A LITTLE MORE ABOUT ME
I am a sought-after executive advisor with over twenty years of hands-on management consulting experience for Fortune 500 executives. I assess complicated scenarios and offer actionable insights on project recovery, business transformation, and strategic project leadership. I am recognized by my peers as an outside-the-box thinker with a keen eye for resolving complex business challenges. I execute unique approaches to project planning by collaborating with my clients to drive transformational change. I am seen as a motivational leader known for inspiring teams to get the most from every situation. I bring a unique combination of an analytical mind, creative design skills, and a charismatic personality. I am no stranger to high-stress environments and long work weeks. I bring extensive international travel experience. I have a proven track record of mediating high-stakes business negotiations.
WHAT I AM KNOWN FOR
INSPIRATIONAL LEADER
Guiding with vision, inspiring with passion – a transformative leader motivating others to achieve success and growth.
STRATEGIC THINKER
Innovative strategist, navigating complex circumstances, foreseeing opportunities, and shaping a better future.
PROBLEM SOLVER
Evaluating complicated scenarios while seamlessly transforming obstacles into opportunities that result in win/win outcomes.
MY EXPERENCE
2001-2003
ACCENTURE - CONSULTANT
- Technology Consultant in the Oracle Global Business Solutions Group (Chicago)
- Responsible for Reports, Interfaces, Conversions, Extensions (PL/SQL), and Forms with varying degrees of complexity
- Consulting work performed at US Government, UBS/Warburg, McGraw-Hill and TIBCO
March 2003 – June 2023
MCKNIGHT ENTERPRISES - FOUNDER
- Founder of a private real estate investment corporation focused on low income housing rentals and real estate fix and flip opportunities in middle income neighborhoods in Central Illinois.
- Held 26 individual rental properties at peak
- Responsible for overall P/L responsibilities, managing full-time staff and individual contractors, and regularly interfaced with attorneys/city council
March 2005 - July 2005
PMAlliance – Project Coordinator
- Supported project planning events at Fortune 500 clients in various industries.
- Generated project report packages (gantt charts, risk registers, dashboards) to inform stakeholders of status.
- Achieved 100% team member status submission during the life of all engagements
- Entered project data into project management software (Microsoft Project or Primavera) during project planning and re-planning sessions.
- Provided general schedule analysis to ID problem areas requiring the project manager's attention.
- Drafted the initial status control presentation for review by Senior Staff
- Assisted the project manager and Senior Consultant during control meetings by guiding presentations as requested and navigating the project management software in live meetings.
- Updated project files during the normal schedule update cycle.
- Updated project websites, shared drives, and databases with required reports.
July 2005 - Dec 2005
PMAlliance – Consultant
- Led cross-functional project teams on small-to-medium-sized projects through the development of project charters (scope/objectives), work breakdown structures (deliverables/work phases), network diagrams (activities/precedence relationships), and detailed project schedules (timeline validation and compression).
- Ensured project schedules were updated with the latest status and resource assignments from 100% of all active team members on a weekly basis
- Fixed logic errors to ensure 100% schedule accuracy
- Monitored risk mitigation dashboards.
- Presented weekly project status updates to interested stakeholders (teams, managers, executives).
- Generated summary-level project status memos for electronic distribution.
- Worked extensively with scheduling software (Microsoft Project and Primavera).
- Mentored clients in the use of project management industry best practices.
- Advised clients on interpreting project reports and dashboards.
Jan 2006 - Dec 2023
PMAlliance Senior Consultant
- Led large cross-functional teams facing complex and challenging projects through the development of pertinent project management deliverables.
- Interviewed upper management to gain the executive point-of-view (POV) on the project/program and converted that commentary into the Sponsor Document.
- Facilitated large (often geographically dispersed) project teams during project charter events to clearly define the scope and objectives for each project/program/portfolio.
- Developed work breakdown structures for each project/program/portfolio, including deliverables, phases, and activities.
- Facilitated network diagraming to identify precedence relationships, durations, and activity ownership.
- Conducted schedule validation and compression to ensure schedule accuracy and deadline compliance.
