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EXECUTIVE COACHING FOR ECE DIRECTORS/SENIOR ADMINISTRATORS
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You didn't step into this role
to just survive it.
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Early Childhood Executives carry extraordinary responsibility — often without a leadership development pipeline, a peer at their level, or a space to think out loud. This coaching changes that.
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The ECE Executive's role is one of the most complex in education.
You're running a business, managing a team, navigating licensing and compliance, shaping culture, and supporting families — often simultaneously, sometimes feeling alone. As programs evolve, leaders are being asked to navigate succession with little infrastructure or support in place.
No Peer in the Room
You're at the top of the org chart with no one internally to think with you, challenge you, or hold up a mirror.
Leading Without a Playbook
You were promoted for program expertise. The business, HR, and culture demands of the role are a completely different demand.
Constant Urgency
Enrollment needs. Staff turnover. Licensing visits. Board dynamics. Personnel challenges…everything feels urgent and the strategic work keeps getting pushed.
Responsibility Without Support
Whether you're new to the role, in a period of expansion, or experiencing transition, the path forward can sometimes feel unclear.
Built for executives ready to lead with intentionality — not just in response.
- New or mid-career DirectorFeeling the weight of the role, ready to lead with more confidence and clarity.
- Navigating a major transitionNew board, funding changes, leadership succession, or rapid program growth.
- Seasoned ExecutivesWants a trusted partner to think through complex decisions and sharpen your strategic edge.
- The only leader in the buildingTired of figuring everything out alone.
You bring the agenda. I bring the expertise. Every session is purposeful, responsive, and built around you.
This coaching is co-constructed and 100% needs-based — shaped entirely by what you need in the moment, supported by a coach who knows how to meet you there.
No predetermined curriculum. Below is a snapshot of the types of topics we might explore together.
Sessions are held online or via telephone based on your needs.Â
Leadership & Self
- Shifting from educator to executive identity
- Leading with authority and relatability
- Managing emotional labor
- Decisions under uncertainty
Team, People & Culture
- Building culture in a high-turnover field
- Difficult conversations with tenured staff
- Distributed leadership on small teams
- Accountability without micromanaging
Organizational Health
- Communicating vision consistently
- Aligning values with daily operations
- Managing financial and enrollment pressure
- Building systems that outlast you
External Relations
- Board navigation and trust-building
- Family engagement as a leadership function
- Regulatory and licensing relationships
- Partnerships and coalition building
Strategy & Leadership
- Moving from reactive to proactive
- Planning growth without sacrificing quality
- Building a leadership pipeline
- Knowing when to say no
Leadership Transitions
- Entering an established program culture
- Succeeding a long-tenured leader
- Leading through a founder's exit
- Preparing for your own departure
Note: Directors often arrive with one presenting issue, and we discover the real work lives somewhere deeper. That's not a detour — that's exactly where growth happens.
I hear what you're actually saying.
Beneath the Surface
Directors frequently arrive with a presenting issue — a staff conflict, a board tension, a time problem. Instead of lingering on the surface, I can hear what's underneath it. The real work rarely starts where you think it does.
Multiple Perspectives
Every leadership challenge has more than one true interpretation. Rather than pointing you toward a single answer, I help you expand how you see the problem — so you have the insight necessary to make grounded decisions.
Your Agenda, My Insight, Your Solutions
You lead every session with what you need. I bring the experience, education, frameworks, intuition, and honest reflection to make sure you leave with more than you came with.
"Her executive coaching didn’t just support my growth, it redirected it. She challenged me to reflect deeply, helped me solidify the infrastructure of my program, and guided me in setting goals that were both ambitious and grounded. It left me with a clear vision and the confidence to lead forward and the momentum to do it."
Executive Director
Dr. Keena
Dr. Keena is an experienced leadership coach, author, and college professor whose work sits at the intersection of organizational leadership, human development, and applied strategy. She brings a rare combination of academic rigor and real-world leadership experience to every coaching engagement.
What distinguishes her coaching is not just what she knows — it's what she notices. Dr. Keena has a unique ability to hear what lies beneath the presenting issue and the insight to offer multiple perspectives that expand how a leader sees their own situation. Directors don't just leave sessions with answers. They leave with a broader, sharper view of themselves and the work.
Her work with early childhood leaders is grounded in one conviction: Strong leaders produce strong programs — Strong programs produce strong children.
- Leadership Coach
- Published Author
- College Professor
- ECE Administrator
- Non-Profit Executive
Ready to lead with intention?
Spots for individual coaching are limited and accepted by application only.
If you're ready to invest in your leadership, let's start the conversation.
