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“The departure of our founding Executive Director after nine years came at a busy time. I really didn’t know how we were going to handle a search! Paula made our process very polished, very thorough, and a great experience for the Board and candidates alike.”
— Board President (Portland, OR)
“The retreat Paula designed for our stakeholders was a huge success! We were able to get a diverse group of 40 people energized and engaged in planning for the future, including making specific action commitments that will help achieve our campaign goals.”
— Associate Director (San Francisco, CA)
“Paula guided our team throughout strategic planning to implement significant change in our organization. With skill, humor and grace, she brought out the best in our leadership team, helping us to focus on what matters most to those we serve.”
— Executive Director (Gresham, OR)
“Thank you for this truly remarkable Leadership Institute! I move forward with renewed enthusiasm, a strong sense of my abilities and my place within my organization, and an appreciation for the remarkable colleagues in my field. This Institute makes a turning point in how I will think, plan, lead, evaluate others, and evaluate myself.”
— Associate Director (Chicago, IL)
“Paula has been very helpful in our efforts to bring a culture of team leadership to the organization. She is a gifted facilitator who knows many effective processes for bringing greater coherence to an organization, and she was brilliant at adapting those processes to our particular needs.”
— Executive Director (Austin, TX)
“You facilitated the best search experience I have ever experienced…My career arc has been transformed by this positive experience and this new leadership opportunity.”
— First-Time CEO (Portland, OR)
“Paula’s facilitation was thoughtful and helpful, with just enough guidance but not too much…She allowed the discussion to flow organically inside a loose structure she established and maintained. She’s a pro.”
— Board Member (Portland, OR)
“Thank you for helping us to crystallize our core values and goals, create a clear and inspiring plan, and clarify what we stand for and how we will actualize our intentions for the future…I am very proud of what has been accomplished and of the future you have helped us to articulate and embrace.”
—Founding Executive Director (Portland, OR)
“Paula’s work on program evaluation was crucial to the success of our initiative. The evaluation process she designed with us enabled our team to learn and to grow over a three-year period, and her outstanding reports gave us quantifiable results that helped us secure major funding.”
— Program Director (Portland, OR)
“The leadership retreat provided an incredible framework, tool kit, and support structure for better understanding my own leadership skills and potential, and for readily applying that knowledge. What I learned, formally and informally, is already deeply informing my work back in the real world.”
— Executive Director (Chicago, IL)
“I want to compliment you on the quality of your service. You’ve led us through this entire leadership transition with assurance and given us clarity and confidence as we take these important next steps.”
— Board Member (Providence, RI)
“The strategic planning process you led got our entire board and staff on the same page. Our funders have been impressed with the final plan and, even more important, we now have a user-friendly tool to track our progress every quarter.”
—Executive Director (Seattle, WA)
“Paula has done a fantastic job helping us grow our leadership and our organization. Most recently she led us through a board training that mobilized us to create a board development plan. Her facilitation skills, sense of humor, and obvious depth of knowledge have helped us become a more stable and productive organization.”
— Executive Director (Portland, OR)
“Thank you for your help with our executive succession planning effort. I feel such a sense of relief. I no longer feel that this is all on my shoulders.”
— Long-Term Executive Director (Portland, OR)
“The Nonprofit Executives Retreat is of huge value—one of the few places we can really be with peers, share, learn, and recharge a bit so we can be more effective at what we do every day.”
—Executive Director (Portland, OR)
“With Paula’s help, our staff got in touch with the core values that guide our work. We came together as a more cohesive team where everyone feels a sense of responsibility for the results that matter most.”
— Executive Director (New York, NY)
“The work we did together helped me to learn my strengths and make adjustments that enabled me to work better with others. I have relied on this knowledge in every meeting—with the board, the staff and our members. Thank you!”
— Executive Director (Austin, TX)
“You all did such an amazing job with the event. I don’t know how extroverts might be feeling, but as an introvert and a survivor, I have never felt so safe, welcome and engaged during any kind of convening. You all went above and beyond and pulled off a virtual event that should be an example to others moving into our new future.”
— Convening Participant (Clackamas County, OR)
“Thank you for facilitating the formation of our network! The process was just what we needed to clarify our shared goals, strengthen our communications and decision-making, determine our structure, and concretely plan our next phase of outreach…We move ahead as colleagues who know each other better and are poised for continued learning and collaboration.”
—Network Leader (Portland, OR)