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Leadership can be lonely. Change is challenging. Flourishing is within reach.

Transformation can’t take place without learning.

L3 Catalyst Group is approached by leaders and teams when they feel stuck as they seek organizational change. Often this stuckness is caused by underlying power or systems issues that prevent the team from moving forward.

L3 Catalyst Group illuminates the underlying issues with you. We guide teams to learn individually and collectively about our power, privilege, and intersectional identities to create a transformational path forward.

LEARN

Study, experience, & un-learn. 

Transformation can’t take place without learning and un-learning. We are approached by leaders and teams when they seek organizational change and feel stuck. They have tried several approaches toward resolution, but there are underlying power or systems issues that are preventing them from moving forward. L3 Catalyst Group illuminates the underlying issues with you. We guide teams to learn individually and collectively about our power, privilege, and intersectional identities to create a transformational path forward. 

LEAD

Intention in action.
The work we do with organizations and leaders is significant and complex. It embraces conflict and is grounded in personal and organizational commitments, values, and vision for change. Addressing this complexity requires everyone’s engagement to do their own work for the collective whole. We support our clients to dive deep into our complex identities of power and marginalization, recognize how they show up, and work toward personal and collective change. We don’t ask you to go anywhere we aren’t willing to go ourselves, and we approach our interactions with curiosity, active listening, and love.

LIBERATE

Freedom from oppression.
We work for liberation in beloved community because we are interconnected. Together, we build bridges to disrupt oppression at personal, interpersonal, organizational, and systemic levels. At L3 Catalyst Group, we work to envision and make real a liberatory future of equitable outcomes for liberation, not profit.

We're here to help you...

OUR MISSION

Grow learning, cultivate brave leaders & teams, and equip organizational flourishing.

WE ENVISION

Equitable outcomes, spaces of belonging, and liberation.

  • Navigate complexity & conflict

  • Drive liberation

  • Illuminate underlying issues

  • Approach leadership with brave curiosity

  • Transform collectively

  • Do the work because we need the work

Meet Deanna Rolffs

L3 Catalyst Group Owner & Principal

 

Deanna 5Deanna (Dee) Rolffs (they/them) is a strategist, facilitator, coach, systems thinker, and consultant that has worked with executive leaders and teams for more than twenty years, the last ten focused on the intersection of organizational theory, leadership development, justice, and equity. Their process consulting approach focuses on organizational transformation via thriving teams, brave leadership, equitable systems, and inclusive communities. With a  personal and professional dedication to justice and equity, Deanna supports leadership and teams of all sizes, in all sectors. Deanna served as a Senior Consultant with Design Group International since 2018, became a Senior Design Partner in 2021, and launched L3 Catalyst Group in 2023.

Deanna has facilitated at dozens of conferences nationally and locally. An avid adult learning specialist, they have engaged hundreds of groups on topics including Leading for Equity, Anti-Racism, White Consciousness, Anti White Supremacy, Systemic Oppression, Implicit Bias, Strategic and Operational Planning, and much more. Deanna has facilitated and served on leadership boards and teams to guide strategic direction, service delivery, staff development, and stakeholder engagement.

Deanna is dedicated to supporting teams, especially those with privilege, to do personal and collective work to develop, implement and evaluate cultural, social justice, and racial equity commitments to grow and ensure a deeply inclusive environment.  

In the past, Deanna has served on multiple leadership boards including, the Advisory Council of Calvin University's Center for Social Research and the Alumni Community Advisory Board at Partners in School Innovation. Currently, they volunteer with the Grand Rapids Pride Center and serve on the Grand Rapids Public Schools' Montessori Advisory Council.

Deanna is the recipient of the Pi Alpha Alpha Award for outstanding academic achievement & volunteer service upon her completion of a Master of Public Administration from Grand Valley State University and holds a bachelor’s degree from Calvin University. 

Amazing Humans We Get to Work With

 

L3 Catalyst Group is called a group because we all live, work, are held accountable, and thrive in community.

