"Equity is always in the forefront for Corrie. Cultivate Consulting fills an important niche in the field of DEI consulting: support for organizations to see and acknowledge their whiteness, and then pursue real organizational transformation."
- Allison Sharkey, Executive Director, Lake Street Council
Image from REACH Twin Cities, one of
Lake Street Council's partners in imagining
a more equitable future for Lake Street.
My biggest consulting client in 2020 and 2021 has been Lake Street Council in Minneapolis. It has been an honor and a pleasure to help this organization make the radical changes that were needed to respond to ongoing emergent change. In June 2021, Lake Street Council Executive Director Allison Sharkey agreed to write a description of what it has been like to work together:
After George Floyd's murder and the resulting civil unrest, the Lake Street Council needed to transform our organization very quickly. We had to increase our capacity dramatically to meet the huge need for services and invest an influx in donations in a professional, equitable, and transparent way. Corrie reached out to me right away to ask if we needed help. I said yes right away and am so glad I did. Corrie was willing and able to fill any staffing and management gaps, and more importantly, he brought a calming, insightful, optimistic presence to our team during a time of crisis. He helped transition our organization from 4 to 11 staff, creating the additional structure that we needed to support this growth. However, those additional structures (work plan, professional development plan, HR policies) have been designed with creativity and inclusivity of our staff and board. When asked for advice as a former executive director, his advice has been straightforward and supportive, cutting through the chaos with the wisdom of a real leader (who is not looking to steal the spotlight).
Equity is always in the forefront for Corrie. Cultivate Consulting fills an important niche in the field of DEI consulting: support for organizations to see and acknowledge their whiteness, and then pursue real organizational transformation.
Cultivate Consulting excels at executive coaching. After a year of working with Corrie, and as our staff grew and my responsibilities began to change, I wanted to make sure I was developing the right role for myself within the organization. After two sessions, I already have more clarity around my personal and professional strengths as well as areas for development. We are now planning to engage Cultivate Consulting to help our whole staff think about team dynamics and how each staff member can use their personal strengths to bring out the best in each other.
- Allison Sharkey, Executive Director, Lake Street Council
