Testimonials
We feel privileged to work on amazing projects. Here’s what some past clients have to say:
“Linda’s approach to change is provocative and necessary given the conditions in the world today. Traditional methods have proven unsustainable. Organizations and institutions require new thinking and processes. Linda provides those new ways. Cooperation, systems thinking, and understanding the human condition are all a part of her approach. I would recommend her to any organization that truly desires change.”
— Hal Bolton,
BSME, MSIA; Former CEO and Management Consultant
“Working with Linda Provenza is a joy. I have seen her in the most difficult organizational tangles helping to find constructive and reasonable solutions; I have seen her step into an unknown program in Azerbaijan and adopt her style to the particular skills and attitudes of those involved; gain trust of people who do not speak her language; establish rapport with other staff and all of this in the most gentle and yet purposeful manner. She brings to her work a suitcase of various organizational tools, methods and teachings about conflict resolution, mediation, and performance healing and can draw upon whatever she needs, on the spot. This is a woman whose ego is entirely in control, but is not in any sense retiring, a rare combination. I would work with her on any project, anywhere. She is that good.”
— Craig Barnes,
JD Chief mediator, Central Asian water negotiations, USAID, Senior Negotiator, Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Initiative, the Foundation for Global Community, Author, Playwright
“Linda Provenza is one of the most skilled and insightful strategic leaders I’ve have had the privilege of working with. While working as director of an international economic policy working group funded by the Ford Foundation and based at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, our team hired Ms. Provenza to plan and facilitate an international convening with top economic development scholars and global social activists hosted in Antigua, Guatemala. Thanks to Ms. Provenza’s skillful leadership and guidance, we succeeded at bridging the “academic-activist” divide which often impedes these communities from collaborating effectively and laid the foundation for several years of joint programming that has promoted policies that foster economic development with human dignity. This outcome would have been impossible had it not been for Ms. Provenza’s astute ability to work with highly diverse stakeholders toward achieving a common purpose. Her innovative problem-solving and facilitation strategies combine the best of organizational development theory with social change practice, making her firm, Strategies for Change, an indisputable asset and leader in the field.”
— Jerry Maldonado,
Director Cities and States, Ford Foundation
“Strategies for Change played an integral role in the turnaround of a top-tier global Central Laboratory of which I was the Vice President and General Manager. Linda Provenza led process improvement initiatives in our global setup process in the U.S. and Europe which resulted in immediate, significant, and lasting improvements – in one case decreasing the global RFP process for new research by 21 days . I was particularly impressed with how effective she was in leading these change efforts and managing the process across multiple cultures. These accomplishments were critical to our success, and I will absolutely call on Linda again.”
— Scott C. Neilson,
MBA, MSOD, Senior Partner, Mandala Partners International
“Linda is a gifted leader, facilitator and change agent. Not many people believe me when I tell them that labor and management can work cooperatively together. Linda made that happen. You'll have to hire her to see how she works her magic!”
— Marchene Noel,
SPHR HR Manager at NYU Langone Health
“Linda is the reason for having a successful pilot project in a nation-wide initiative to transform care . She is a pragmatic advocate of team building, and worker-centered organizational processes. Exuding great command in facilitating the creative nature with whom she works, she transforms a group from divided and lost to visibly unified and able to create and make sustainable change. Linda is an excellent resource in creating change in any environment.”
— Joseph Chinea,
Vice President at 1199 SEIU
“I have worked closely with Linda Provenza for over five years in our efforts to transform the operations and quality of nursing homes in New York City. Linda brings a unique combination of knowledge, skills, and talents to her work. She has a strong foundation in organizational development theory and practice models, as well as an ability to assess clients’ needs and their readiness to in engage in the change process. Her customized interventions are infused with her experiences in international cultural diversity, performance arts, and complementary therapies—all of which support her strong commitment to social justice. Linda’s approaches incorporate her sincere respect for the contributions of all individuals and their ability to grow and impact others. If you’re interested in effecting meaningful, lasting change, you need to hire Linda Provenza, Strategies for Change.”
— Janice Dabney,
LMSW, Director, New Models of Person-Centered Care, Labor Management Project
“While working with a group charged with the goal of bringing about civil society, Linda was brilliantly able to fully engage the group’s interest, resolve a real conflict within the group, and demonstrate the usefulness of this process all at the same time. I have the highest regard for Linda as a person, leader, teacher, and facilitator. I would not hesitate to recommend her to any group or organization that wants to transform their operations and improve relationships and participation among its members.”
— Jeanne Reock,
Board Secretary Institute for International Connections
“I had the great pleasure to see Linda Provenza in action while I was CEO of Cabrini Medical Center in Manhattan. Linda served as the leader for a newly formed Labor-Management Committee and helped us design and implement a shared governance committee. Thanks to her work, we saw the group transform itself from a collection of suspicious camps of individuals to a highly productive and passionate committee of people who were all dedicated to achieving the same goals. She helped us overcome our natural management/union boundaries and molded us into a team in every sense of the word. Her style was always supportive and encouraging while at the same time efficient and always prodding us forward. I have been through many group processes in my career and can honestly say that Linda was the most effective leaders I have ever had the pleasure to work with.”
— Robert Chaloner,
President and CEO Southampton Hospital
“As the co-owner of a national consulting agency, I often come across companies and institutions that want to empower their staff to come up with creative solutions to their own operational and interpersonal challenges. I’ve referred several of those companies to Strategies for Change, and the results are always fantastic. Linda Provenza has a way of helping people inside of any organization craft their own solutions to structural, interpersonal, and political problems. She is a pioneer in the field of democracy-based organizational change—everyone participates, so the decisions made and policies devised have 100 percent buy-in.One of the clients I referred to her, Sally Ann Parsons, the owner of Parsons-Meares, said it best: “My staff waged constant turf wars until Linda came in and got them to work together in a way I didn’t think possible.” Linda’s creative approach to group process, communication, and facilitation create remarkable results. She helps people find their own solutions by catalyzing their sense of personal power, group responsibility, and community leadership.”
— Katherine Crowley,
Co-owner K-Squared Enterprises, Co-author of Working with You Is Killing Me
“Our successes with culture change have come about in large part due to the foundational support which Linda Provenza and her company Strategies for Change has helped us to create. Ms. Provenza has the perfect set of skills for bringing groups of people of differing backgrounds, disciplines, and interests together to initiate change. She is extremely creative, an excellent listener, has exceptional knowledge of the critical issues faced by leaders and staff. She is always upbeat and comes equipped with her own special tools to promote effective interpersonal communication, shared leadership, and outside-the-box problem-solving techniques. Her dedication to the cause and genuine concern for others are heartfelt. Her conviction and her vision have served as inspiration and motivation to all of us whose lives she has touched through her supportive guidance and direction.”
— Mimi Fierle,
MA, CTRS Director, Co-chair, Person Centered Care Committee, Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center
“Linda brought passion, creative thinking, and strong leadership to the programs we hired her to develop at JVS. She assembled strong teams, accomplished an aggressive timeline to meet our objectives. In parallel, she became an in-house subject matter expert in an entirely new area for our organization, delivering a comprehensive strategy and state-of-the-art programs for long-term unemployed. It was a sincere pleasure to work with Linda - her leadership, work ethic, and change management skills make Strategies for Change a sure fit for any organization or group that desires real change.”
— Kim Drew,
VP Program Operations at Springboard
“Working with Linda has been a truly an amazing experience. She is a source of limitless energy, creativity and positive spirit. She is the kind of leader that can connect with all the players, create a strong and focused teams and bring out the creativity in all. Our project far surpassed its goals for patients and their families and the critical care staff as evidenced by our patient satisfaction scores, clinical outcomes and staff morale. I strongly recommend her to any organization that aims to make a meaningful change, especially in a demanding and stressful environment. Linda has skills to make impossible things possible.”
— Dr. Ajsza Matela,
Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Physician, BronxCare Health System, New York
“Linda Provenza is an extraordinary educator and leader. I know of her extensive expertise from over ten years of collaborations and co-teaching. Linda is well-grounded in conflict negotiation and mediation and in peace education, both of which we have co-taught together at Teachers College, Columbia University. She also has expertise in facilitating political theater workshops based on the Theater of the Oppressed work of Augusto Boal, and the TOPLAB of New York City. Linda is not only an exceptional educator; she is an extraordinary human being. Her warmth and sensitivity, her thoughtfulness and easy energy, combine to create a special sensibility in each experience with her. She is someone who demonstrates passion in all she does. Her dedication to contributing to a transformed world shines through all her accomplishments. ”
— Janet Gerson,
Co-Director, Peace Education Center, Teachers College, Columbia University: Education Director, International Institute on Peace Education (IIPE), Global Education Associates
“I first encountered Linda Provenza at the inaugural Leadership Development program she developed. I thought I’d already mastered many of my interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills—and I was more concerned with the concrete tasks I was leaving behind on my desk to come to the program—so I was a bit skeptical prior to arriving. From the outset, Linda drew the group in, listened to our needs, crafted our program to suit the needs of the group, and always maintained the primary goals for the program. Linda promoted significant relationship growth and mutual understanding between management and labor. I learned so much about myself and the role I play as a leader and team member. I use many of the skills that I learned in her program to this day. I have great admiration for Linda Provenza. She not only teaches leadership through collaboration and collective understanding; she literally exudes her own model in her interpersonal and professional interactions. She is as real as they come, and any organization would have her. I feel fortunate to be working with Linda on developing an emerging leaders’ program for NYU’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in my current role as Administrator for the department.”
— Vanessa Cahn Gorelkin,
Administrator Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases