MEET THE TEAM
H.O.W. brings together strategists, executives, and advisors with deep experience in organizational performance, leadership, transformation, and change.
CARRIE COLLINS, JD, PHD
Founder and CEO
Carrie’s expertise is scanning a situation and quickly applying strategy and experience to craft creative, inspired, and inventive solutions. She is well known for devising flexible approaches for maximum success; a consummate connector of individuals and ideas to forge strong partnerships; and an innovative change agent who ushers in new views and refreshes outdated thinking.
She has been tapped by a wide variety of organizations across industries, including technology, professional services (law, human resources, finance, accounting), entertainment, non-profits, healthcare, medicine, education, and government, including the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab. Her approach is grounded in theory and academic rigor, honed from years of research and study. With both a master’s degree and a PhD in leadership, Carrie has a solid foundation on which she builds her strategies.
Senior executive and corporate officer at a multi-site nonprofit organization with nearly 25,000 constituents, more than $600 million in assets, and annual revenues exceeding $150 million. Carrie leads enterprise-wide strategic planning and plays a central role in organizational management, growth strategy, and complex financial decision-making.
Executive Leadership
Certified change management practitioner with deep experience leading organizations through complex, enterprise-wide transformation. Combine formal change methodology with practical executive experience to help leaders anticipate resistance, build alignment, engage stakeholders, and translate major initiatives into changes that people can understand, adopt, and sustain.
Change Management
Author of From Office to Anywhere: How Smart Leaders Build High-Performing Remote Teams and creator of the REMOTE Leadership Framework, a research-informed model for strengthening leadership across distributed workplaces. As a speaker, she brings a practical, engaging perspective to strategy, organizational performance, leadership, and change, helping audiences connect big ideas to the realities of how work actually gets done.
Author and Speaker
PhD, Leadership Studies
University of the Cumberlands
JD
University of Pittsburgh School of Law
MA, Leadership & Liberal Studies
Duquesne University
Fellow, College of Physicians of Philadelphia
Prosci® Certified Change Management Practitioner
Credentials
amy burford, mba
Digital Transformation Leader
Amy is a high-energy change leader with a broad skill set spanning product management, operations, sales, general management, and entrepreneurship. Over the course of her career, she has led growth initiatives, digital transformation, customer engagement, and post-acquisition integration across telecommunications, technology, SaaS, and financial services.
Most recently, Amy has guided teams through large-scale digital transformation and organizational change within a Fortune 500 company, combining strategic thinking with a practical ability to unlock value, build momentum, and strengthen teams. She is especially skilled at helping organizations connect strategy to execution, bringing clarity to complex challenges and keeping teams focused on measurable results. Her approach blends commercial discipline with a strong emphasis on communication, collaboration, and sustained change.
Amy has built her career at the intersection of growth, technology, and transformation. Her experience spans product management, operations, sales, general management, and entrepreneurship, including leading growth initiatives, customer engagement, and acquisition-related work across telecommunications, SaaS, technology, and financial services.
Growth and Transformation
Amy is a strategic and adaptable problem-solver who excels at turning ideas into action. She brings a strong commercial lens to complex challenges, helping organizations identify opportunities, unlock value, build profitable relationships, and keep teams focused on measurable results through periods of growth and change.
Strategy and Execution
Amy is a Prosci® Certified Change Management Practitioner and an Associate Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation. She helps leaders and teams navigate change by combining structured change-management practices with coaching, facilitation, and practical support that strengthens adoption, communication, and team effectiveness.
Change Management and Coaching
MBA
DePaul Driehaus College of Business
Associate Certified Coach (ACC)
International Coaching Federation
Prosci® Certified Change Management Practitioner
Navigating Challenging Dialog Facilitator
Credentials
carolyn stefanco, phd
Executive Coach
Carolyn is an executive coach, former university president, and global leadership expert with more than 35 years of experience in higher education, governance, organizational leadership, and executive development. Over the course of her career, she has served as a president, vice president, dean, department chair, professor, and board member, giving her a rare breadth of perspective on the challenges facing senior leaders and complex organizations.
Her work has spanned institutional strategy, academic innovation, student success, enrollment, partnerships, governance, and organizational change in the United States and internationally. She brings that deep executive background to her coaching and advisory work, helping leaders navigate complex decisions, strengthen leadership effectiveness, manage transitions, and move forward with greater clarity and confidence.
Carolyn has held senior leadership roles across public and private higher education, including president, vice president, dean, department chair, and professor. Her experience spans institutional strategy, student success, academic innovation, enrollment, partnerships, and organizational leadership across a wide range of institutions and operating environments.
Executive Leadership
Carolyn brings extensive experience in board governance and international leadership, including service on U.S. and global boards and leadership roles spanning Europe, Africa, and other international contexts. Her work has also included university governance, healthcare boards, international partnerships, and leadership development across cultures.
Governance and Global Leadership
Carolyn has coached senior leaders since 2010, serving as a confidential thought partner as they navigate leadership challenges, career transitions, and new opportunities. Her approach combines practical CEO experience with research on leadership, management, women’s advancement, and organizational effectiveness.
Executive Coaching
PhD, History
Duke University
Certified Board Advisor
Presidents Governance Academy Certificate
Women on Boards Certificate
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Senior Fulbright Scholar
University of Zagreb
Helen Gurley Brown Genius Award Recipient
Credentials