Sherita Smith has been appointed Vice President, Community Development, at Cinnaire. In this position, Sherita will be taking the helm implementing Cinnaire’s targeted investment strategy for Detroit, establishing and maintaining relationships with local partners and funders to advance Cinnaire’s Priority City initiatives.
“Sherita has a long history serving Detroit neighborhoods with more than 20 years of affordable housing and community development expertise,” said Mark McDaniel, President and CEO at Cinnaire. “We look forward to having Sherita on our team as we continue making a positive impact in Detroit and beyond. Her impressive background and commitment to creating healthy, vibrant communities throughout Detroit aligns well with our mission.”
Sherita has spent her career advocating for change to help challenged and disinvested communities become strong, vibrant places for families and businesses to thrive. Most recently, she served as executive director at Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation (GRDC), a nonprofit, community-based organization dedicated to preserving and revitalizing the Grandmont Rosedale communities of Northwest Detroit. Under her leadership, the organization has stabilized its finances with multiyear funding commitments.
Sherita graduated from Wayne State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science before earning her Masters in Public Administration from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. She is a member of the Community Development Advocates of Detroit (CDAD), Community and Economic Development Association of Michigan (CEDAM), Michigan Nonprofit Association, National Main Street Coalition, Detroit Community Education Commission and Detroit Residents Fund, as well as co-founder of the Detroit Church.
