Deborah Burkholder – Co-Founder
“Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” ~ Michelangelo
Like the sculptor, I let the work tell me what to do. Unlike a sculptor, the work is never finished. I spent years failing to create the perfect system, process, form, experience, or relationship not influenced by another’s perception or changing conditions.
I learned the importance of setting a direction towards an ideal and appreciating the unexpected twists and turns along the way as each step informs the next. The perfection of our imperfection enhanced by diverse points of view, the joy of learning, adapting, and discovery along the way.
My own path has not been linear or traditional. I benefited by roles in education, human services, manufacturing, academia, consulting, and healthcare. My knowledge, skills and abilities evolved by experiences in corporate human resources, life-cycle talent acquisition and employee engagement; consulting on measuring and improving employment practices including branding and marketing; and as an entrepreneur developing workflows and software to support better business processes.
As co-founder of MB Associates LLC, I focus on leveraging resources, especially time and talent, to create better organizational and economic solutions, and solve HR challenges. Appia was developed in response to the new job security, mobility of the workforce, and the need to manage careers differently.
But the world is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. Coaching individuals to be more antifragile is just part of the equation. It’s also consulting with organizations on how to engage with talent to solve business problems. And then there is the issue of creating a sustainable economy. How have the three sources of capital – social, human, and financial – changed? We are working to influence the new economics of how people and businesses survive and thrive.
To add value for you, part of my role is staying on top of emerging trends so you stay focused on your career and business. I am active in the human resource, career coaching, technology innovation, sourcing strategies (AIRS certified in Internet and Social Sourcing Recruitment), and the entrepreneur communities.
I serve as President of the New England Association of Career Professionals (ACPI-NE), Chair of Workforce Readiness for New Hampshire HR State Council; Advisory Board Co-chair for the MIT Institute for Career Transitions; on the Family Services of the Merrimack Valley Advisory Board and Standards Committee; and the leadership team of Career Transitions of Greater Boston. In addition to coaching, and consulting, I am honored to teach and learn career planning and management with the new workforce generation at Suffolk University.
But enough about me. Contact me, and let’s get to know each other by working together as each other’s learner, teacher, and coach.
“A map is not the territory it represents, but, if correct, it has a similar structure to the territory, which accounts for its usefulness.” ~ Alfred Korzybski, philosopher and scientist
Let us help you connect your maps and beliefs.
Follow Deborah Burkholder (aka getAppia) on Twitter.
