“Cory stepped into the interim CEO role during a challenging time for our institution. He led us through a complex web of daunting and dynamic issues with calm competence and thoughtful leadership. The results of his efforts speak for themselves — he handed off a stable, performing organization that was well positioned for future success. What also stands out for me is how Cory established a strong partnership with the Chair and the Board from day one. He guided us and taught us to build a strong partnership and use it as the foundation for our collective efforts. His involvement was invaluable.”

“I had the privilege of working with Cory throughout merger conversations between Thrive by Five Washington and the Foundation for Early Learning. He did a superb job keeping the teams on track while making sure we successfully dealt with all of the critical issues. He then served as our interim CEO as we conducted our search for a new CEO for the combined organization. In this role as well Cory’s work was nothing short of excellent. He is a thoughtful, engaged, experienced leader who is able to work with a wide variety of people and help them bring their best selves to the task at hand.”

“Cory originally helped me navigate a challenging merger of organizations with common missions but different cultures, histories, and personalities. He had great insights into everything from the mundane but necessary details of management and finances to the key aspects of long-term strategy. And his calm style allowed everyone involved to hear what he (and we) were saying. Since then, I haven’t hesitated to call Cory whenever I need advice or help with any type of organizational issue.”

“I served on a board that hired Cory and his Turnpoint team to help us through a tough and complex challenge. The expertise that Turnpoint deployed was exemplary. In my 35 years of working in the nonprofit community, I have rarely seen such a high level of skill so aptly applied. Cory possesses organizational mastery, as well as strong people skills. He is professional and even keeled to his very core. Working with him was a privilege.”

“Cory’s guidance and leadership were extraordinarily helpful as Genesis House went through a major transition. Cory provided welcome leadership as we designed and implemented a process for granting several million dollars to local addiction treatment centers. He was masterful at coming into our team, working effectively with a range of personalities, and helping to craft a process for soliciting, reviewing, and awarding grants. We really appreciated his help, were pleased with the outcome, and would highly recommend Cory to any nonprofit facing extraordinary challenges where an experienced and steady hand is needed.”

“I have served on two transition teams when Cory was serving as the interim CEO, and have referred him for this role many times since. Cory is uniquely gifted at providing clarity and guidance to boards, staff, and key stakeholders during times of change. He brings an unparalleled depth and breadth of experience to navigate all kinds of challenges.”

“Cory’s involvement through our transition was pivotal. He quickly earned the confidence of our board and staff, and put together a thorough plan for a much healthier and stronger organization. He was particularly valuable to me in my transition to the Executive Director role. His experience, academic knowledge, and astounding network of connections in the nonprofit sector had a profound impact that has enabled not only organizational growth but personal and professional growth as well. Cory is someone I’ll retain as a mentor, and I hope for the opportunity to work with him again.”

“Cory helped our organization through a few tricky choices around transitions and organizational structure. His wealth of experience was invaluable, as was his ability to be clear, direct, and thoughtful. I could always count on his wise counsel, which included good listening and candidness.”

“It was a great pleasure working with Cory as he supported our Board of Directors in recruiting and hiring a new Executive Director. His smart, straightforward thinking about recruitment, filtering candidates, and supporting the many steps in our interviewing and decision-making process made it possible for busy board members to singularly focus on the task at hand — hiring the best ED for the job. In the end, we hired a fantastic leader who has been serving our mission and programs brilliantly ever since.”

“As the board chair of a nonprofit beginning a merger process with two other strong organizations, I hired Turnpoint to guide us. Each organization had its own culture and business model, and the potential for friction was high. Cory’s advice and facilitation during this process was exceptionally effective, particularly in forming one highly functioning board out of three. Once merged, we valued the sum of the differences, the diversity, and the best practices of each person and each organization. Working with Cory was rewarding and positive; many of us have remained friends years later. He is a scholar, leader, and advisor, indefatigable, and gracious. I have since hired Cory for another project with the same great result.”

“Cory assisted us through a very critical time in our organization’s development. He engaged and guided our staff and board through difficult decisions and was an invaluable resource for me. Cory’s advice is consistently timely, thoughtful, and pragmatic. I look forward to having Cory as a long-term organizational consultant for our organization.”

“Cory brought his firsthand knowledge of executive leadership to advise our organization about the challenges and opportunities inherent in replacing our founding executive director. His insights and guidance helped us make a successful transition. Despite the size of our organization and limited budget, his consultation was thorough, thoughtful, and all-encompassing. He grasped our key concerns quickly and respectfully. What stays with me is his keen intuition about our mission and the search team’s vision for a new executive director. He encouraged our impulse to include all voices in our search – staff, board, volunteers, and students – and stressed the importance of a long-term thought process that began with an organizational assessment. I’m left with a general sense of Cory’s wise listening, deep insight, and impressive breadth of experience.”