We work within an intersectional consultant and client community. Catalyzing change in ourselves, our relationships, our organizations, and systems is the focus of the L3 Catalyst Group community. Truth-telling about historical and present inequities is critical.

Together, we can catalyze a brave, bold, and liberatory future.

Bela

Bela Bhasin
(she/her)

Coach and Consultant

Bela is a coach and facilitator with a passion for supporting organizations to transform their systems into equitable, just, and liberating environments. Bela’s work for more than two decades has included coaching leaders and teams within organizations to recognize and interrupt systemic oppression and reimagine and redesign their systems where all individuals, regardless of their identity markers, can realize their full brilliance and potential. Bela is passionate about designing and facilitating learning spaces that foster conditions for genuine belonging through storytelling, healing and truth telling. Much of Bela’s work is focused on centering the needs and voices of those most vulnerable in our communities.

Bela has been working as a consultant since 2021. Her recent partnerships include National Equity Project, Partners in School Innovation, The Teaching Well, Lead Liberated, the City of Redwood City, San Francisco Unified School District, Oakland Unified School District, Mt. Pleasant Elementary School District and Aspire Public Schools.

Bela has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, India, and a Master of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education from Wheelock College in Boston, MA. She received her National Board Certification in 2000. Bela was born and raised in India and moved to the U.S in 1990.

courtney

Courtney Simmons
(she/her)

Owner & Principal of Inclusive Insight Group

Courtney (she/her) has led in corporate spaces for nearly 20 years, and has experienced the implicit and explicit ways we communicate that people don’t “fit in.” Her dedication and passion for transforming systems to make requisite changes for true inclusion, equity, and belonging are evident at the core of her being. Courtney is skilled in co-creations, design, and facilitation of DEI strategy, implementation, and learning commitments with a unique blend of candor, vulnerability, and expertise. Having served in diverse corporate spaces spanning across North America, from Fortune500 companies to craft brewing and non-profit organizations, she helps leaders and teams grow spaces of equity, inclusion, and belonging. Courtney founded Inclusive Insight Group in 2023 to support the relentless pursuit of joy, fulfillment, and success one inclusive insight at a time. 

trudi perkins

Dr. Trudi Perkins
(she/her)

Owner of Momentum Consulting Firm

Dr. Trudi L. Perkins, owner of Momentum Consulting Firm, boasts a more than 20-year legacy in both academia and the corporate worlds, spanning education, banking, real estate and non-profit sectors. Synthesizing the knowledge and insights from her roles as educator, operations and systems manager, policies and procedures manager, to non-profit board management, she leverages strong operations management critical theory and innovative methods, positioning her as a luminary in racism awareness development. Dr. Perkins' expertise uniquely equips her to reshape and advance inclusive organizational practices.

D.L. McKinney

D.L. McKinney, MPA
(they/them)

Co-owner of Paradigm Shifts Consulting & Director of Milton E. Ford LGBT Resource Center at GVSU
DL is a Detroit native turned GVSU “Laker for a Lifetime” Grand Rapids resident. With a work history that is everything but orthodox. DL boasts a hefty career in laboratory science, business leadership, and social justice change. They serve as support to QTPOC folks as a member of various West Michigan community committees focusing on wellness, homelessness, equity, and social change. D.L. continues to work from a lens of racial and social justice to support individuals and communities in building their capacity to challenge internal and external systems of oppression to create sustainable change. DL is currently the Director of Grand Valley State University's Milton E. Ford LGBT Resource Center, and Co-owner/Principal Consultant of Paradigm Shifts Consulting.
Jazz

Jazz McKinney, MA, LLP
(they/them)

Executive Director of the Grand Rapids Pride Center & Co-owner/Principal Consultant of Paradigm Shifts Consulting

Jazz (they/them) is a Black, Indigenous Two-Spirit individual that although born and raised in Detroit, has made West Michigan their home. Jazz is a facilitator of social justice, public speaker, and a change agent for liberation. A firm believer in the power of relationships to bring justice to inequitable organizations, Jazz leads with authenticity, listening, creativity, and truth telling. They are an advocate of racial justice especially within the 2-SLGBTQ+ community, with a commitment to highlighting the importance of education, awareness, and engagement to create change. Working to decolonize gender roles and identities, they are passionate about rectifying the harmful impact of gender binaries in our communities. Jazz is currently the Executive Director of the Grand Rapids Pride Center and Co-owner/Principal Consultant of Paradigm Shifts Consulting.

