Kurt Carlson, Co-Founder
Kurt Carlson is former construction worker and foundryman turned internationally recognized historian specializing in the development of belonging and identity in non-metropolitan areas. Kurt has provided coaching, programming, and strategic plans to universities on town/gown relations, to municipalities on neighborhood development and the foundation of non-MSA economic growth and has steered the development of roughly $40 million dollars through work with dozens of organizations. For over fifteen years Kurt has managed hundreds of staff and counseled thousands of students, faculty, administrators and public servants in the United States and Europe. Having settled in Pennsylvania, Kurt now applies his practical, academic, and professional experience to local and regional concerns, developing solutions to affordable housing, resource management, and employment issues central to nurturing a higher quality of life.
Mary Phillips, Co-Founder
Mary Phillips is a performance-driven strategist with documented experience in strategic project, organizational, and people management. For more than a decade, Mary has been providing programming and training solutions, leadership development coaching to staff and volunteers, and change management oversight to non-profit organizations. Through her leadership, Mary has developed diverse teams, managed the construction of long-term development strategies and initiatives to address anticipated needs and trends, and assisted with strategic planning for seven different non-profit governing boards. She has certifications in Change Management from the Association for Talent Development (ATD), Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace from the USF MUMA College of Business and is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach.
What We Value
01
relationships
Connections among staff, between agencies, and in our communities can either propel us toward or dissuade us from being our truest, most productive selves. We believe in the power of positive, transparent relationships in private and professional life.
02
understanding
While we come equipped with both older and newer strategies to help our clients, none of our tools are useful without proper contextual consideration. We value understanding a strategy, a staff, or a project in its own context to provide solutions that are immediately effective.
03
innovation
21st-century problems tend to require new, often collaborative solutions. We value goal-driven innovation, generating dynamic original solutions to the remits of our clients.