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Expert Leadership Consultants for Local Government -
Shaping Organizational Culture for Positive Change
Nearly every organization we work with faces the challenge of Trust and Communication. Your organizational culture is continuously evolving, whether it aligns with your desires or not. Simply offering a paycheck is insufficient to keep your employees content, healthy, and productive.
However, you have the ability to shape your culture and foster positive change by being intentional. Our team specializes in assisting local governments in improving their collaboration, communication, and trust. With our guidance, you can establish a workplace culture that accurately reflects your identity and aligns with your strategic objectives. You can rest assured that your organizational culture will be one that you genuinely desire.
Our Non-Negotiable Values
Love
Quality Obsessed
Unabashed Customer Service
Fearless Authenticity
Our Team
We couldn’t be more honored to have some of the leading experts in organizational culture, leadership development, and executive coaches on our team. In addition to our lead team members below, our bandwidth expands to meet the needs of our local government clients with additional coaches and trainers. See the full bios here of our rock stars below.
Dr. Maria Church
CEO
CEO
Dr. Nicholas Harvey
Strategic Advisor, Consultant, Coach, Trainer
Strategic Advisor, Consultant, Coach, Trainer
Mae L. Sinclair, MBA
Consultant, Coach, Trainer
Consultant, Coach, Trainer
Col. John Boggs
Consultant, Coach, Trainer
Consultant, Coach, Trainer
Trish Kordas
Consultant, Coach, Trainer
Consultant, Coach, Trainer
Debora McLaughlin, PCC, CEC, LCMHC
Consultant, Coach, Trainer
Consultant, Coach, Trainer
Laura Jestings
Proposal Manager
Proposal Manager
Veronica Toledo
Concierge
Concierge
Marie Gacke, MBA
Operations Manager, Data Analyst
Operations Manager, Data Analyst
Stephanie Turcios
Dynamic Marketing Professional
Dynamic Marketing Professional
Joe Wood
Proposal Writer
Proposal Writer
Dr. Maria Church
CEO
Maria is a local government and corporate alum with Fortune 500 experience, and academia adventures that constitute a treasure trove of colorful experiences over 20 years. With a doctorate of management in organizational leadership, Maria works with local governments to create workplaces that attract and retain the best talent. Yes, she is the author of Love-Based Leadership: The Model for Leading with Strength, Grace, and Authenticity – and no, it is not a book about Kumbaya, puppies, kittens, or rainbows. Her latest book, A Course in Leadership: 21 Spiritual Lessons on Power, Love, and Influence was released in June 2021. Maria is a classic rock and Motown junkie who hopes to learn drums from Keith Moon and Benny Benjamin in Rock-N-Roll Heaven.
Dr. Nicholas Harvey
STRATEGIC ADVISOR, CONSULTANT, COACH, TRAINER
The Social Impact Coach, Nicholas uses his extensive experience and training in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to create a more just world. He is a former pastor, professor, and military officer who is passionate about strategic leadership and people development. He aspires to use his public policy expertise to actualize policy change and social change. He is an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation and a Qualified Administrator for the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). Nicholas also enjoys cooking Southern Homestyle dishes for his wife and adult children.
Mae L. Sinclair, MBA
CONSULTANT, COACH, TRAINER
Mae is an exceptional executive with vast experience in Organizational Development and Training, Leadership Development, DE&I, Employee Relations, and Strategic Planning. As a successful leader in both public and private sectors, Mae has been recognized for her expertise in design and development of learning solutions that improve decision making, increase customer service, performance management, and business results. She is also passionate about finding a good deal, an “ultimate thrifter” who ventures to small towns to support the small business owners.
Col. John Boggs
Consultant, Coach, Trainer
John is a retired Marine Officer, former Vice President of a major Washington, D.C. non-profit, and partner in a government contracting firm. He has a distinguished record of providing executive level leadership and strategy for large, complex organizations and operations. John’s areas of expertise include leadership, national security strategy, strategy development, operational planning, training, and education as demonstrated by the long list of prominent operational, senior staff, and academic positions he has held. He is one of the rare few that have commanded at every level of his Marine Corps career. He has served in advisory positions with General Officers, Political Appointees, Diplomats, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. John has worked with local law enforcement agencies, in CO, MI, VA, and the NYPD. When John is not coaching or consulting with executives, he is coaching high school lacrosse.
Trish Kordas
Consultant, Coach, Trainer
Trish Kordas is a proven Human Resource Executive with over 20 years of progressive experience. She has a true passion for driving positive company culture through enhancing the employee experience. Her mantra is #GivePlaySlay and lives this out any chance she gets. She believes that when team’s serve their community, put fun in everything they do, and are dedicated to do it exceptionally, they succeed. From Strategic Planning and Succession Management to Policy creation and Employee Relations, she possesses the breadth of expertise needed to help cultures thrive. She has an enthusiasm for developing talent and creating flourishing cultures where people want to Be, Grow and Stay!
