Erin Konkle

About Erin Konkle

I\'ve spent nearly 20 years working with colleges and universities to build community, alignment, and engagement that drives meaningful institutional change.My work starts with a belief I keep coming back to: to change community, you need to be in community. That means creating space to see, understand, and engage the fullness of the human experience through dialogue, stories, and active listening. It\'s a practice I try to bring to every engagement.As Senior Manager and Higher Education Practice Leader at CFAR, I partner with presidents, provosts, and leadership teams across all types of institutions. I work shoulder to shoulder with them to navigate some of their most challenging issues, including toxic cultures, fractured relationships, governance breakdowns, and strategic direction. However, I\'ve learned that \"helping\" often means asking better questions and creating conditions for people to find their own path forward.My approach is grounded in systems thinking and appreciative inquiry. I work with institutions to identify the changes they can actually lead and hold themselves accountable for recognizing that sustainable change rarely comes from grand plans, but from building on strengths, engaging stakeholders authentically, and creating frameworks flexible enough to respect each institution\'s unique context.Before consulting, I led change from the inside. At Wellesley College, I led strategy work, including #WellesleyVotes, to explore the foundations of democratic values, and designed leadership programs that demonstrated measurable impact. At the University of Minnesota, I directed the Higher Ed Redesign Initiative. Those years taught me as much about what doesn\'t work as what does.I hold a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership and Development, have published on institutional transformation, and serve on the National Advisory Board for Appreciative Education. I\'m still learning. Let\'s connect if you\'re considering institutional transformation.

Experience

1. Senior Manager

   CFAR: Consulting and Coaching

   Jan 2025 — Present

Education

• University of Minnesota

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development

  2011 — 2016

• Penn State University

  Bachelor's Degree, Human Development and Family Studies, General

  2001 — 2005

• University of South Carolina

  Master of Education (M.Ed.), Higher Education Administration

  2009 — 2011

Skills

• Event Planning
• Student Leadership
• Community Outreach
• Student Affairs
• Academic Advising
• Research
• Higher Education
• Design Thinking
• Teaching
• Organizational Development
• Public Speaking
• Statistics
• Appreciative Inquiry
• Program Management
• Program Development
• Strengthsfinder