“Cory has been connected to our work and the work of our grantees for more than a decade. At several critical moments in our organization’s history, we have sought his counsel on matters related to organizational structure and strategy. I can always count on his candid approach, thoughtful insights, good humor, and commitment to rigor.”

“Cory has an uncanny ability to see each new organization’s issues with fresh eyes. He offers insights and recommendations with exceptional clarity, and his efficient use of time made our organizational capacity assessment both effective and economical. He brings fundamental good sense to every issue.”

“Cory brings a valuable blend of deep academic knowledge, practicality, and a get-it-done mentality. As an instructor, he provided concepts and models that have stuck with me and continue to influence my work. As a consultant, I’ve watched him effectively move teams through projects, knowing when to take the lead and when to support board and staff members in their leadership. He’s prompt, responsive, and a clear communicator who cares deeply about our sector.”

“I have worked with Turnpoint on several projects over the past several years, including strategic planning and personal coaching. Cory is outstanding. He is smart, professional, and a joy to work with. I am a better leader because of my work with Cory, and our organization is much stronger because of his strategic input.”

“Cory facilitated two summits for Seattle Children’s Research Institute leadership. He led us through challenging financial discussions while engaging all members of leadership in the decisions. He skillfully established a level of trust with this team, and was able to expertly lead us to critically important strategic decisions.”

“Cory has a gift for bringing clarity to complex nonprofit challenges. With his guidance, we were able to easily navigate the process of finding an interim CEO.”

“I fully recommend Cory and Turnpoint Consulting in the never-ending challenge for strong organizational health and results. Cory has been instrumental to me, my senior management team, and our Board of Directors. Cory brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise matched with a professional style that supports, challenges, and strengthens all involved. The Mockingbird Society is proud to have Cory as a consultant and will continue to rely on him for our current and future work.”

“Cory is an excellent facilitator. His preparation and strong listening skills enable him to work well with a wide variety of personalities and effectively move groups to outcomes that work for everyone. He is particularly skilled at synthesizing complex discussions and ensuring valuable contributions from all participants in a conversation. Cory takes and gives feedback well and, above all, is invested in the success of his clients.”

“Turnpoint has long been a trusted resource among Social Venture Partners and the nonprofits we serve. Cory has provided valuable strategic guidance and management to a number of grantees over the past several years. He is one of the first consultants we recommend when an organization is facing a critical decision or embarking on challenging, transformational work. Cory understands how nonprofits and their boards work and the unique organizational challenges they face. He combines his depth of experience with an ability to connect and partner with diverse personalities and perspectives, moving projects forward in a timely and thoughtful manner. Cory actively listens to client’s needs, asks challenging questions, and holds organizations to a high standard of engagement and accountability.”

“Cory was instrumental in helping Hamilton Scholars formulate a plan for hiring a new Executive Director while at the same time addressing the need to deal with our founder’s transition. His engaging demeanor, reflective approach, and critical insights helped us focus our energies to ensure successful outcomes in both areas.”

“Cory approached his interim post at our organization with a great deal of thoughtfulness. By building strong relationships with board and staff, he advanced both existing work and new projects that evolved during the leadership transition period. He balanced the need to be future oriented and guide the executive director search process with the need to address current operational needs. It’s clear to me that the foundation he established during his time at WFA is part of what led us to so successfully transitioning to our long-term executive director and the progress we’ve made under her leadership. I’m so glad (for myself and the organization) that we had the opportunity to work with Cory!”

“I was the board president of Women’s Funding Alliance when we navigated a change in executive leadership. The board held responsibility for two of the most significant tasks boards can face – to steady the ship and hold the course as we took on the significant work of searching for and selecting a new executive director capable building on the success of the former leader and taking the organization into the future. Our first step was to engage Cory as interim executive director, and that made everything else possible. Cory helped us do more than steady the ship. His goal was to strengthen our operations and administrative functions so that the incoming executive director would be free to focus on the most strategic aspects of leading forward movement as quickly as possible. Board members, volunteer committee members, and staff enjoyed working with Cory as much as we appreciated his professionalism and competence.”

“Cory has offered considerable insight on governance, board development, and nonprofit leadership principles to many organizations in Thurston County. We are thankful for his contributions in supporting our efforts to increase organizational stability and effectiveness among organizations serving Thurston County youth.”

“When I moved my consulting practice to Seattle, Cory was generous with his time and extensive knowledge of the local nonprofit community. I continue to appreciate having the benefit of his vast experience and wisdom. As a colleague, I know I can count on him for clarity, quick-minded focus on what’s important, and thoughtful perspective – with a touch of humor that makes any interaction a delight.”

