About
Hi, I’m Lynnae.
I am a culture change catalyst, perspective-shifting coach, and accountability alchemist for people who want to get free.
I help mission driven organizations break free from the cycle of trying to transform their culture through quick fix maneuvers and instead design and implement sustainable, equitable people strategies that work.
I come to this life’s work with a unique perspective for what is possible. I grew up in a biracial family, in a town that was inspired by the vision of the Civil Rights Movement; an hour south of Chicago, Black and white people came together to establish (not gentrify) a community of equality. My hometown was strategic in its efforts to be a beacon of equity and inclusion long before that was popular. It was the closest thing I've ever known to utopia, and I've been on a mission to recreate it ever since.
I have over 30 years of experience in high-growth, high-impact education-based social change organizations. Within the last 15 years, I’ve successfully led the design of human-centered talent systems that have enabled organizations to achieve meaningful outcomes.
My clients include organizations in the initial start-up phase of building equity-centered cultures, as well as those who have been in business for twenty + years. I have helped leaders stop spinning their wheels, acting with hyper-activity, or sprinting to make culture change. Together, we have unearthed the gaps, and shifted their leadership – and ultimately culture – to one that is strategic, steady, and set up to cultivate a thriving community.
How I work
-
I believe that fundamental systems change only happens when individuals commit to their own transformation. My personal path towards liberation has been challenging, complex, mind-blowing as well as joyful, rejuvenating, and healing.
I’ve learned that, while we absolutely need tools and policies to build and sustain equitable cultures, the path there requires a fundamental shift in the way we work together.
-
My commitment is to remain curious; demonstrate compassion; identify strengths and assets; and speak with radical, caring candor.
As a white cisgender woman, I aspire to hold my whiteness and privilege responsibly in all aspects of my life. In my work with others, I acknowledge how our racial identities—in particular— manifest in our relationships and the way we work. In doing so, I model and cultivate allyship and relational accountability, creating a more just and liberated world.
-
As a leader, I have fostered cultures of belonging by prioritizing and committing to investing meaningful time in relationships. I coach leaders of other teams to be intentional, using frameworks and rituals to create equitable and inclusive cultures. The result is significant and sustained systems change for organizations as well as individuals.
