SPARC · Capabilities Statement Exclusive U.S. Partner · Academy of Executive Coaching

SPARC Executive Development and Consulting

Executive coaching, leader development, and consulting for institutions where the stakes are real. We work with senior leaders carrying the weight of higher education, nonprofit, foundation, and government organizations.

25+
Years of Practice
300+
Organizations Served
150+
Leaders Coached
40+
Countries of Engagement

Dr. Mathew Johnson, Ph.D., PCC

Co-Founder · Former University President

Dr. Shannon O'Neill, Ph.D., PCC

Co-Founder · Former Dean, Brown University

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Some leadership challenges are too complex for the org chart. That's when executives call us.

SPARC partners with senior leaders and the institutions they steward — unlocking Strategic Insight, Organizational Growth, and Leadership Potential through executive coaching, leader development, and consulting. We are doctoral-level practitioners and ICF PCC-credentialed coaches, formerly at the leadership level of research universities and national foundations. We work in sustained, confidential partnership with the leaders we serve.

Higher Education

Nonprofit

Foundation

Government

What We Do

Five service areas. One sustained partnership.

SPARC integrates coaching, leader development, coach education, consulting, and strategic advising under one practice. Each service connects to the others; most engagements draw on more than one.

Executive Coaching

Individual and team coaching for senior leaders, anchored in the Leadership Circle Profile®, CliftonStrengths®, and the leader's own organizational context. Sustained engagements, not single sessions.

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Leader & Team Development

Cohort programs and intact-team engagements that build collective leadership capacity — Leader Teaming Intensives, CliftonStrengths-anchored team development, executive team coaching.

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Coach Education & Training

Triple-accredited (ICF + EMCC + AC) coach training programs delivered as exclusive U.S. partner of the Academy of Executive Coaching — Coaching Skills Certificate, Tools Certificate, Practitioner Diploma.

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Consulting

Strategy, organizational development, change management, DEIJ transformation, board development and facilitation, and executive mediation when senior partnerships rupture and need careful repair.

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Strategic Advising

The deepest tier of the partnership — ongoing, confidential, and built for the decisions only the executive can make. Monthly calls, off-cycle access, no scope document.

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Community & Economic Development

Community facilitation and data gathering, grant strategy support, and municipal and regional planning work — for the institutions and communities they serve.

Explore Consulting →
We don't deliver a report and hand you the keys. Strategy is a discipline, not a deliverable — we are the extra eye on the strategy ball while you play the game.

SPARC Founding Principle

Engagement Range

How we've worked with partners

Executive coaching for C-suite leaders across higher education, nonprofit, foundation, and government sectors.
Design and delivery of a 12-month DEIJ transformation program for a national foundation.
Board development and strategic visioning process for a Vermont-based nonprofit.
Program assessment and redesign for an international humanitarian NGO.
Design and implementation of a multi-institutional leadership consortium for a national foundation.
Strategic transformation project — design and implementation — for a Vermont start-up.
Organizational assessments and planning — community engagement, DEIJ, and capital campaigns — for community nonprofits and regional universities.
Triple-accredited coach training and education for leaders in the nonprofit and social impact space.

Select Partnerships

Institutions we've served

Brown University
Tufts University
Rice University
Tulane University
University of Arizona
University of Vermont
Vermont State University
Virginia State University
Hendrix College
College of the Menominee Nation
The Carnegie Foundation
Bonner Foundation
The Extension Foundation
GivePulse
Connected Circles
Engagement Australia
Vermont Adult Learning
Central Vermont Career Center
Green Mountain EDC

“Since stepping into a leadership role overseeing an entire department, I've gained invaluable insights into my own leadership approach. The consulting services have provided a vital sounding board — many of these ideas have since been piloted, leading to transformative results.”

Senior Director · National Foundation

Credentials & Registrations

Doctoral practitioners with industry accreditation.

ICF International Coaching Federation
EMCC European Mentoring & Coaching Council
AC Association for Coaching

Practitioner Credentials

  • Ph.D. in Sociology (Brandeis University) · Mathew Johnson
  • Ph.D. in Social Psychology (University at Albany, SUNY) · Shannon O'Neill
  • ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) × 2
  • Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths® Coaches × 2
  • Leadership Circle Profile® Certified Practitioners × 2

Organizational Affiliations

  • Exclusive U.S. Partner of the Academy of Executive Coaching (AoEC)
  • AoEC Faculty (Mathew Johnson)
  • AoEC Advanced Practitioners Diploma (Mathew) · AoEC Advanced Practitioners Diploma with Merit (Shannon)
  • Certified Mediation & Dispute Resolution practitioners
  • Certified DEIJ Facilitators
CliftonStrengths®, StrengthsFinder®, and Gallup® are registered trademarks of Gallup, Inc. The Leadership Circle Profile® is the intellectual property of Conscious Leadership, LLC; SPARC uses it under license as a Leadership Circle Certified Practitioner. Full trademarks & licensing →

If something resonates, let's have a conversation.

If SPARC could be useful, reach out directly.

Start the Conversation Download Capability Statement (PDF)
mathew@sparcinsights.com · shannon@sparcinsights.com
(518) 618-6963 · 3126 Hebard Hill, Randolph VT 05060
sparcinsights.com