We're All About Business Equity

Close Gaps Between Systems and People

I founded Zena Consulting to help business and government leaders communicate more effectively with multicultural teams and customers. Since 2008, our mission is improving economic equity through access, capacity, and growth. My vision is a thriving USA middle class that competes globally.

Originally focused on training and development, I’ve since added strategic communications to address the complexity of today's complex marketplace. Zena Consulting is a Washington OMWBE-certified DBE. See my NAICS codes and Zena Affiliates, below.

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Company

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As a leader of color, I’ve felt empowered working with Lee. She took the time to understand our vision, and skillfully applied her deep knowledge of cultural and diversity elements to researching and writing our grants, and developing marketing materials.

​Narima Amin, Executive Director, Global Social Business Partnerships

Regina Glenn

CEO

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Pacific Communications Consulting

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Lee’s insights were critical to branding that reflects our priority and intentions. She guided us through a thought process to understand our values and community, then helped me avoid choosing images that possibly driven away future customers and current members.

I highly recommend executive teams work with her to avoid subtle, but potentially disastrous messaging mistakes that you wouldn’t even catch.

Jen Hamilton, COO, Consultant's Institute

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Background

My communications career began in advertising- copy writing. Next, I turned my persuasion skills towards training design and delivery, focused on helping human services, educational, and family support professionals close gaps between mainstream organizations and diverse communities. In this liaison role, I noticed:

• leaders struggled to reach their organizations' diversity and inclusion goals
  
• ineffective outreach hit families the hardest
  
• insufficient planning or weak cross-cultural communication skills often compromised worthy efforts
• global communication tools aren't designed to address the subtlety and complexity of USA populations
  

Credentials

Education 
M.A. Sociology, New School University, NY
B.A. Communications, Temple University, PA

Certifications & Methodologies
Adaptive Community Leadership, Saybrook University, WA
Training Specialist, University of Washington, WACultural Detective, Nipporica Associates
Center for Partnership Studies- Caring Economy Program, by Rianne Eisler
Facilitative, Interest-Based Mediation Training, Skagit County Dispute Resolution Center

James Whitfield and me at LE graduation, 2017

Zena Affiliates

Leadership

RON HIGGS, M.S., is the founding owner of Wolf Management Solutions. Ron brings unique insights about leadership challenges facing minorities, based on his experience as a systems engineer leading Aerospace and Defense technical teams, and as a U.S. Navy officer and pilot.

Mediation

DEE KNAPP, J.D., founder and owner of Accord & Collaboration, and board member of the King County Dispute Resolution Center.  Her employment law and conflict resolution skills have helped clients save money, conserve resources, and leave problems behind.

Global Teams

ALI SHAMI, is a global leadership expert, motivational speaker, and CEO of FTD Global. As a Boeing Senior Manager, he's led diversity and inclusion initiatives with teams in Korea, Italy, and England. Ali is fluent in English and Arabic, and has some Spanish proficiency. 

In Loving Memory

CATHERINE ENGLAND, M.Ed, (1957-2020). I lost a wonderful friend in March. Catherine was a gracious and generous. In addition to co-training with me, she taught English to New American, refugee, and native-born adults for over 15 years, and was tenured faculty at Lake Washington Institute of Technology. Above is a photo of me with Catherine (r), with her daughter, Sara, (l).

Recognition

Contributor to: “Access to Asia”, a business communications resource guide by Sharon Schweitzer, J.D., (published by Wiley), and winner of Kirkus Review’s, “Best Books of 2015” Indie award.

Volunteer Award from Washington Council for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, (CAPCAN), for working as a volunteer parent group leader in PEPS, (Program for Early Parent Support).

This Celtic knot icon honors my heritage. The shield design represents the four directions, and my consulting process of pulling together separate ideas into something new, whole, and strong. Ancient and universal to humankind, knots are practical and concrete. They're used to tie shoes, hair, and boats. Knots are also abstract: symbolizing God, the Divine, or Mother Earth. As such, they're used by many as  instruments of prayer and meditation.