Glen Black Suit-1

Glen Guyton
(he/him)

Owner & Principal Consultant of GuyStar Enterprises, LLC

With over 30 years of practical experience, Glen has a wealth of knowledge and expertise to help organizations navigate the complex nature of culture.  He is passionate about helping organizations break down the systemic barriers that many marginalized individuals face to create more equitable and productive environments. Glen’s customized solutions empower leaders to achieve their organizational goals and make individuals feel valued and empowered to contribute their full potential to the organization’s mission.

Ken

Ken Miguel-Cipriano
(any pronouns)

Consultant & Director of Public Agency at WMCAT

Ken is a seasoned innovation lead and project manager, with a background spanning tech startups to municipal government. They see projects as intersecting components rooted in multiple adjacent systems that come together at a growth point. Ken applies a combination of human-centered design, data analysis, systems thinking, and ethnographic research when addressing unique problem sets.

Words From Our Clients...

Anti-White Supremacy

Deanna facilitated multi-session conversations with our team, using an "equity pause" model to increase awareness, disrupt ways of thinking, and reflect on our goals for racial equity and inclusion in our classrooms. A thoughtful facilitator, Deanna co-designed each session with me to ensure that the group's context and existing knowledge/expertise were considered in the planned content. She helped us to have meaningful dialogue that not only impacted how we engage with students but also with colleagues and those outside of our professional spaces. I look forward to working with her again in the future!

Leadership Development

I had the pleasure of working with Deanna at Partners in School Innovation. She is wonderful to work with, forward thinking; and has a great deal of expertise with stakeholder engagement, team building, and organizational leadership and change. Always had a very positive attitude towards work and an inspiring team player. I was impressed with her ability to drive leadership development in areas of anti-white supremacy and anti-racism. Deanna would be an asset to any company.

Facilitation Design

Deanna helped support the design, delivery, and facilitation of a series of honest conversations about race in our organization. She was extremely helpful in guiding us through the design of the series and then led the discussions. She held a safe space and encouraged and facilitated meaningful discussions about some hard topics. I highly recommend Deanna and will look for an opportunity to work with her again!

Program Design

We had the pleasure of working with Deanna over the course of a year long-design process for an initiative managed by my organization. Specifically, we contracted with her to assist with the development of a proposed framework as we transitioned from pilot project to implementation. From our first meeting, Deanna established an efficient, symbiotic process, that set the stage for effective collaboration. She helped us set our goals, stay on track, and adapt as needed throughout the year. We could not have been more happy with the end product and continue to stay in touch with her to this day! I highly recommend working with Deanna if you have the opportunity.

Inclusion Process

Deanna Rolffs will ask bold questions, listen with an open spirit, and use her broad range of experience to guide a process of discernment in ways that take an initial idea and make it more actionable.

We learned about our organization and ourselves through the process itself, and the project to normalize Spanish-language ability in our schools is one that is still a touchstone for us as we continue to strive to help all students belong, create meaning, and find their authentic selves in the learning they do.

Anti-Racism & Whiteness

I recently participated with a cohort of women in a GVSU Office of Equity and Inclusion class, “Increasing Accountability” for which Deanna was a co- facilitator. She is an amazingly skilled coach and navigator! The sessions were powerfully designed to create a safe space which spurred generative thinking and insights for growth. I highly recommend working with Deanna to anyone deeply committed to their own DEI journey!

