Services We Offer

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Collaborated with faculty and associate deans at one of the most innovative universities in the world in order to identify appropriate content and platforms to inspire other institutions to adopt critical higher education reforms. 

Supported strategic planning process for high-stakes five-year plan, reporting to committee co-chairs through phases of task force research, plan development, campus socialization, and board approval. Provided objective voice, subject matter expertise, strategic context, synthesis of outcomes.

Delivered comprehensive assessment to rationalize an overwhelming list of existing strategic initiatives. Improved senior leadership team focus through disciplined differentiation between operational improvements and true strategic priorities. 

Provided insights and actionable recommendations to improve effectiveness of Deans' Cabinet, distilled from candid, confidential interviews with cabinet members. 

Created and moderated a 3-session, fully active, online conversation about the nature of change in higher education for 20 participants from institutions across the U.S. in roles ranging from trustees to faculty, grad student to ed tech entrepreneur, resulting in greater optimism for the future of learners plus individual actions within their respective organizations. 

We're partnering with career services professionals on a pro bono basis to elevate the role and impact of college career centers in service to two critical missions: 

• Re-envision how we prepare students to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
• Leverage excellence in career education as a strategic advantage for colleges and universities facing unprecedented challenges. 

Speaker on the topic of career services transformation in the context of higher education's burning platform for change. Outcome is to motivate leaders to think beyond incremental improvements and envision the NEW work of career services. Also scheduled for NACE 2020 (cancelled due to COVID-19). 

Crafted vision statement, trustee and donor summary, and detailed financial model to support university president's and dean's initiative to transform career education to complement the liberal arts, leading to a $9.3 million naming gift.

Provided leadership support and change management facilitation to enable the career services team to regain its competitive advantage. Honored the team's legacy and "special sauce" while facilitating a pivot to better serve the needs of a new generation of students. 

Guided strategic repositioning of career center website to clarify the value proposition for target audience segments. Competitive assessment across eight impact categories and 48 discrete factors showed half of competitors with a grade of C, D, or F, while client jumped to top quartile. 

Invested in win-win partnerships with 13 founding partner colleges (Bates, Brown, Colorado College, Conn College, Denison, Georgetown, Mt Holyoke, Occidental, Pomona, USC, Vassar, Whitman, Williams). Also provided students with professional development coaching for this Seattle-based start-up who's founding mission was to provide last-mile career preparation for liberal arts students. 

Continue to develop and deliver a range of highly-rated workshops for undergraduates at different stages of career exploration and development, offering students big-picture framing, tangible skills, and peer-to-peer activities to generate personalized insights and lasting takeaways. Have also worked specifically with cohorts of first-generation students as part of establishing targeted on-going programming for a top-ranked liberal arts college. 

Worked with global leadership team at consecutive annual conferences to crystalize issues and creatively think through priorities and challenges for a 100% volunteer-run organization. 

Designed and facilitated multiple annual board retreats with community leaders to align on the most critical three-year strategic and operating priorities, with a goal to shift from crisis management toward creating one of the most effective, well-respected community service organizations in the region.

Continue to serve board and leadership team by designing several annual strategy retreats to-date. Employ deep listening to reframe sensitive conversations, achieving alignment on priorities and next steps. First off-site led to bold 5-year plan with clear responsibilities and metrics, coinciding with the institution's first 100-year anniversary. Subsequent off-sites address changes in the education and enrollment landscape.