Much of my teaching and facilitation happens within the Habitat for Humanity network, where I work closely with boards, executives, and staff navigating real-world constraints. The questions that surface in those settings—about accountability, decision-making, and institutional design—are the same ones that shape my writing and thinking more broadly. When I teach outside of Habitat, it is typically by invitation and in contexts that value candor, applied learning, and thoughtful engagement over performance.

I design learning experiences for adult learners. That means sessions are interactive, discussion-driven, and responsive to the people in the room. I’m less interested in delivering content than in helping groups surface assumptions, examine tradeoffs, and connect governance and leadership theory to the realities they are facing. The goal is not consensus or quick solutions, but clearer thinking and more durable decisions.

Common Areas of Inquiry

Learning, Adaptation, and Capacity Building
How leaders and organizations learn over time; how systems adapt (or fail to); and what it takes to build capacity without burning people out.

Nonprofit Governance and Board Leadership
Fiduciary responsibility, board–CEO partnership, committee structure, and the practical realities of governance in small and mid-sized organizations.

Executive Leadership in Practice
CEO evaluation, accountability, decision-making under constraint, and sustaining leadership over time—particularly in mission-driven settings.

Financial Oversight and Risk
Helping boards and executives understand financial statements, ask better questions, and navigate risk in ways that support long-term mission health.

Meeting Design and Organizational Effectiveness
Why meetings matter, how design influences outcomes, and how better structure leads to more productive dialogue and decision-making.

In all of this work, I’m attentive to the human side of systems—how power, trust, and relationships shape outcomes just as much as formal structures do. I aim to create learning spaces that are serious but accessible, reflective without being abstract, and grounded in the realities participants are navigating.

This page is not a catalogue of offerings. It’s a description of how my thinking shows up when people gather to learn and work through complexity together. If the work resonates, the right conversations tend to follow.

Areas I’m Often Asked to Teach

My work is grounded in experience and designed for adult learners. Topics commonly include:

Learning, Adaptation, and Capacity Building
How leaders learn, change, and build organizational capacity without burning people out.

Nonprofit Governance and Board Leadership
Fiduciary responsibility, board–CEO partnership, committee structure, and the realities of governance in small and mid-sized organizations.

Executive Leadership in Practice
CEO evaluations, managing accountability, decision-making under constraint, and sustaining leadership over time.

Financial Oversight and Risk
Helping boards and executives understand financial statements, ask better questions, and navigate risk in mission-driven organizations.

Meeting Design and Organizational Effectiveness
Why meetings matter — and how better design leads to better decisions and healthier organizations.

Teaching Approach

I teach through:

• Real-world examples
• Structured frameworks
• Facilitated conversation
• Practical tools participants can use immediately

I am particularly interested in how people learn, how judgment develops over time, and how organizations create clarity in complex environments.

Where This Work Happens

• Board retreats and leadership workshops
• Conference breakouts and facilitated sessions
• Executive and senior staff learning cohorts
• Practitioner-focused or university-affiliated programs

Most engagements are interactive and workshop-based, rather than keynote presentations.

A Conversation

I don’t maintain a speaking calendar or offer standard packages. If you think my experience and approach would be useful to your group, I’m glad to have a conversation.

A short note about your audience, goals, and timing is always helpful.