Eileen Iannone Sellaro

About Eileen Iannone Sellaro

Founded in 2011 by Dan Gilbert, Bedrock is a full service commercial real estate development company that has invested over $5.6 billion into the revitalization of Detroit and Cleveland. In 2024 Bedrock was named the most innovative urban development company in the US by Fast Company.Eileen leads special projects and public private partnerships, including the real estate and business development strategy for the future 14-acre Gratiot Site Innovation District in downtown Detroit, which will bring to life a Life Science Innovation Building anchored by a mix of leading industry, academic, and entrepreneurial support groups helping to broaden Michigan’s economy beyond legacy industries and create new career pathways for residents.In 2024, Eileen was one of 12 leaders invited by the MEDC to serve on a committee defining the State of Michigan’s innovation agenda through the two-year MIT REAP program. In 2023, Eileen joined the World Economic Forum as a Fellow working to build the Detroit Center for Urban Transformation and the Alliance for Urban Innovation. She has since convened global leaders on the topic of accessible cities at the annual Urban Transformation Summit.In 2022, Eileen led the strategy behind the Gilbert family\'s $375 million investment to bring the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab rehabilitation hospital to Detroit, in partnership with Henry Ford Health and the Gilbert Family Foundation. This investment also founded the Nick Gilbert NF-1 Research Institute, which will bring cutting-edge research to Detroit. She was appointed by Bedrock in 2020 to serve on the Board of Directors for the Greektown Neighborhood Partnership where she\'s contributed towards initiatives to obtain $35 million from the State of Michigan for strategic placemaking and streetscape projects. In 2014 Eileen re-opened a downtown coffee shop in her hometown of Toledo to pay her way through college. Bleak House Coffee was named Toledo’s best coffee shop and the business grew to support 11 employees before it was sold in 2017. Eileen holds a Graduate Certificate from the University of Michigan in Real Estate Development, an undergraduate degree from the University of Toledo in Urban Planning, and a Professional Certificate in Municipal Finance from the University of Chicago and the Lincoln Land Institute. She is a 2017 Venture For America Fellowship Alum, a 2023 ULI Larson Leaders Alum, and a LEED Green Associate.Eileen is working her way towards fluency in Portuguese each day. She is a dual citizen of the US and Ireland.

Experience

1. Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives

   Bedrock Detroit

   Dec 2024 — Present · Detroit, MI, US

   Eileen leads the real estate and business development strategy for the future 14-acre Gratiot Site Innovation District in downtown Detroit, which will bring to life a square foot Life Science Innovation Building anchored by the world’s leading theranostics platform, BAMF Health, and the leading health system in Detroit, Henry Ford Health System. The facility will include a molecular imaging clinic, a molecular therapy clinic, and a commercial radiopharmacy supporting both clinical care and research. This joint effort aims to boost clinical research capabilities and attract investment, economic growth, workforce development, and medical tourism to the region.

Education

• University of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School of Business

  Graduate Certificate, Real Estate Development

• The University of Toledo

  Bachelor of Arts (BA), Geography and Urban Planning