Deanna Rolffs

Deanna Rolffs (they/she) is a strategist, facilitator, coach, systems thinker, and consultant that has worked with executive leaders and teams for more than twenty years, the last ten focused on the intersection of organizational theory, leadership development, justice, and equity. Their process consulting approach focuses on organizational transformation via thriving teams, brave leadership, equitable systems, and inclusive communities.

With a personal and professional dedication to justice and equity, Deanna supports leadership and teams of all sizes, in all sectors. Deanna served as a Senior Consultant with Design Group International since 2018, became a Senior Design Partner in 2021, and launched L3 Catalyst Group in 2023.

Deanna has facilitated at dozens of conferences nationally and locally. An avid adult learning specialist, they have engaged hundreds of groups on topics including Leading for Equity, Anti-Racism, White Consciousness, Anti White Supremacy, Systemic Oppression, Implicit Bias, Strategic and Operational Planning, and much more. Deanna has facilitated and served on leadership boards and teams to guide strategic direction, service delivery, staff development, and stakeholder engagement.

Deanna is dedicated to supporting teams, especially those with privilege, to do personal and collective work to develop, implement and evaluate cultural, social justice, and racial equity commitments to grow and ensure a deeply inclusive environment.

In the past, Deanna has served on multiple leadership boards including, the Advisory Council of Calvin University’s Center for Social Research and the Alumni Community Advisory Board at Partners in School Innovation. Currently, they volunteer with the Grand Rapids Pride Center and serve on the Grand Rapids Public Schools’ Montessori Advisory Council.

Deanna is the recipient of the Pi Alpha Alpha Award for outstanding academic achievement & volunteer service upon her completion of a Master of Public Administration from Grand Valley State University and holds a bachelor’s degree from Calvin University.

Recommendations

Deanna is intentional, detailed, flexible, and thoughtful in her work. She consulted for our team at the West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology, taking a loose idea to concrete reality in a matter of weeks. Her expertise in adult learning, facilitation, and equity made her the perfect lead in creating a robust learning toolkit for participants in WMCAT’s eight-month virtual series focused on community prosperity. The process of working with Deanna helped us to refine our vision for the toolkit, and the final product is equipping more than two-hundred people with foundational knowledge for community change.
Megan Lorenz, Development Manager, West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology (WMCAT)

Deanna helped support the design, delivery, and facilitation of a series of honest conversations about race in our organization. She was extremely helpful in guiding us through the design of the series and then led the discussions. She held a safe space and encouraged and facilitated meaningful discussions about some hard topics. I highly recommend Deanna and will look for an opportunity to work with her again!
Kim Chaumillion, Vice President of Global Engagement, Herman Miller

Deanna was wonderful to work with – an experienced and sensitive facilitator of often difficult conversations, a calm and comforting presence, and a creative problem solver. Her deep understanding of nonprofit leadership, equity, and organizational development make her an excellent consultant. I enthusiastically recommend her work!
Maureen Kirkwood, President/CEO, Health Net of West Michigan

Deanna Rolffs has guided Gathering Ground’s board develop a strategic plan and revisioning our mission, vision and values that reflects the ambition and goals of our young organization. Her facilitator knowledge and expertise in processes has been tremendous in helping our board come to understand our role in how we grow as an organization while staying true to our values and mission.
Alessandra Simmons Rolffs, Executive Director, Gathering Ground

I cannot say enough about Deanna’s work with my team during a very challenging process exploration period. She facilitated several listening sessions and supported my team through some difficult conversations. Her personal and professional experiences and focus on equity as foundational make her an excellent facilitator. She does not shy away from hard topics and is willing to stand up to injustice. I would recommend Deanna without hesitation and look forward to working with her again.
Shandra Steininger, Executive Director, Grand Rapids HQ

I had the privilege to work alongside Deanna for three years as she provided remarkable senior-level leadership to ICCF’s talented and diverse program team. During her tenure, the team successfully navigated a season marked by unprecedented growth and change. Her expertise in management and group facilitation, paired with her commitment to advancing justice have set her apart as a trusted leader in the social sector. Whether you are developing new strategies or need help overcoming a leadership challenge, Deanna can help. She is adept at coming alongside others to help them move forward. I can’t recommend her highly enough to anyone looking for help with process consulting or strategic planning!
Ryan VerWys, President/CEO, Inner City Christian Federation

Among her many skills and areas of expertise, Deanna Rolffs provides excellent leadership in working with groups to effect change within their organizations. My team benefited greatly from a strategic and operational planning process. As we concluded our sessions, we understood our work more deeply and had developed a plan with specific actions that would better help us achieve our vision and goals. I especially appreciated Deanna’s expertise, her calm demeanor, her careful listening, and her ability to take what she heard and apply the process to our particular situation. I recommend her without reservation.
Ruth Moxon, Consultant, Kent Intermediate School District

Deanna is a strategic and thoughtful process facilitator. Her ability to think through problems and develop comprehensive, inclusive solutions in a collaborative manner is uncanny. I have been incredibly grateful to work with her on various projects in our community as she brings forth a perspective that is capable of viewing problems and solutions from multiple angles from a trauma-informed and equity-based lens.
Courtney Myers-Keaton, Program Manager, Kent County Continuum of Care