Debra Gerardi

About Debra Gerardi

Debra provides coaching, consulting and training services that promote leadership development, enhance organizational and team effectiveness, invite diverse perspectives and encourage people to effectively engage in and move through conflict. Debra’s approach emphasizes incorporation of practices that foster personal resilience and well-being for those who work in complex and dynamic work environments.Debra’s background includes over 30 years working in and with healthcare organizations where she focused on organizational change initiatives to improve daily operations and clinical outcomes by emphasizing relational approaches to interprofessional collaboration. Debra works with senior executives, emerging leaders and clinical teams to support the development of insight, acquisition of skills, and adoption of effective behaviors as a means of reaching organizational, professional and personal objectives. She is a former critical care nurse, director, and patient safety manager working with large academic medical centers to facilitate clinical unit turnarounds and improve clinical outcomes. Debra’s philosophy of coaching emerges from a holistic frame that values the integration of body, mind, spirit, and society. Most importantly, she brings a creative spirit and sense of fun to all of her work. She encourages clients to find the joy in their own work and to connect with what is meaningful in the contributions they are making in both their personal and professional lives. Debra is a member of the Hudson Institute of Coaching faculty and an affiliate member of the Institute of Coaching professional association at McLean Hospital, a Harvard Medical School affiliate. She is a certified master coach and holds her PCC certification from the International Coach Federation. She is a licensed attorney and registered nurse in California. Debra finds joy in living by the sea and wandering unknown pathways. She has a natural curiosity, a keen sense of intuition and a love of learning. Debra is based in Santa Barbara, CA.Specialties: Conflict engagementExecutive and Leadership coachingTransition and Depth coachingTeam coachingOrganizational mediationProfessional and personal developmentImprovisation and creativity

Experience

1. President and Chief Creative Officer

   Ehcco, Llc

   Jan 2009 — Present · Santa Barbara, CA, US

   EHCCO represents the culmination of three decades of work in and with healthcare organizations.Our focus on the emergence of healthcare communities reflects our belief that collective engagement through the structure of community creates the greatest opportunity for optimizing the wisdom, knowledge, and hopes of a diverse and committed group of people. It is through this level of engagement that solutions emerge and people build their capacity to adapt and respond to complex problems in dynamic environments.Whether working 1:1 in a coaching relationship or through​ convening of group efforts, our focus is on optimizing the capacity to engage in order to meet your goals- both personal and professional.​We use a variety of social technologies to help you reach your goals. These include: Coaching- 1:1, teams and groups;​ Consulting- assessment, facilitation, strategic alignment, leadership development;​ Learning- professional certificate, applied improvisation, training, web-based resources;​ Conflict Engagement- conflict assessment, facilitation, mediation, conflict coaching, and dialogue.In addition to our professional services, EHCCO serves as the hub for an ongoing community of practice. This growing and diverse community of professionals is dedicated to the exploration of emerging approaches for addressing conflict and improving collaboration in complex systems as a means of growing the capacity for authentic engagement at the individual and group levels.​​

Education

• UCLA Fielding School of Public Health

  MPH, Public Health Administration/ Policy

  1993 — 1995

• Creighton University

  BSN, Nursing

  1986 — 1987

• Creighton University School of Law

  JD, Law

  1989 — 1992

• Creighton University

  BS, Biology

  1978 — 1982

• Hudson Institute of Coaching

  Coaching Certificate, Executive and Transition Coaching

  2010 — 2011

Skills

• Teaching
• Personal Development
• Public Speaking
• Staff Development
• Program Management
• Nonprofits
• Teamwork
• Organizational Development
• Negotiation
• Conflict
• Volunteer Management
• Training
• Nursing
• Workshop Facilitation
• Healthcare
• Consulting
• Facilitation
• Executive Coaching
• Policy
• Facilitators
• Critical Care
• Coaching
• Dispute Resolution
• Conflict Management
• Community Outreach
• Program Development
• Team Building
• Healthcare Management
• Higher Education
• Leadership
• Conflict Resolution
• Leadership Development
• Strategic Planning
• Mediation