Steph Sharma

About Steph Sharma

I work with founders, boards, public leaders, and cross-sector coalitions to strengthen governance, capital alignment, and operating architecture in complex environments. My focus is practical: helping organizations design decision systems that function under volatility, technological change, and cross-sector coordination.Much of this work centers on structural clarity. Strategy gains traction when governance, capital, and execution move together. When they drift apart, friction shows up at the points where authority shifts, resources flow, and responsibility becomes unclear. I help leadership teams address those transfer points so organizations operate with coherence as complexity grows.Engagements often include: • Clarifying governance structures and decision rights • Aligning capital investment with institutional authority and operating capacity • Introducing structured challenge and data-grounded testing into strategic decisions • Bridging public, private, and philanthropic actors where initiatives span institutional boundariesAlongside consulting through Symbio Strategies, I contribute research and executive teaching on strategic management and institutional design. Areas of focus include AI and managerial judgment, hybrid work and well-being, and coordination challenges across sectors such as healthcare and energy. This work draws from both field engagement and academic collaboration.My perspective is also shaped by long engagement with land stewardship, agricultural systems, water management, and rural operations. Work close to land and resource systems builds respect for boundaries, long horizons, and reinvestment in underlying capacity. Those principles guide how I approach institutional strategy and governance.I am also developing a rural and Indigenous initiative that elevates locally governed data and place-based knowledge to inform policy and institutional decision-making. Communities managing land and resources across generations offer practical insight into resilience, stewardship, and long-horizon planning.Across these efforts, my work centers on governance, capital, and institutional architecture. I partner with leaders building organizations and cross-sector initiatives that must operate with clarity and coherence under conditions of change.

Experience

1. Managing Director & Founder

   Symbio Strategies

   Nov 2018 — Present · Albuquerque, NM, US

   Symbio Strategies is a strategic advisory firm focused on institutional architecture under conditions of volatility. We work with leadership teams, boards, and cross-sector coalitions to strengthen governance, capital integration, and decision systems in complex environments.Our work centers on structural coherence across institutional boundaries, particularly where authority, capital, and accountability move on separate tracks.We support organizations to:• Clarify decision rights and escalation pathways• Align governance authority with capital allocation• Integrate AI into institutional decision-making with defined accountability• Redesign operating architecture to function under uncertainty• Strengthen cross-sector coordination across public, private, and philanthropic actorsStrategy is treated as an adaptive discipline that shapes decision conditions rather than prescribing static plans. Engagements range from focused advisory to multi-year partnerships building institutional calibration and durable resilience.The emphasis is structural: designing systems that absorb volatility without relying on informal compensation or coordination-heavy execution.

Education

• Thunderbird School of Global Management

  Global Masters of Business Administration, Business, International Business

  2010 — 2012

• Thunderbird School of Global Management

  Executive Certificate, Global Corporate Social Responsibility

  2012 — 2012

• University of Nebraska-Lincoln

  MA (credits toward), HRD

  1998 — 2000

• Hult International Business School

  Doctoral, Business

  2021 — 2024

• Gallup University - Leadership Institute

  Demands of Leadership, Strengths-based Leadership & Management

  2005 — 2005

• University of Nebraska-Lincoln

  MA, Communications, Business, Spanish

  1987 — 1992