About Laverde Consulting

Kara Laverde, Principal, is a Seattle-based consultant with more than two decades of experience in leadership development, adult learning, and organization development. She’s a seasoned consultant, facilitator, curriculum designer, and change leader.

As Deputy Director of Learning and Leadership at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Kara led enterprise-wide leadership and management development, as well as the learning and professional coaching functions.

Kara’s consulting experience is cross-sector, including public, private, non-profit, and philanthropic organizations. Kara’s early career was in social work and she lives the social worker’s mantra of "starting where the client is" in her consulting practice.

Kara has a BA from Smith College and an MSW from the University of Washington.

Collaborators

In over 30 years of consulting, Steve has enjoyed working with hundreds of public and private sector organizations around the globe. He jumps on every opportunity to work with leaders who are managing and leading change, transition, and growth. He is especially gifted at engaging a group to face their current challenges so they can move forward in a common, balanced, and compelling direction.

A proud Seattle native, Steve was the founder and President of the Washington Leadership Institute and the Governors’ School for Citizen Leadership (1985-94). He was a Fellow at Harvard’s Center for International Affairs (1982-84) studying public participation in American foreign policy, leadership development theory and social change. Steve holds a masters in educational psychology from the University of Washington and certification on Organization Systems Renewal.