About us

Carrie Hays

“Out of the frying pan and into the fire!” That’s how Carrie Hays describes her unusual path to the field of organizational development. A graduate of Colgate University and The Culinary Institute of America, Carrie’s first job after earning her degrees was as a chef for a large hotel. In that role, Carrie learned two things: that she wasn’t that great of a cook, and that the real challenge of preparing food was managing a team. Realizing that management intrigued her more than cooking, she hopped out of the kitchen and into the field of organizational development. After fifteen years as a corporate manager in the hospitality industry, which included organizational change responsibilities, and after earning a Master of Arts in Management, Carrie started her own organizational development consulting practice, The Halle Group, based in Napa Valley, California.

Known for her expertise at leadership and team effectiveness coaching, designing and facilitating customized leadership workshops and meetings designed to help teams get good results, Carrie and her colleagues work with a variety of audiences ranging from small teams to groups of hundreds of participants. By helping individuals and teams fundamentally shift the way they think and communicate, Halle Group clients are able to create more effective organizations and teams that can successfully navigate change — in ways that are sustainable.

In addition to her own consulting practice, Carrie is a Senior Consultant with Roger Schwarz & Associates (www.schwarzassociates.com). This work includes consulting, training, and coaching a rigorous and compassionate approach for individuals and leadership teams to resolve their toughest challenges and get good results.

Carrie’s certifications include Advanced Practioner, 6 Team Conditions and Team Diagnostic Survey, Associate Certified Coach with International Coaching Federation, Roger Schwarz & Associates' Facilitative Coaching, Kegan and Lahey's Immunity to Change, Marshall Goldsmith's Stakeholder Centered Coaching, Neuroscience of Change for Coaches, Body = Brain Coaching, and Doug Silsbee's Presence-Based Coaching, Strozzi Institute Embodied Leadership..

602ae4b57f8aa0998c438db2_D Whitehurst.jpg — Dan Whitehurst

Dan is an attorney and businessman who has extensive experience in local government and corporate board governance.

He was a city councilman in Fresno, California from 1975-77 and was mayor from 1977-85. He served on the board of directors of the National League of Cities and the advisory board of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and was President of the Mayors and Councilmembers Department of the League of California Cities. He was a resident fellow at the Kennedy School's Institute of Politics and executive director of the Maddy Institute for Public Affairs at CSU Fresno. He later served for 10 years on the board of directors of the Institute for Local Government in Sacramento, including two years as Chair.

Dan received a B.A. in Government from Saint Mary's College in Moraga, an M.A. in Urban Studies from Occidental College and a J.D. from UC Hastings. He is a member of the State Bar of California and is Vice Chair of AAA Northern California Nevada & Utah.