Embedded
COO
Services
Your organization has grown.
The systems haven't.
The team is capable. But everyone is wearing too many hats — someone doing finance who shouldn't be, someone managing HR who never signed up for it, operations work that stops and starts and never quite gets finished.
This is the moment most founders either hire wrong, wait too long, or try to fix it themselves. I built a practice for this exact moment.
I've spent almost twenty years building organizations from the inside — not advising from above. I know what this moment costs, and what it takes to keep growing.
WHAT THE ORANGE BUREAU IS
A senior operational partner.
The Orange Bureau is a fractional COO practice for organizations who need a senior operational partner — not a project manager, not a consultant, not another vendor. You need executive operational leadership but are not yet ready for a full-time COO.
I work inside your business. I attend your meetings, review your financials, and know your people.
I hold the operational side of the house - so you can focus on what only you can do.
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Budget development and forecasting
Scenario modeling
P&L oversight
Vendor management and accountability
Resource allocation and prioritization
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Entity structure and governance support
Contract management processes
Policy and compliance infrastructure
Risk assessment and mitigation
Board and leadership governance support
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Hiring strategy and recruiting process design
Organizational structure and role design
Onboarding systems
Performance management frameworks
Compensation philosophy and structure
Contractor and partner management
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Process design and documentation
Technology stack evaluation and selection
Project and portfolio management systems
Management rhythms and decision forums
Internal operating procedures and accountability structures
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Organizational structure and design
Leadership team alignment and effectiveness
Strategic planning and execution support
Board, funder, and executive-facing materials
Strategic narrative development and organizational positioning
Decision-making frameworks and governance design
WHEN ORGANIZATIONS CALL
Two moments where a fractional COO changes the trajectory.
01 The founder is carrying too much.
You built this. That means you figured out finance, HR, operations, systems, and strategy — often all at once, often without a roadmap. Most founders at this stage are still in the middle of all of it, even as the organization has grown around them.
The work is building the operational infrastructure that lets the business grow into what it's capable of — with you leading it, not holding it together
02 The organization has hit its ceiling.
What worked at ten people doesn't work at thirty. What held together at $1M starts breaking at $5M. The systems, the team, and the processes that got you here are now the thing standing between you and the next stage of growth.
The work is understanding where the business is trying to go, and rebuilding the operational infrastructure to get there — so the organization can scale without the wheels coming off.
HOW IT WORKS
Calibrated to what the work requires.
Every engagement starts with a diagnostic: what's actually happening, what the next stage requires, and what needs to change to get there. You get a clear picture and a roadmap before any work begins.
From there, I calibrate my involvement to what the work actually requires. Some founders need a thinking partner a few hours a month. Most need something more substantial — a real operational partner with a defined presence in the business. A small number need someone deeply embedded through a critical transition.
Engagements run a minimum of three months. Most run longer. The scope is always defined up front — no open-ended commitments or ambiguity about what you're getting.
THE APPROACH
I build for the organization you're becoming — not the one you used to need.
That means every system, every role, every process gets designed with how work actually gets done today: leaner teams, smarter processes, tech-integrated workflows that let a small organization punch well above its weight. The companies that will scale successfully in the next decade aren't the ones with the most headcount — they're the ones that figured out how to build more capability into fewer, better-resourced people..
This is what I build toward. From day one.
About
Multisector & Multifunctional Experience
Capital One (Organizational Service Design Lead) - Organizational Change, Culture Strategy & Future of Work
Illinois Department of Human Services (Chief People Officer) — Workforce Transformation & Organizational Effectiveness
Illinois Department of Human Services (Sr. Business Operations Executive) — COVID-19 Enterprise Operations & Crisis Response
Erie Neighborhood House (Chief Operations Officer) — IT Systems, General Operations, & Organizational Growth
Greater Good Studio (Head of Design Operations) — Business Strategy, Finance, P&L Leadership, Consultancy Operations
Youth & Opportunity United (Director of HR) — Talent Strategy & Culture Building
UMI Media (Chief of Staff) - General Strategy, Business Operations, & Organizational Growth
Abbott Labs (Change Management Lead - China Region) — Strategy & Operations, Leadership Development
I’ve spent the last seventeen years helping organizations navigate growth, transformation, and uncertainty across the private, public, and social sectors.
I’ve served as a Chief Operating Officer, Chief People Officer, business operations executive, service & organizational designer, and strategist, managing everything from strategy, finances, and P&L to workforce transformation and culture change. I've led large-scale operational transformations, redesigned organizations, built leadership and learning systems, managed state-wide crisis response efforts, and helped leaders rethink how work gets done during periods of significant change.
At Capital One, I led organizational change initiatives for a 700-person Experience Design organization, helping leaders align structure, capabilities, and culture to meet the demands of a rapidly changing environment. As Illinois' first Chief People Officer, I led efforts to modernize talent, culture, and workforce systems across one of the state's largest agencies. At the Illinois Department of Human Services, I helped lead strategic & operational initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting statewide response efforts and the distribution of over $10MM in critical resources. And at Greater Good Studio, I led finance, P&L, and operations for a nationally recognized social impact consultancy.
I've worked inside government agencies, nonprofits, design consultancies, and Fortune 500 companies. I've been in the room when organizations were scaling, restructuring, reimagining their culture, responding to crisis, or trying to build something entirely new. I understand both the complexity of large institutions and the realities of making change happen through people.
My background combines strategic foresight, operations, service design, organizational design, and change management. I help leaders see around corners, make sense of uncertainty, and design organizations that are capable of adapting to what's next. Many advisors specialize in either strategy or execution. My work sits at the intersection of both—helping organizations connect long-term ambition with the structures, behaviors, and operating models required to make it real.
WHO THIS IS FOR
Founders and executives of organizations who have something real and know they need help running it.
If you're not sure whether this is the right moment — it probably is.
Typically
5 to 30 people. Founder still in the middle of everything. No full-time COO in place. Ready to build the infrastructure for what comes next.
Start-ups, small businesses, and social impact organizations (NPOs, foundations).
Sectors