- Facilitated project teams through complicated what-if scenarios when strategic conflicts arise.
- Analyzed resource requirements and advised management on staffing levels needed to execute the plan according to schedule.
- Instituted project management policies, procedures, standard reports, coding structures, project metrics, project templates, etc.
- Drafted well-written summary-level project status memos for key executive stakeholders.
- Mentored clients in the use of project management best practices.
Jan 2007 - Dec 2023
PMAlliance Client Executive
- Managed all client relationships and acted as the primary executive point of contact.
- Maintained accountability for achieving client revenue growth objectives.
- Trained, mentored, and managed PMAlliance consulting teams at multiple clients.
- Worked with clients to evaluate internal project management needs and establish proper staffing to achieve client objectives.
- Ensured delivery of the highest quality of consulting support by monitoring internal project management performance metrics, reviewing internal work product and evaluating professional standards are being met.
- Maintained the primary accounts receivable (AR) contact for past-due invoices
- Responsible for drafting all proposals for new business at multiple Fortune 500 clients
Jan 2007 - Dec 2023
PMAlliance Partner
- Youngest Partner in PMAlliance History; eventually growing to the oldest acting Non-Founding Partner
- Helped manage the company's day-to-day operations, offered general strategic guidance, and assisted in key decisions affecting sales, marketing, hiring, staffing, technology, and general administrative initiatives; through two recessions (2009, 2020).
- Actively participated in the PMAlliance financial planning and analysis (FP&A) process.
- Regularly interfaced with company Board members, internal consultants, and client-side executives.
- Drove new business acquisitions while retaining and growing existing book of business.
- Met with clients to discuss project priorities and presented consulting proposals to address their objectives.
- Developed internal sales and marketing policies, procedures, and programs, including adopting the company client relationship management (CRM) system, establishing branding guidelines, developing sales and marketing literature, and rolled out several marketing initiatives.
- Acted as the liaison between the marketing team and managing Partner group (including Google Analytics).
- Developed planning & control policies for two engagement types resulting in seven-figure ARR: facility outages & Agile (hybrid) initiatives.
- Remained one of two hiring personnel trained in the targeted selection hiring process.
- Designed the company smart-phone app: Status Mobile
Jan 2024 - Current
PMAlliance – Director of Strategic Projects
- Lead the planning and execution of our strategic projects that support PMAlliance's growth strategy
- Acquired new clients who require a robust suite of PM training and consulting expertise
- Acted as a brand ambassador for executives seeking to learn more about how PMAlliance can effectively drive their most important projects
MY EDUCATION
2015 - 2015
Stanford University Executive Online Education , App Development
1999 - 2001
Bradley University MBA
AUG 1994 - MAY 1998
Illinois State University BA, Business Administration
My Skills
Over the course of my career, I have supported strategic projects at clients in a wide variety of industries, throughout the US and Internationally, by employing a broad range of skills. Click here to learn more
MY SKILLS
INDUSTRIES SERVED
Paper Products
Heavy Manufacturing
Pharma
Aerospace
Avionics
Life Insurance
Medical
Devices
Energy
Financial Services
Experience
Working
INDUSTRIES SERVED
New Product Introduction
Facility Startup
ERP
Plant Outages
Agile
Supply Chain
Marketing Disaster Recovery
Logistics
Merger
Go-to-Market
HR & IT
CLIENT QUOTES
Testimonials
JEFF PARSLEY
VP Tennessee Valley Authority
RICHARD COOPER
Managing Director of Caterpillar (Retired)
JIM KRAMER
Director Of Global Enginering BW Paper Systems
My Ideal Job
- Is a leadership position where I can make a real impact at the organizational level.
- Values outside-the-box thinking and creative problem-solving.
- Encourages Different Points of View & Constructive Conversation
- Bridges the gap between analytics, visualization, and strategic decision-making.
- Operates in high-stakes environments.
- Is challenged by situations that are grey and nebulous, without a clear path forward.
- Challenges my leadership skills, and allows me to mentor and coach
- Enables continuous personal growth.