Consulting

Structural Leadership for Organizations in Growth and Transition

- Philosophy -

When organizations grow, restructure, or navigate significant change, leadership gaps and structural weaknesses become visible.

ELLA Consulting partners with institutions to strengthen leadership capacity and design systems that sustain performance at scale.

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    Engagement Focus Areas

    Consulting engagements are customized to organizational need and may include:

    • Change Management Strategy & Implementation
    • Organizational Onboarding Architecture
    • Leadership Development Frameworks
    • Strategic Planning Facilitation
    • Team & Departmental Alignment Intensives
    • Communication & Accountability Structures

    Each engagement is informed by qualitative insight — incorporating leadership interviews, team input, and structural analysis when appropriate.

    Sustainable performance requires more than talent. It requires design.

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    When Organizations Engage ELLA Consulting

    Organizations typically reach out when:

     • Growth has outpaced operational structure
    • Recently promoted leaders require formal development
    • Strategic pivots demand cultural alignment
    • Funding or staffing shifts create instability
    • Departments are misaligned or underperforming
    • Change initiatives have stalled

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    What Sets Us Apart

    Most organizations attempt to fix performance at the surface.

    ELLA Consulting addresses root causes — aligning leadership behavior with structural systems so change is reinforced long after the engagement concludes.

    We design:

    • Systems leaders can sustain
    • Frameworks teams can execute
    • Accountability structures that endure

    Dr. Sharitta F. Gross Kittles combines doctoral research, institutional leadership experience, and two decades of applied consulting to help organizations strengthen leadership capacity and design systems where performance becomes sustainable.

- Outcomes of our work -

  • Leadership is Strengthened

  • Systems are Clarified

  • Performance is Stabilized

  • Growth is Sustained

- Testimonials -

  • Her impact on our 80-person intern cohort was truly remarkable. She led a session on organization and time management, and it became the most engaging and interactive session to date.

    Her expertise in facilitation shone through in her ability to create a dynamic and inclusive learning environment — the interns were actively involved, asking questions, sharing experiences, and truly grasping the concepts.

    ★★★★★ — Ke'Andrea Rivers, Partnership for Inclusive Innovation

  • Dr. Gross Kittles helped us put our values into action.

    She worked intensively with our senior leadership team to hone our vision into an actionable work plan — identifying pain points, building clarity, and preparing us to work with all our program leaders in a second full-day retreat. Her inclusive, open, and interactive approach meant we had fun while we did all that work. Our team highly recommends Dr. Gross Kittles to colleagues seeking to advance their strategic planning while strengthening team understanding and communication.

    ★★★★★ — Goddard Riverside Senior Leadership Team, Goddard Riverside

  • Dr. Sharitta Gross Kittles was an outstanding facilitator during our team's professional development day. After sharing our goals and expectations, she designed and delivered a dynamic, full-day experience that kept everyone engaged from start to finish.

    She developed detailed data tools to gather insight about our center and understand what the team hoped to learn, aligning her approach seamlessly with our mission and vision. The day exceeded expectations, and I intend to invite her back in 2026 as we wrap up the academic year.

    ★★★★★ — Evan Williams, Paul Robeson Cultural Center at Penn State

  • Sharitta proved to be an exceptional change practitioner during a complex healthcare engagement navigating significant leadership transition. She brought strategic insight and practical solutions to the team, facilitating critical exercises that helped the client's leadership address communication gaps and clarify roles.

    Her approach was structured and intuitive at once, with an uncanny ability to surface the underlying challenges affecting team dynamics and culture. Any team would benefit from her thoughtful approach to organizational development and her natural ability to guide groups through difficult transitions.

    ★★★★★ — Dauwn (Parker) Houston, Precision Partners

  • Dr. Gross Kittles is a highly polished professional and dedicated to excellence

    I enthusiastically recommend Dr. Sharitta Gross Kittles for program evaluations and design. She is an expert in the content and used that expertise to provide support and professional development to program staff as well as an accurate evaluation.

    ★★★★★ — Dr. Daniele Lyman-Torres, former Commissioner of Human Services, Parks & Recreation for the City of Rochester

  • Sharitta's presentation was very carefully prepared and engaging — it encouraged student reflection and our student leaders were listening intently, reflecting thoughtfully on their own experiences and how best to support their peers.

    She did a wonderful job preparing our student leaders to create a supportive and inclusive environment on campus.

    ★★★★★ — Amy Bauer, Former Asst. VP of Advising & Retention at Nazareth UniversityNazareth University

  • Dr. Gross Kittles gave us her authentic self.

    She is highly skilled and exceptionally dedicated — a remarkable professional with a unique blend of talents who displays an unwavering confidence and ethical conduct in every interaction.
    I am confident without reservation you would not be disappointed with Dr. Sharitta Gross Kittles as a mentor, consultant, or facilitator.

    ★★★★★ — Deonna Edwards, Rochester Gas & Electric

  • My team and I engaged in a six-hour retreat with Dr. Sharitta Gross Kittles — and words cannot describe the level of engagement and connectedness we all felt throughout.

    She effectively communicated our strategic plan, led us through discussions, and helped us understand change management.
    Dr. Gross Kittles empowered my staff to realize that they are all leaders, regardless of their titles. We are so grateful for our time with her.

    ★★★★★ — Evan Williams, Paul Robeson Cultural Center at Penn State

When organizations grow, their systems must grow with them.

ELLA Consulting strengthens leadership capacity and redesigns workplace systems so growth is sustainable, change is navigable, and success becomes repeatable.

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