The client services team is the heart of our business at Navigate Forward. Their work is vital to delivering our exceptional career transition, Board Readiness and Legacy Planning engagements.
We’re excited to announce two staffing changes in client services that will continue our longstanding track record of helping executives achieve their career goals. At the same time, we’re proud to support our own team as they pursue their passions.
Yolanda E. Brown to Lead Powerhouse Career Consulting Team
Yolanda E. Brown joins us this spring as our next Senior Vice President of Client Services. In this role, Yolanda will lead our powerhouse team of executive consultants and ensure the highest quality delivery of our outplacement and career services. She will oversee many of the proprietary tools and processes that define our unique approach.
“I’m excited to continue Navigate Forward’s commitment to quality service, to lead an amazing team of consultants and to help expand our footprint beyond Minnesota,” Brown said.
Her experience, skills and outlook align well with our “relentlessly helpful” core values here at Navigate Forward. Most recently, Yolanda led the Houston, Texas, office of outplacement and career services firm Lee Hecht Harrison. For more than a decade, she worked directly with jobseekers while simultaneously managing a team of career coaches.
Earlier in her career, she led a national sales team for American Express, where she was twice recognized for outstanding sales performance. Organized and energetic, Yolanda excels at leading teams and motivating others.
Yolanda’s deep experience and her passion for empowering others make her a great fit for our clients
“We’re thrilled to expand our client services team with Yolanda’s extensive experience and new perspectives,” said Anne Sample, CEO of Navigate Forward.
Added Sample, “We continue to see strong momentum across our service lines, as more companies and executives recognize the value of outside expertise and coaching that’s tailored exclusively to the needs of senior leaders. Yolanda’s deep experience in this sector and her passion for empowering others make her a great fit for our clients and our business.”
Yolanda will work remotely from Sugar Land, Texas.
Sue Nelson Shifts to Encore Engagements
Sue Nelson has skillfully led our client services practice and our executive consulting team since 2017. This May, she moves into a new role as Senior Executive Consultant and Encore Practice Lead.
This position enables Sue to pursue her own next chapter on a part-time basis. As practice lead, she will oversee the methodology and processes that comprise our Encore engagements. As senior executive consultant, she will work one-on-one to help other leaders define their ideal “second act” as full-time corporate work ends.
“Sue truly embodies our mission by always putting our clients first. The results she has achieved have fueled our past growth and at the same time, established the processes and tools we need for a smooth transition and ongoing client successes,” Sample noted.
She added, “As Sue pursues her own desire for work-life balance, she is an ideal choice to guide other corporate leaders ready to redefine retirement and continue adding value.”
Since joining Navigate Forward in 2012, Sue has made significant contributions to the growth and direction of our business. Most notable is her dedication to ensuring incredible results for our clients, which our +80 Net Promoter Score and consistently high client satisfaction levels demonstrate.
Sue truly embodies our mission by always putting our clients first
Sue has been instrumental in hiring and mentoring our rapidly expanding team of consultants, who today number nearly 30 professionals across the country. During COVID, Sue played a critical role in our pivot to virtual delivery, quickly adapting our client materials, communications and weekly executive forums for the remote environment.
“It’s been so rewarding to build an incredible team of talented consultants and to see the impact of our work on so many executives these past 12 years,” Nelson said. “I’m excited to keep leveraging my skills in this space, helping leaders make thoughtful and intentional choices for their next chapter.”
Sue and Yolanda will work together closely to create a smooth transition. Sue will continue working from our Minneapolis, Minnesota, headquarters.
About Navigate Forward
Navigate Forward provides highly customized support to senior executives who are currently in transition, planning change in the future or seeking board service, helping them find their passion, their path, and their place in the business community. Since our inception in 2008, we have worked with more than 1,800 clients and 425 companies across the country and around the world. We are proud to be a certified women-owned business.
