Michellana is someone open to the possibilities of the world. So, it is not surprising that her background includes working in Vietnam as a consultant to a foundation whose mission was to develop an educational assistance program, and working with a Native American tribe to develop business and corporate governance strategies for their enterprises. She brings a thoughtful curiosity to organizational challenges, examining "presenting symptoms" for clues about underlying issues that curtail organizational growth. Michellana is interested in adaptive issues that consist of ill-defined problems that lack clear solutions. As a student of group dynamics, Michellana is drawn to examining factions and competing values. Working with clients, she develops tools to help identify factions and uses these tools to assist in making systematic interventions that generate desired results.

Skills/Knowledge/Abilities

• Organizational Development — Builds capabilities that support strategic directives.
• Systems Thinking — Understands the complex challenges of creating organizational synergy.
• Strategy with Management Teams — Works with management to develop strategies that easily translate into organizational doctrines that can motivate teams to strive toward excellence.

Recent Projects

• For a large hospital, she worked with senior-level management to develop strategies that strengthen communication networks within their organizations as well as how to create an environment that evaluates and implements key strategic initiatives.
• For a Fortune 500 corporation, she worked with the HR organization to design and develop a leadership training program that would foster the corporation's strategic growth initiative.

Professional Facts

Master of Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Cofounder/former Managing Partner of the Meristem Group, LLC. Provided consulting in leadership education and training to nonprofits, community organizations and education professionals.