
Justin Steele, Founder
True Steele LLC
With over two decades of leadership at the intersection of social change and the bottom line, I turn bold ambitions to impact. From leading the National Society of Black Engineers during my engineering studies to earning joint MBA/MPA degrees from Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School, my journey has uniquely positioned me to bridge business success with social transformation. This foundation served me well at both Bain & Company and its nonprofit sister firm The Bridgespan Group, and ultimately at Google.org, where I directed a $698M philanthropic portfolio that pioneered innovations like a $100M outcomes-based loan fund projected to deliver over $1B in wage gains and the $75M AI Opportunity Fund designed to upskill over one million Americans.
My approach blends C-suite strategic muscle with a steadfast commitment to social impact. Drawing on my engineering mindset and management consulting expertise, I craft solutions that balance boardroom rigor with authentic community engagement. Whether designing AI-powered programs or building cross-sector coalitions, I embed as a part-time executive leader—aligning teams, driving measurable results, and ensuring equity is foundational. At Year Up United, I demonstrated this approach by driving 50% site growth while building corporate partnerships that transformed outcomes for urban young adults.
Today, as a part-time co-founder of two ventures—Outdoorithm, a technology platform making camping more accessible, and its sister nonprofit Outdoorithm Collective, which organizes guided trips for urban families—I bring a founder's perspective to helping mission-driven organizations achieve sustained impact. When I'm not building AI-powered tools or leading community camping trips, I'm exploring the outdoors with my wife Sally and our four daughters, putting our mission into practice.
If you're ready to boost both bottom line results and brand trust through strategic impact initiatives, let's explore how fractional executive leadership can transform your aspirations into measurable outcomes within months.
Launching The Last Mile's prison education program in Indiana turned into a showdown on the Governor's backyard court - against board member MC Hammer himself. And yes, Justin won the shootout. (Sorry Hammer!)