Equity Facilitation

Deanna is a very skilled DEI trainer. She is great to work with and delivers as expected to clients. Deanna's skills are top-notch, and she does her work with excellence.

Creative Problem Solver

Deanna was wonderful to work with - an experienced and sensitive facilitator of often difficult conversations, a calm and comforting presence, and a creative problem solver. Her deep understanding of nonprofit leadership, equity, and organizational development make her an excellent consultant. I enthusiastically recommend her work!

Capacity Building

Deanna is a great leader and thought partner. I had the pleasure of working with her for several years at Partners in School Innovation. I would describe her as passionate, thoughtful, and hard-working. I'm impressed with her ability to create systems, build capacity and lead inclusive teams.

Leadership Development

I had the privilege to work alongside Deanna for three years as she provided remarkable senior-level leadership to ICCF's talented and diverse program team. During her tenure, the team successfully navigated a season marked by unprecedented growth and change. Her expertise in management and group facilitation, paired with her commitment to advancing justice have set her apart as a trusted leader in the social sector. Whether you are developing new strategies or need help overcoming a leadership challenge, Deanna can help. She is adept at coming alongside others to help them move forward. I can't recommend her highly enough to anyone looking for help with process consulting or strategic planning! 

Process Exploration

I cannot say enough about Deanna's work with my team during a very challenging process exploration period. She facilitated several listening sessions and supported my team through some difficult conversations. Her personal and professional experiences and her focus on equity as foundational make her an excellent facilitator. She does not shy away from hard topics and is willing to stand up to injustice. I would recommend Deanna without hesitation and look forward to working with her again.

Strategic Thinking 

Over the last two years, I've had the privilege to work alongside Deanna on several committees and in each setting she has demonstrated a great ability to guide open and inclusive conversations, ensuring that everyone is heard. She truly has the heart to advocate for all of our neighbors so that they have equal opportunities to thrive. Deanna has lead several workgroups I've been a part of through strategic and evaluative thinking to reach the best outcome for the people we serve. I would highly recommend Deanna with her strong skillset in strategic planning, program development, and diversity and inclusion.

Strategic Planning 

Among her many skills and areas of expertise, Deanna Rolffs provides excellent leadership in working with groups to effect change within their organizations. My team benefited greatly from a strategic and operational planning process she led as we were seeking to strengthen our work in the areas of curriculum development and professional development for teachers. As we concluded our sessions, we understood our work more deeply and had developed a plan with specific actions that would better help us achieve our vision and goals. I especially appreciated Deanna's expertise, her calm demeanor, her careful listening, and her ability to take what she heard and apply the process to our particular situation. I recommend her without reservation.

Strategic Planning 

I had the opportunity to work with Deanna on a number of projects during our tenure at Kent ISD. Deanna is a skilled facilitator and does an excellent job of leading groups through strategic planning, ensuring that all voices and viewpoints are heard. I especially appreciate her warm, patient approach, and I highly recommend her to any individual or organization looking to improve their programs and practices.

Leadership Development 

Deanna is an empowering thought leader who values individual strengths as opportunities to grow and make profound impacts on other leaders, groups, and organizations. She has supported me in my coaching roles and has made a lasting impression on my career and personal goals, aspirations, and life-long work.

Trudy Ngo-Brown Adeola Davis Kim Chaumillion Daniel VanderMolen Carol Lautenbach Lauren Fitzmaurice Glen Guyton Maureen Kirkwood Ebony English Ryan Shandra Adrienne Ruth Jason Melissa
Trudy Ngo-Brown
Adeola Davis
Kim Chaumillion
Daniel VanderMolen
Carol Lautenbach
Lauren Fitzmaurice
Glen Guyton
Maureen Kirkwood
Ebony English
Ryan VerWys
Shandra Steininger
Adrienne Goodstall
Ruth Moxon
Jason Kalis
Melissa Wierenga

Learn. Lead. Liberate.

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