Consulting and Coaching

Overview

I want to support people who are committed to working together for positive change—those who sense that a different future is possible and necessary, one in which people and our planet are supported to thrive. I am especially drawn to work that centers transformation: shifts in how we see, relate, and act so that new possibilities can emerge.

I am particularly interested in partnering with you if:

• You are an organizational or team leader seeking to support meaningful change or evolution so your team or organization can more effectively meet this moment;

• You are a leader who convenes or works alongside other community or systems leaders and want support to advance transformation in ways that are creative, inclusive, and equity-centered; or

• You or your organization want to invest in emerging leaders—supporting them to understand their leadership strengths and challenges, engage in personal transformation, and lead in ways that benefit the whole system.

If this resonates, I would love to explore working together. Contact me: katie(at)katiehong.com

My Approach

My work is informed by more than three decades of professional experience supporting systems change and transformation—as a public and private funder, and as a consultant and coach to philanthropic and nonprofit organizations—and is grounded in Theory U, a framework developed by the Presencing Institute that supports individuals and groups to sense into what is emerging and bring it into being. At its core, my approach is relational, reflective, and inclusive, focused on creating the conditions necessary for meaningful transformation.

While each engagement is tailored to context, my work often includes the following elements:

• Naming and understanding the current state
  Supporting individuals within a system to more clearly see and sense the whole—surfacing shared realities, strengths, tensions, and patterns that shape the current moment.

• Deepening connection and awareness
  Strengthening relationships to self, to one another, and to the broader community so people can slow down, listen more deeply, and access the wisdom needed to imagine new possibilities.

• Articulating collective intention
  Clarifying the emerging future: what is it that we are collectively trying to create, and why does it matter?

• Moving into action and learning
  Identifying small, meaningful actions that individuals, teams, and system leaders can take now to bring the emerging future to life—while iterating, learning, and adapting along the way.

Examples of Work I’ve Supported

Team-level transformation
Partnered with programmatic and administrative teams within large philanthropic organizations to strengthen team culture, communication, and relationships—supporting them to work more effectively, inclusively, and in alignment with their values.

Organization-wide change
Supported large philanthropic organizations through culture change, operational shifts, and strategic evolution so they are better positioned to respond to complex and rapidly changing external landscapes.

Systems and community change
Worked with communities across the United States to convene diverse stakeholders—including community leaders, young people, families, and system partners—to create coordinated, community-driven approaches to preventing and ending youth and young adult homelessness.

My Background

With more than 30 years of experience across the philanthropic, nonprofit, and government sectors, Katie Hong is known for her strategic insight, deep listening, and ability to help leaders and teams align intention with action. She is especially skilled at creating inclusive, reflective spaces where people can connect—with themselves and with one another—in service of meaningful, collective impact.

Katie’s consulting practice includes supporting organization-wide change efforts at the Hewlett Foundation and The California Endowment, and coaching senior leaders at the Hewlett Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lumina Foundation, Sesame Workshop, and the Blue Meridian Group. She also advises philanthropic collaboratives such as the Washington State Education Funders Table, a network of 15 partners committed to equity-centered learning and action for young people across Washington State.

Previously, Katie held senior leadership roles at the Raikes Foundation, where she helped shape national and regional strategies to prevent and end youth homelessness, and at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she led the Pacific Northwest Initiative and advanced work in education, housing, and youth development. Earlier in her career, she directed the City of Seattle’s Office of Housing, advised Washington State Governor Gary Locke and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, and served as a White House Fellow and program examiner at the Office of Management and Budget.

Katie holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Chicago and a BA in Development Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. She serves as Vice President of the Board at Citizen University and is a former board chair of Funders Together to End Homelessness. She is a certified Big Leap coach, Leadership Circle Profile practitioner, and a graduate of the Billions Institute’s Mastery Fellowship, with additional training in Theory U, Social Presencing Theater, embodied social justice, and the Enneagram (Integrative 9).

Passionate about transformation, Katie brings a joyful, candid, and relational presence to her work. Outside of consulting and coaching, she enjoys learning, walking, hiking, traveling, and sharing good food and adventures with family and friends. She lives in Seattle with her partner of 35 years and is raising teenage twins.