leadership transformation for public agencies and nonprofits
consulting, coaching, facilitation, and mediation
The future is calling for all of us to have more capacity.
Public sector and nonprofit leadership asks a lot—often more than any single role was ever meant to hold.
You’re navigating complex landscapes where you’re expected to be:
Visionary and operational
Strategic and relational
Innovative and pragmatic
Calm under pressure, even when the stakes are high and the resources are thin
70% of executives report some degree of loneliness. Turnover is the cost.
Replacing an executive director can cost up to 150% of their salary, and that's before counting what it does to staff and board morale, funder confidence, and mission momentum. The question worth asking is how do we retain them.
In my experience, it comes down to realigning a leader's relationship with themselves, their team, and the work itself, before burnout makes the decision for everyone.
Daring to Lead: A National Study of Nonprofit Executive Leadership (2011)
I'm a former Executive Director with over 20 years of experience navigating the complex landscapes of public agencies and nonprofit organizations. I've felt the isolation and watched the cost of burnout up close, and built this practice to help other leaders find a different way through.
Today, I work alongside public sector and nonprofit leaders as a thought partner for the decisions piling up, a coach for the patterns keeping you stuck, a steady hand through leadership transitions, and a facilitator or mediator when a board or team needs help finding its way back to real conversation. The aim is the same clarity, resilience, and capacity that let you and your team thrive.
What would change if you had someone in this work with you, not above you, not below you, just alongside you? Let's find out.
how we work together
Lead with clarity and confidence
Strategic advisory and hands on executive support for nonprofit leaders, offering comprehensive governance, HR, and workplace mediation services to amplify leadership potential, drive organizational effectiveness, and create sustainable impact in mission-driven work.
Expand your capacity to lead well
One-on-one coaching for mission-driven leaders seeking to transform their leadership approach or transition into their next phase. We'll get clear on your goals, surface hidden barriers, challenge limiting narratives, and design sustainable pathways that align your leadership with your deepest values and vision.
Hands-on stability through transition and growth
Hands-on leadership support during periods of transition, growth, or capacity strain. Whether stepping in as an interim Executive Director or providing fractional executive leadership, this work ensures continuity, trust, and forward momentum when your organization needs it most.
Create alignment & move forward together
Thoughtfully designed retreats and facilitated sessions for boards, leadership teams, and individuals ready to reconnect, recalibrate, and recommit. This work creates the conditions for honest conversation, shared understanding, and clear next steps.
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“Megan was a tremendous asset to our organization during a time of transition, and to me as the organization’s incoming executive director.”
— Rebecca Spector, Executive Director, Tri-Valley Conservancy
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“As our strategic-planning consultant and retreat facilitator, Megan guided our board, staff, and campus partners through a transformational process that produced the Foundation's first comprehensive, three-year strategic plan.”
— Kenneth Cooper, Executive Director, Las Positas College Foundation
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“Megan’s exceptional leadership, charm, and extensive expertise and insight shine through in every role she undertakes.”
— Andrea Mackenzie, General Manager, Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority