Mary Kay Leonard is an accomplished leader with more than 30 years experience in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. Mary Kay now has her own consulting practice, helping organizations anticipate, plan for, and manage change. She guides organizations through strategy and business planning, assists in conducting organizational assessments of the skills and resources needed to execute a plan, coaches senior leaders on plan implementation, and provides management support and interim executive services while organizations build their own internal capacity.Prior to starting her consulting practice, Mary Kay served as President and CEO of the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, a national nonprofit providing research and consultation to foundations, businesses, and governments. She led the integration of the Community Initiatives and Property Management functions for Community Builders, a developer and manager of affordable housing. She spent almost a decade with United Way, as the COO and Interim CEO of the United Way serving greater Boston, and as the leader of Investor Relations for United Way Worldwide. Mary Kay held senior management roles at Work Family Direction (WFD), Inc., where she led the highest revenue generating business lines and executed new sales and account management strategies; after WFD merged with Ceridian Performance Partners, she launched an integrated product portfolio and pricing structure. Mary Kay started her management career in state government, leading a turnaround as Commissioner of the Mass. Office for Children, which regulated over 12,000 child and youth serving programs, and shaping public policy for state agencies as Chief Counsel to the Mass. Executive Office of Human Services.Mary Kay has served on numerous boards and special commissions: she is now on the Boards of United Way of Mass Bay, the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mass. Foundation, and the Northeastern University Corporation. She has taught at both UMass/Boston and Northeastern University School of Law. Mary Kay graduated from Colgate University and received her J.D. from Northeastern School of Law.
Independent Consultant