From the beginning, I knew I wanted to dedicate my career to making the world a better place.
I started my nonprofit career working as a one-woman development shop for a local youth development organization in Des Moines, IA. I ended it as the CEO of a globally recognized nonprofit focused on strengthening the board-staff partnership within nonprofit organizations and foundations. In between, I held leadership positions with national nonprofit organizations working to create positive change, including eight years in the movement for LGBTQ equality.
Throughout my nonprofit career, I was fortunate to truly love what I was doing and to have the opportunity to make a difference. Serving as CEO of BoardSource for nearly a decade was the honor of a lifetime and led to some of my proudest professional achievements. It also taught me a lot about leadership - both my own and the many executive directors, chief executives, and board leaders I had the opportunity to interact with each and every day.
Throughout my nearly 25-year career in nonprofit leadership, I saw the intense pressures that executive directors and chief executives face, and I experienced personally the value of working with a coach. My coach helped me find my footing in a dramatically expanded leadership role and build leadership practices that enabled me to grow and enjoy myself as a leader. It was an incredible gift - and one that I believe every chief executive should give to themselves.
That's what led me to coaching.
I started my nonprofit career working as a one-woman development shop for a local youth development organization in Des Moines, IA. I ended it as the CEO of a globally recognized nonprofit focused on strengthening the board-staff partnership within nonprofit organizations and foundations. In between, I held leadership positions with national nonprofit organizations working to create positive change, including eight years in the movement for LGBTQ equality.
Throughout my nonprofit career, I was fortunate to truly love what I was doing and to have the opportunity to make a difference. Serving as CEO of BoardSource for nearly a decade was the honor of a lifetime and led to some of my proudest professional achievements. It also taught me a lot about leadership - both my own and the many executive directors, chief executives, and board leaders I had the opportunity to interact with each and every day.
Throughout my nearly 25-year career in nonprofit leadership, I saw the intense pressures that executive directors and chief executives face, and I experienced personally the value of working with a coach. My coach helped me find my footing in a dramatically expanded leadership role and build leadership practices that enabled me to grow and enjoy myself as a leader. It was an incredible gift - and one that I believe every chief executive should give to themselves.
That's what led me to coaching.
Relevant Certifications, Trainings, Awards, and Memberships:
- Certified Graduate, Georgetown University's Leadership Coaching Program
- Associate Certified Coach (ACC), International Coaching Federation
- Certificate, Stanford University Graduate School of Business Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders
- National Equity Project's Coaching for Equity Program
- Racial Equity Institute's Phase 1 Training
- Recipient, The Nonprofit Times' Power & Influence Top 50 (2016-2021)
- Top 10 Finalist, The Drucker Prize for Innovation (2016)
- Member, International Coaching Federation
- Member, Institute of Coaching
- Certification, DRiV leadership assessment, 360 assessment, and team assessment
- Accredited Practitioner, iEQ9 Integrative Enneagram
A little more about me.
A native Midwesterner, I moved to Washington, DC in my mid-twenties to build a career working to create positive change in the world. During my 20 years in DC, I grew up, fell in love, got married, became an aunt, served on the board of a social justice public charter school, and made life-long friends. In 2019, my wife and I relocated to her native Baltimore, where we have been falling in love with this fabulously creative city. I am passionate about urban renewal and reinvestment, racial equity, LGBTQ equality, and all that it takes to create sustainable communities where all can thrive. In my personal time, I enjoy traveling, reading, listening to records, exploring Baltimore's food scene, and being in the company of interesting and curious people who stretch my thinking and make me laugh. |