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Strategic Restructuring Consultant

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Consultant Details:

Contact: Lisa Watson
Name of Firm: Watson Consulting Group
Language Spoken: English
Website/LinkedIn URL: https://www.consultingwatson.com/

Consultant Expertise

Communications strategy & rebranding/marketing, Facilitation of exploratory/negotiation phase, Facilitation of integration planning

Program Areas

Arts and Culture, Community and Economic Development, Education, Human Services

Number of Individuals in Firm:

6

Names and Titles of Individuals in Firm:

Lisa Watson
Principal
Molly Moen
Senior Consultant
Irene Marsh-Elmer
Managing Director, Operations & Research
Niarah Stansberry
Senior Project Manager
Amna Rustom
Project Manager

Names and Titles of Individuals in Firm:

Lisa Watson
Principal
Molly Moen
Senior Consultant
Irene Marsh-Elmer
Managing Director, Operations & Research

Firm or Consultant Address:

1025 Hope St., South Pasadena, CA 91030

RFQ Contact Name:

Lisa Watson

RFQ Contact Phone:

213-925-7594

Geographic area currently served by firm (select all that apply):

Los Angeles, California

How would you describe the range of diversity reflected in your firm’s consultants and leadership (or self, if sole practitioner)?

WCG is a LGBTQ+- and woman-led organization committed to gender equity and an end to racism. Our full-time and part-time staff and consultants have diverse backgrounds, and many identify as BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+. Our hiring process includes strategies for actively recruiting team members with a range of life experiences.

Please describe your mission, values, and approach:

Mission: Watson Consulting Group offers mission-driven consulting services in support of government, philanthropy, and nonprofit organizations through pursuing complex organizational change, leadership initiatives, and systems change work aimed at uplifting vulnerable communities. Values: Equity: Equity and inclusion are core to our work. Our projects focus on supporting organizations dedicated to uplifting marginalized communities, valuing and empowering the voices of those they serve. Integrity: We honor the trust our clients put in us and hold ourselves to the highest standards of personal and professional integrity. We value honest, clear communication based in compassion. Collaboration: Collaboration is central to all work in the nonprofit sector. We believe that everyone has valuable knowledge based on their experiences, that collaboration makes us stronger, and that social impact requires the cooperation of many dedicated partners. Approach: WCG prides itself on contributing to the healthy and sustainable development of nonprofits serving our communities, with a focus on supporting and advancing leaders within agencies and uplifting talent within the sector to meet the ever-growing demand for visionary and effective leadership. Our passion lies with supporting success on behalf of agencies and individuals working at the forefront of change, typically challenged to achieve their mission with limited resources. We do not use out-of-the-box products nor do we have a one-size-fits-all approach to anything we do. We approach all projects from the point of view of shared leadership and inclusion, co-constructing our approaches in collaboration with our clients to meet their individual needs.

What expertise or perspective do you bring to organizations looking to ground their collaboration practices in values of diversity, equity, and inclusion?

All WCG staff are trained in areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and several team members have extensive expertise in facilitating DEI trainings and working with organizations to craft comprehensive DEI plans. Equity is a core value of our firm and a lens through which we approach every project. Our team has a wide variety of professional experience, but everyone has worked in the nonprofit sector. Our staff also come from a wide variety of lived experiences and are committed to lifting up nonprofits that are working with the most vulnerable communities across Los Angeles.

Please describe your ideal engagement. Feel free to include issue area and scope of project:

We do not have a cookie cutter approach to projects and recognize every client and every transition is unique, thus, it is difficult to describe an ideal process.

How many strategic restructuring projects have you or your firm been involved with?

4

Please describe your fee structure:

Our fees structure varies according to the needs of the client. We are very transparent on costs and work with potential clients to develop a scope of work that meets their needs and their budget.

What percentage of your clients are within the nonprofit sector?

80%

Are you open to remote engagements?

Yes

Briefly describe 1-3 examples of restructuring projects with which you have been involved. Please name all participating organizations. (Please prioritize NSI-funded and/or LA-based organizations).

1. Arts organization partnership project. As part of an NSI-funded project, WCG worked with 2 LA-based arts organizations to explore the potential for a formal partnership that involved integrated staffing and shared space. This engagement included providing board-level education regarding partnership and merger types, and exploring with lead staff teams potential infrastructure. The organizations ultimately chose not to engage in a formal partnership due to perceived misalignment of staffing structures. The Board training provided to one of the organizations strengthened their ability to think about partnership in a more holistic manner and enabled them to deepen the limited partnerships they had with other community agencies. Both agencies gained insight into shifts in staffing infrastructure that may be requisite to organizational expansion.
2. LA County Department division merger project. WCG served as a consultant to assist an LA County Department in merging two divisions. The project involved the development of a Strategic Plan for the new division and the development and implementation of trainings to support the transition of staff into the new division. Additionally, WCG supported the Department in educating the community as well as other Department divisions regarding the shifted role of the merged division.
3. Executive Director transition and merger project. WCG supported an LA-based youth STEAM programming organization as they underwent an Executive Director Transition and explored the potential for a concurrent organizational merger with a similarly-positioned STEAM program. The project involved executive coaching, the preparation of financial documentation, education for the board of directors, and community conversations about culture. Ultimately, this organization learned that it desired to maintain focus on serving populations of girls, thus did not desire merger with the similar organization that was providing services to all genders.

Add any other information you feel would aid in understanding the value you or your consulting firm can bring to a strategic restructuring exploration or implementation process:

Please list up to 5 Consultants from your firm

Lisa Watson
Molly Moen
Irene Marsh-Elmer
Niarah Stansberry
Amna Rustom