Debora McLaughlin, PCC, CEC, LCMHC
CONSULTANT, COACH, TRAINER
A successful certified executive coach and board certified cognitive behavioral psychotherapist, Debora is an expert in assessments including Myers-Briggs, TKI Conflict Management, CQ Change Leadership, Strong Interest Inventory, Firo-B, CPI-260 Leadership Assessment, 360 Individual, Team and Organization Assessment, Extended DiSc and the COF (Cultural Orientation Framework Trained). She has over 20 years of experience in impressive organizational culture work with health care, technology, manufacturing, and hospitality industries. Debora is a Forbes contributor, NY Daily News columnist, and the author of best-selling books The Renegade Leader and Running in High Heels. Debora never misses a Tom Petty concert and gets super excited when HBR hits her mailbox. When she is not writing, in the boardroom, or on a plane, she can be found relaxing at her lake house with the loves of her life – her two golden retrievers and her husband.
Laura Jestings
PROPOSAL MANAGER
Laura began in public service 23 years ago with a driven determination to grow and support the City of Tucson’s Vision and Mission. Her positions in Procurement required her to astutely oversee contracting activities and support negotiations and relations with suppliers. Laura steadily grew and specialized her skillsets, which culminated her career as Deputy Director. Now, instead of issuing and reading Requests for Proposals, Laura has come full circle, connecting GLS with government opportunities and writing proposals for the team. She joins us as our newest University of Arizona Wildcat – Bear Down! Laura loves to hike, picnic, and explore Arizona’s beautiful sunrises, sunsets, mountains and rivers.
Marie Gacke, MBA
OPERATIONS MANAGER, DATA ANALYST
Marie is our creative millennial force, keeping us on track and serving our clients as concierge. She IS the client care extraordinaire thanks to the United States Air Force, where (among other opportunities) she served as an executive officer supporting over 1,200 Air Force personnel and leadership by facilitating daily operations and strategic development at executive levels. Marie is also a registered nurse, who worked with stateside and deployed downrange patients, coordinating and overseeing all aspects of patient care and transport. SHE knows how to keep cool in explosive situations. Marie keeps our clients and us connected by overseeing our social media efforts, sharing our leadership messages with the world. Marie is an expert in conducting research, crunching data, and believes that there is always a creative solution to any problem.
Verónica Toledo
CONCIERGE
Verónica earned her bachelor’s degree in advertising and her work reflects her inclinations toward graphic design, her passion for User Experience (UX) design, and site development. She is keen on email marketing campaigns and keeps our clients and us connected by overseeing our social media efforts – sharing our leadership messages with the world. Veronica is also our unparalleled go-to for clients and team members alike; she ensures we are organized and each local government relationship is well cared for in every interaction. During her free time, Verónica enjoys going to the beach and spending time with her boyfriend and Weimaraner puppy, Ahsoka.
Stephanie Turcios
dynamic marketing professional
Stephanie is a dynamic marketing professional with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and a passion for connecting with people. As a Visibility Specialist, her primary focus is enhancing online presence and connecting with our media inquiries, which fuels her creative spirit and drives her professional endeavors to new heights. Outside the professional realm, she embraces the fast rhythm of dance and the warmth of family and pets, where she finds the perfect blend of passion and contentment.
Joe Wood
Proposal Writer
Following nine years in the Military Intelligence Corps of the US Army, Joe served in senior executive roles for multiple federal government contract companies. Having performed in every functional area of business, at all levels from Soldier to Chief Executive Officer, he has become well-acquainted with how organizations get things done. A highly strategic thinker with operational and tactical experience in government, corporate, and nonprofit entities, Joe has developed a passion around organizational development and culture. In his roles as a former local government Commissioner, current nonprofit Executive Director, and Business Owner that serves combat veterans and first responders, Joe is a leader, a volunteer, and a perpetual servant. As a kid, growing up on a swamp, Joe had a pet (wild) alligator that he used to visit daily.
Why Work With Us
Some of the recent results our clients have experienced include:
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Productivity Increase
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Improved Communication
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Expanded Interpersonal Skills
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Increase in Innovation
Dr. Maria Church International has been around since 2005 and formed Government Leadership Solutions in 2014 to support Cities, Counties, Towns, and Districts across the United States. Our mission is to transform the world, one local government at a time. Like our local government clients, we strive to make the world a better place at work and in our communities.
We are a woman-owned, minority-owned boutique consulting firm. You have access to our senior consultants and our CEO. We are not just “vendors”, we are local government partners in success.
