Dr. Brenda Kelleher-Flight, founder of GDP Consulting and author of “Decision Making Model of Governance”, is a leading professional in the areas of governance, decision-making, policy, planning and performance measurement.
She is highly proficient at leading not-for-profit boards, college boards, school boards, aboriginal councils/governments/boards, and business teams. The specific areas include research, governance policy, strategic and business plan development, management policy development, and formulation/updating of constitutions and bylaws.
She continues to provide professional development in all areas of governance. She has spoken provincially and nationally on governance, accountability, and planning. Brenda has a proven record working with and for organizations.
Brenda's research in the area of board governance, decision making and creating the distinction between governance and management is invaluable as she supports boards and individuals to fulfill their personal and professional goals. She is skilled at ensuring that decisions are made only by those who know the organization. She provides the framework and ensures those making the decisions are aware of the possible advantages and disadvantages of various options.
She is a master at moving quickly to the root of each issue while working skillfully with the legislative, policy, and resource context of the organization. Her knowledge and expertise assists teams to scan, evaluate, and make decisions to meet their legal and moral obligations. As well, she works effectively with personnel to determine what is interfering with interpersonal relationships, what is holding them back in their career path, and to set realistic goals for their professional and personal growth.
EDUCATION
| Ph.D. |
University of South Australia – Governance |
| A.D.R. |
University of Windsor Law School/Stitt Feld Handy Group (advanced certificate) |
| M.Ed. |
St. Michael’s College, Vermont (special education) |
| M.Ed. |
Memorial University of Newfoundland (administration) |
| B.Sc.N. |
University of Windsor |
RECENT TEACHING/TRAINING EXPERIENCE
- 10 day workshop to train policy development specialists
- Team building workshop
- Personal Development Workshops
- Workshops, Governance, Communication, Policy Development, Legislation for Public Sector, Not-for-Profit and Aboriginal Groups
- Workshops, Constitution, Bylaw and Policy Development
- Workshop, Strategic Planning for Public Sector and Not-for-Profit Organizations
- Workshop, Assessing the Effectiveness of Your Website
- Author of Governance training materials on the topics of Governance, Policy Development and Communication
- Author, DecisionMaking Model of Governance: A Handbook for Board Members and CEOs of Public Sector Organizations
- Author, Quarterly Newsletters and Special Report
RECENT EXPERIENCE
- President, GDP Consulting Inc. 2005- Present
- 2000-2006, Director of the Accountability Office, Government of NL
- 1989-2000, Director and Consultant in Student Support Services and Coordinator for the Model of Service for Children and Youth for four Departments of Government
RECENT PROJECT EXPERIENCE
- Developer strategic, business and activity planning processes
- Developer and lead consultant, training school board trustees in the areas of board governance, school board legislation, policy development, and communication
- Lead consultant, strategic planning with public sector boards and a not-for-profit agency
- Consultant, governance training for Aboriginal group
- Consultant, business refocusing with a private corporation
- Lead consultant, training for a consultant to deliver governance materials in another language
- Developer of constitution, bylaws and policies (public sector & not-for-profit)
ASSOCIATIONS