Cheryl M. Francis
Consultant, Executive ~Team Coach
ABOUT ME
As a seasoned nonprofit practitioner with over three decades of experience, I employ both traditional and forward-thinking approaches to organizational development that offer generative and transformative solutions. Reflecting my multi-sector experience and expertise in grants management, I facilitate engagements focusing on an array of interventions related to board development, strategic planning, executive succession, program design, performance management, and evaluation. My portfolio of methodologies amplifies relationships that build leadership capacity, integrate diverse perspectives, and unlock unrealized genius to address compelling organizational issues.
education
My academic foundation was shaped by doctoral training in educational administration at the University of Chicago, which launched my professional journey and equipped me for prominent roles in government, philanthropy, and nonprofit management. My credentials as an executive coach [Coactive Training Institute and International Coach Federation] and team coach [European Mentoring and Coaching Council] underscore proficiency in guiding leaders and organizations through complex landscapes. Recent professional certifications and training reflect the focus on enhancing board governance [Board Source] and refining strategic frameworks [Bridgespan], program performance and measurement [United Way], advancing equity [Transformation, Healing and Equity training] to address the challenges of today’s dynamic environment.
fun fact
“In my post-career Luminous Legacy phase, I have responded to the call to apply my gifts/talents in service to others as a racial healing circle-keeper, a grief ritualist, and a Sacred Passage death doula to explore the mysteries of grief and end-of-life to offer services to BIPOC families at the threshold of a loved one’s transition. My mantra is: Always Learning”
my why
“Guided by an Ubuntu spirit, I have a singular passion for working with BIPOC leaders in emerging community-based organizations and an unparalleled devotion to advancing equity and justice through the innovative use of emergent strategies that inspire global majority leaders to reimagine and revolutionize organizational systems to achieve meaningful change.”