“Turnpoint has an uncanny knack for providing exactly the right level of information for the matter at hand. For us, this has ranged from customized training and fielding strategic questions to offering practical and timely advice on the complicated aspects of running a nonprofit. Cory is highly adept at grasping the nuance behind a situation and providing the keen, relevant insight that you look for from a consultant, without any trappings or gimmicks. When I was new to my role as Board Chair, I relied on Cory as a trusted source to help navigate to good outcomes. He is an invaluable advisor with an excellent network in the nonprofit world.”

“Cory’s participation in a project automatically elevates the conversation.”

“When we were ready to develop our strategic plan, Turnpoint gave us exactly what we were hoping for. As the executive director of a community-based nonprofit, I needed to both lead and participate in the planning process and manage this process while carrying out all my other responsibilities. Cory helped to create a feasible work plan and timeline for the strategic planning process, facilitated planning discussions, created tools and summaries, and helped us engage key constituents and make good use of their time. The outcome was a clear plan and, now that we are in our second year, I can honestly say that we are on track to achieve our objectives. We are effective in achieving our mission because we are all working toward a shared vision and goals, guided by a set of principles that we all had a part in developing. It’s amazing to see all the progress we have made because of Turnpoint’s support.”

“For the past five years, Washington MESA has utilized the exceptional services of Turnpoint Consulting. Specifically, MESA has benefited from Turnpoint’s unique talents and expertise in the area of managing and developing advisory boards. On various occasions, they have delivered timely and targeted strategic direction to benefit the role and efforts of the MESA’s Executive Director, Regional Directors, and Board. Turnpoint has been a responsive and committed resource for us.”

“Cory helped our organization survive a complicated transition. During his nine-month tenure as our Interim Executive Director, he boosted staff morale and board confidence, improved internal systems, and ensured a stable launching pad for our new Executive Director.”

“We hired Cory to design and facilitate our organization’s annual staff-board retreat. We’d grown considerably in the previous year and had arrived at yet another ‘turning point’ in the organization’s life cycle. We needed to design a focused retreat that left everyone feeling that their time was well-spent and gave me, as executive director, clear directives for the coming year. Cory delivered both: he took time to really listen, analyze, and synthesize the issues I presented during our planning session for the retreat, and he then came back with a tight structure and shape for what turned out to be the best retreat we’ve ever had. My board members really liked his blend of flexibility and keeping us on task. I appreciate his instinct for looking at systems holistically. He also gave me good feedback on things I might consider to improve my own performance, which I really appreciated since it’s sometimes hard to get that kind of candor.”

“Cory’s intelligence, experience, acuity, and sense of humor made him the perfect Interim Executive Director for Chaya. He led us through our Executive Director transition with great skill and, in the process, helped strengthen our organizational capacity. We value his leadership, his commitment to social change, and the contributions he continues to make to our work.”

“We achieved all of our goals and objectives! Cory helped us design a working retreat that transformed project frustration and creeping apathy into new energy, clarity, and improved working relationships between project partners. His calm facilitation helped us really listen to project implementers’ concerns and find solutions to problems. Several participants noted that Cory’s presence was crucial to the meeting’s success. One participant said she had been dreading the two-day retreat, but that it couldn’t have been a better use of time.”

“Cory’s ownership, investment, and dedication to process is powerful and transformative. I am also thankful for, and impressed with, how much space he continually made for feedback throughout the experience. He actively sought out thoughts and reflections in real time to ensure we were maximizing our learning experience. As a result, NELI wasn’t just a professional development opportunity for me; it transformed my life.”

“Cory was absolutely superb at pulling together an engaging, highly instructive week with top-notch instructors and content.”

“Cory is fantastic at bringing a group together, facilitating discussions, taking feedback, and encouraging reflection. I appreciated his leadership, intention, and effectiveness at holding space with the group.”

“Cory was amazing as the lead instructor for the Institute. He understands the key issues and opportunities facing the nonprofit sector, and makes the difficult challenges seem easier to navigate.”

“Cory is engaging, personal, and incredibly smart. He is able to make everyone feel valued and connected. I felt welcomed and a part of the experience from the very first moment of the Institute. The curriculum he has curated is excellent and I am already recommending this course to my colleagues.”

“Cory is a remarkable instructor. He fills every class with material that stretches my thinking and is directly relevant to the work I do in the nonprofit community. Cory’s ability to take theory and make it concrete in practice is exceptional.”

“I very much enjoyed Cory’s class, and his teaching style in particular. I am convinced – after years of possibly far too much schooling – that instructors who truly love to teach and are equally as passionate about learning are the exception and not the norm. I am grateful for all that Cory did for our class and for his commitment to mentoring nonprofit leaders.”

“Cory is the consummate instructor. He is well prepared, concise, and clear about goals and objectives from the very outset; able to adapt to needs and learning styles; a careful listener; and strong on summing up complex ideas. Noteworthy as well is Cory’s commitment to excellence for both his students and himself. As such, he seeks continual feedback, modifies with an eye on efficacy, and gets to know his students. Cory is an incredible teacher, mentor, and resource.”