team building. He staged offsites three to four-times a year – typically conducting a strategy and planning session in the morning, followed by a half day of fun and motivating team building activities in the afternoon. As a result Cindy observed, first hand, the real value of investing in one’s team. In her words, this was “the strongest, most fun and productive team I ever worked with…we were all motivated and able to learn, to bond and, most importantly, to deliver impactful results for the organization.”

As Managing Partner of True North Team Building, Cindy brings 20 years of corporate insight and experience from working with global teams to all of her clients’ team building initiatives. This practical knowledge informs her approach and enables her to fully understand the team leader’s motivations and objectives – all toward the end of achieving sustainable results. Cindy holds a B. S. in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Oswego, and an M. S. in Leadership and Strategic Management from Manhattanville College. She is a certified trainer in DiSC® Assessment.

In her spare time, Cindy enjoys globe trekking {she has traveled to over fifty countries on six continents}, photography and volunteering.  Cindy’s favorite True North Programs include:  Cooking Programs,  The Shore to Shore Bridge Build,  DiSC and Social Styles.

Director of Operations

Matt brings a diverse background in experiential education and leadership training. After earning a BA in Political Science and a minor in History from the University of Buffalo, Matt then spent time gaining hands on understanding in the experiential education and team building arenas while managing an outdoor adventure-based  camp.  Matt worked his way from Logistics Manager to Managing Director, before delving into the corporate team building world and further honing his experiential learning skills. Matt brings a diverse and proven set of leadership skills that he has acquired through a lifelong passion for the outdoors and experiential education. Some of the defining experiences in his life include participating in a twenty-eight day, National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) backpacking course in the Wrangle St. Elias Mountains of Alaska as well as extensive backpacking courses at Philmont Adventure Base in New Mexico.  Matt has also spent time hiking, kayaking and camping all over North America. Matt earned the rank of Eagle Scout from the Boy Scouts of America and still considers it to be one of the capstone achievements of his life.   Matt’s favorite True North programs are:  Chain Reaction,  Bar Wars: A Cocktail Competition and Geocaching Adventure.