Meet Chantelle George

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chantelle George a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Chantelle, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

I am who I am because of them. My resilience comes from my family!

My grandmother, a college graduate and public school teacher, set a bar of high expectations. She and my grandfather put three daughters through school in the midst of racial unrest and poverty. My mother, the oldest of the three, graduated from college and went on to pursue a 20 plus year career as a registered nurse. Both of these women redefined resilience through their commitment to education, work ethic, and service.

My father, a Vietnam war veteran from rural Louisiana, motivated me to dream BIG. And my older brother, Nicholas who is my harshest critic and yet my biggest cheerleader encouraged me everyday to be more self aware and pushed me to focus more on character than personality.

It is through each of their resilience and care for others that I try everyday to live a life of dignity and joy.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a native of Lafayette, Louisiana and the current founder and CEO of CG Consulting, a Black, female-owned and operated consulting firm that supports entities focused on postsecondary equity. I stepped out on faith to pursue full time consulting because I was ready for a career shift that would allow me to balance meaningful work and doctoral studies at Louisiana State University. In my ten plus years of experience in the postsecondary field, I had never seen a Black woman in a consulting role. I had been a part of many leadership teams who had hired or been “voluntold” to use certain firms for various projects and during my tenure none of these consultants looked like me OR had experience in postsecondary education. I found that very interesting, and still do.

As I began my career as a consultant, I knew that I wanted to build something different. Honestly, I wanted to create something I had not seen before. A team of diverse consultants who reflected the communities we serve AND more importantly, who had knowledge and experience of the field.

This is the secret sauce of CG Consulting. 90% of our team identifies as either female or a person of color and 100% of the team has a background in K-12, higher education, college and career readiness, or nonprofit management.

We focus on identifying systemic barriers, providing actionable solutions and empowering our clients to promote equitable opportunities for all students, regardless of their background. With a deep understanding of underserved communities and our students’ lived experiences, our team of diverse consultants help bridge
gaps in education by developing inclusive environments, fostering collaboration, and empowering educators.

We specialize in the following services:

● PROGRAM STRATEGY
● PARTNERSHIP ENGAGEMENT
● CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
● STAFF TRAINING & COACHING

CG Consulting’s professional clients include: ACT, OneGoal, National College Attainment Network, Bottom Line, Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund, University of Houston, National Louis University, Charter School Growth Fund, Opportunity College, New Profit, Educate Texas, TRIO, Education Strategy Group, and College Spring to name a few.

In just three short years, under my leadership, CG Consulting has partnered with over 15 organizations with an impact reach of ten states and over 100,000 students.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
My journey has truly been a reflection of what God has ordered. I am simply a vessel of His work. Throughout my journey, the three qualities or areas of knowledge that were the most impactful were faith, work ethic, and a solid network. As I have mentioned before, I am a faith based leader and have always led with faith. Specifically, as I have taken risks such as entrepreneurship, I have had to lean on faith more than ever before. Secondly, I pride myself in how hard I have worked to get to where I am. Nothing has been handed to me. I have worked tirelessly (sometimes too hard) in roles and have put in “the reps” to feel confident in the rooms that I now navigate. Lastly, a solid network is essential to succeed to new heights. My advice to young professionals would be to “attach yourself to someone that is in a role you want to be in”. Get proximate to this person, learn from them, and ask a ton of questions. This is crucial to your development. A network of mentors and sponsors is essential to growing as a leader. I would say that SPONSORS become more important as you climb the corporate ladder. It is the person that vouches or speaks in a room that you are not in that can change the trajectory of your career. The fourth quality that has served me in my career that I didn’t mention is integrity. Simply treating others with decency and grace goes a long way. Your name and reputation is everything. Maintain it. Value it. When in doubt, leave a place GRACEFULLY.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

ABSOLUTELY! We believe our best work is done in community and collaboration with clients. This means prioritizing building power for organizations and education systems who serve students who have been historically marginalized and who will be most impacted by a systemic change.

We bridge short-term wins to gain longer-term, systemic results. We offer a customizable approach to strategic planning, partnership engagement, and curriculum and training. Our team robustly analyzes the current state of your organization and provides tactical, impactful recommendations to reach intended outcomes. We work with entities that support young people from middle school to career!

Our clients include but are not limited to: K-12 school districts, community based organizations/non-profits, institutions of higher education, and funders.

Learn more about our impact and how we can partner with you at chantellegeorge.com.
Stay informed with our fight for equity by following us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/chantelle-george-consulting/

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Where do you get your resilience from?

Resilience is often the x-factor that differentiates between mild and wild success. The stories of

Productivity
Beating Burnout

Often the key to having massive impact is the ability to keep going when others

Leadership Development
Finding Your Why

Not knowing why you are going wherever it is that you are going sounds silly,