Jody Jacobson, Ph.D.

The Human Skills Institute
Jacobson Coaching and Consulting
C: (608) 347-9961
O: (760) 345-0045

Email: Jody@jodyjacobson.com 
Webjodyjacobson.com  

 Jody Jacobson is a strategic consultant, coach, and capacity-builder who helps leaders take their enterprises to the next level. Jody’s collaborative style and deep expertise helps leaders transform obstinate obstacles into high leverage opportunities, build core strength for resilient change, and achieve breakthrough collaboration, innovation, and growth. As the principal of Jody Jacobson & Company, Jody primarily works with start-ups and established enterprises in the IT, financial services, education, association, and healthcare sectors. 

 Jody views each new engagement with fresh eyes, listening deeply and drawing upon her 30 years of experience as a strategic change consultant, business analyst, IT and information manager, executive coach, and educator to assess and address the unique needs of each client system. She builds upon her deep knowledge of strength-based approaches like appreciative inquiry, systemic thinking tools and methods, the innovation process cycle, dynamics of change and transition, and traditional quality approaches like Baldrige and Lean to provide the highest level of service to her clients. Her innovative nature is also demonstrated by her uncanny ability to rise above surface complexities to see a myriad of dynamics at work and quickly zero in on what matters most. Her recent work has focused on identifying, transforming, and preventing Accidental Adversaries dynamics, a leading preventable limit to growth. 

 Jody’s commitment to organizational effectiveness and learning is reflected in her record of service as a past board member and education chair of MAQIN-Madison Area Quality & Innovation Network, member of Wisconsin Forward Award (WFA) Board of Examiners (Wisconsin’s Baldrige program) and MAIN-Madison Appreciative Inquiry Network Steering Committee, and supporter of numerous other local and national initiatives. Jody actively collaborates with professionals across diverse communities of practice to build vibrant partnerships that enhance the aliveness and economic sustainability of local neighborhoods, towns, cities, and regions. 

 She earned her PhD in Social and Behavioral Sciences from the Taos Institute-Tilburg University doctoral program, and a Certificate in Appreciative Inquiry from the NTL-Case Western University Program. She received her MSBA in management and organizational theory from Bucknell University, and earned MS and BA degrees in biological and health sciences from the University of Maryland-College Park and George Mason University.