Marsha Acker
Principal Leadership & Team Coach
Leadership is…
finding out who you are, discovering who you are meant to be and then being that – in an authentic and powerful way. You don’t have to have a title or position to demonstrate leadership – just start by being a leader of your own life and expand from there!
I’m inspired by…
people who are passionate. The energy, joy, and compassion that radiate from people who are passionate about making a difference in the world are contagiously inspiring.
The biggest opportunity for today’s leaders is…
to create engaging and collaborative environments that access the collective intelligence of their teams and also accomplish the desired results. I often find leaders who are really good at one or the other but struggle with creating both. Those that can find their balance have a real opportunity to achieve even greater performance.
Things that make me smile include…
my daughter’s laugh, my husband’s warm sense of humor, being with family, a morning cup of coffee on the back porch as the sun rises, and sailing the Caribbean.
What matters to me…
having fun, collaborating, working with smart people and finding more engaging ways to engage others in getting our work done.
Experience
Marsha coaches leaders and teams, particularly those seeking to have a creative, clear and powerful impact in their work and their lives. As an experienced leader and entrepreneur in fast-paced technology and service organizations, Marsha understands the importance of strong leadership with a focus on results. She is passionate about helping leaders and organizations achieve results through powerful collaboration and inspiration over a more traditional command and control style.
Marsha founded TeamCatapult in 2005 and has successfully coached leaders and teams in defining and leading change in their organizations. Before that, Marsha was an Executive Consultant at Canal Bridge Consulting, a coaching and facilitation firm focused on large-scale organizational change and business process re-engineering. As the Director of Operations for the technology firm Olympus Group, Inc., she oversaw all client-facing work and implemented an organization-wide management discipline that increased project profitability and improved program success rates. Marsha has over twenty years of experience in leadership and team development, group facilitation, organizational change, and strategic planning.
Marsha’s specialty is working with technical leaders and their teams. With her energetic presence and her deep sense of connection, she leverages the power of collaboration as she challenges her clients to define and achieve their next level. She believes that great leadership springs from the intersection of authenticity, passion, and results: bring your whole self to work, do what you love, and make a difference – these are the leaders people want to follow.
Recent clients: AmeriCorps, Angell Animal Medical Center, Sunovian, Riot Games, Humana, Verizon Wireless, EMC2, Caterpillar, Booz Allen, AT&T Wireless, ConAgra Foods, DuPont, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Small Business Administration, Census Bureau, John Hopkins University, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Training & Certifications
- Professional Certified Coach (PCC), International Coach Federation
- Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), The Coaches Training Institute
- Advanced Organization and Relationship Systems Coach (ORSC), Center for Right Relationship
- Team Coaching Certification, Team Coaching International
- Certified Structural Dynamics Practioner, The Kantor Institute
- Leadership Circle 360 and Leadership Culture Certification, The Leadership Circle
- Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF), International Association of Facilitators
- Integral Facilitation, Integral Facilitator
- Certified Change Management Practitioner, PROSCI
- ICAgile Certified Expert in Agile Coaching, International Consortium for Agile
Education
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, BS, Management Science
- University of Maryland, MS, Software Engineering