We know leadership isn’t just about strategy or decision-making.
Our Mission
To help people lead themselves, others, and organizations in alignment with their vision, values, and strengths.
Our Vision
A world where people and organizations embody their full potential and experience joy.
Our Values
☀️ Joy >>> We cultivate joy in our work, even when it’s hard, fostering positivity, connection, and celebration.
💡 Innovation >>> We operate from a creative state, embodying continuous improvement in all that we do.
🤔 Learning >>> We believe learning is a way of life that fuels vitality, curiosity, and transformation.
🌿 Well-being >>> We prioritize the physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing of our team, clients, and communities, nurturing a balanced environment.
💃 Embodiment >>> We practice what we learn, teach, and experience from a beginner’s mind and humble heart.
🤲 Philanthropy >>> We act from a place of generosity, kindness, and goodwill as a natural expression of our love for humanity.
At the Gorge Leadership Institute, we’re proud to work alongside a wonderful network of experienced practitioners and educators who live in the Gorge and across the country.
Together, we deliver impactful programs and services grounded in real-world experience.
Our team brings a variety of perspectives and expertise, ensuring we meet the unique needs of our clients.
With this collective knowledge, we craft personalized leadership experiences that empower individuals, teams, and organizations to lead with clarity, passion, and purpose.
Our Faculty
Our Executive Team
Jill Catherine
Founder + CEO, Lead Faculty
Jill’s journey into leadership and coaching didn’t follow a straight path—it was shaped by curiosity, resilience, and a deep commitment to helping others grow.
A former collegiate athlete, she learned the power of teamwork, flow state, and mental & emotional resilience—lessons that would later shape her approach to leadership and coaching. From her early days in communications to leading global leadership programs, she has spent her career exploring what it truly means to lead on purpose.
As the founder of the Gorge Leadership Institute, Jill brings over two decades of experience spanning nonprofit management, academic communications, corporate leadership development, personal coaching, consulting, and philanthropy. She has coached leaders navigating career transitions and challenges with employees, facilitated strategic planning for organizations seeking clarity, and designed transformative retreats that helped individuals reconnect with their values and vision.
Jill’s leadership has taken many forms—some of which include serving as:
Director and Head Coach of Valar Institute’s Leadership Accelerator, where she guided global professionals in people leadership, hosted skills-based workshops, and facilitated think tanks at industry conferences;
Communications Director at Syracuse University, where she designed and executed communication strategies for campus life, served as faculty of the Student Leadership Institute, and co-facilitated student retreats on life’s big questions;
Spokesperson & Education Director at Ophelia’s Place, where she created and delivered curriculum on the mind-body connection, provided in-person and virtual coaching, and presented at conferences;
TEDx Speaker, where she shared her personal story on resiliency and identity.
Beyond the other roles she has served in, Jill has consulted on strategic planning, board development, and process design, bringing structure and alignment to teams and organizations.
With an Executive MBA, a bachelor’s degree in Communications, a Life Coaching certification, and specialized training in body-positive psychotherapy and racial equity, Jill blends research, real-world experience, and coaching expertise to create meaningful learning experiences. Her passion lies in helping people not just lead—but lead on purpose.
Christy Deere
Director of Team Programs, Lead Faculty
Transforming Teams, Elevating Leaders, and Facilitating Meaningful Change
Christy is a facilitator, mediator, and trainer with more than 20 years of experience helping organizations cultivate thriving teams and courageous leaders. She specializes in experiential team and leadership development, process facilitation, and group conflict coaching, using innovative methodologies such as Integral Facilitation®, LEGO® Serious Play®, and Polarity Thinking.
Passionate about regenerative organizations that prioritize people, purpose, planet, and profit, Christy helps teams navigate complexity, embrace diverse perspectives, and develop the skills needed to unlock their own potential.
Having worked with a diverse range of clients, from global corporations like Meta and Sanofi Pasteur, to nonprofits and government agencies like the USDA, Christy guides teams through experiences that build trust, enhance collaboration, and drive strategic clarity.
Whether leading leadership retreats, facilitating critical discussions, or designing dynamic team-building programs, she creates results-driven environments that inspire meaningful change.
Carlye Cunniff
Director of Experience Design and Strategy, Lead Faculty
Carlye supports organizations in identifying and solving challenging problems with program, service, and product solutions.
She is a design strategist and design thinking facilitator, and has worked with organizations like Amazon, The City of Seattle, General Assembly and the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Carlye specializes in using customer research to define and implement realistic and compelling visions for organizations that enable them to grow, scale, and work more efficiently.