Bethany Kurbis is the Founder and CEO of Integrative Coaching, LLC, a boutique consultancy specializing in individual, group, and institutional coaching working with clients across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and North America. With 15 years of experience in coaching, human resource strategy, organizational effectiveness, and talent development, Bethany is uniquely positioned to develop leaders’ skills, knowledge, and abilities to excel in their work for the purpose of achieving strategic goals, aligning with core values, and executing on vision and mission.

Bethany founded Integrative Coaching based on the belief that coaching is helping people give themselves the gift they are seeking. Her superpower is giving her clients the space, deep listening, thoughtful questions, and insightful feedback that empowers them with the tools and knowledge to create new paths for themselves that center on their values, goals, and vision.

Prior to founding Integrative Coaching, Bethany was the Vice President and Chief People Officer at Winrock International, a renowned international development organization providing solutions to some of the world’s most complex social, agricultural, and environmental challenges. In this role, she transformed Winrock’s Human Resources team to become the People and Culture unit, focusing their work on empowering global team members to accomplish their goals and aspire to reaching their potential within their careers. Bethany also launched the first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion task force in Winrock’s history, developed a sustainable organizational DEI strategy, designed and implemented a new professional development strategy and practices including a competency-based career skills map for global employees, and designed and implemented new performance management practices across all global offices to ensure all employees receive substantive, insightful, unbiased feedback on their performance on an ongoing basis.

Before joining Winrock International, Bethany spent nearly seven years working in talent development and organizational effectiveness, first at the American Red Cross and later at The Advisory Board Company. In these roles, she focused on creating structures, processes, and guidance to develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities of each organization’s workforce, elevate staff experiences and career opportunities, and provide development opportunities that resulted in long term engagement, retention, and growth. Her accomplishments include launching a first-of-its kind performance review process grounded in an organization-wide, data-driven competency model; creating toolkits coaching managers through giving radically candid feedback and checking unconscious bias when assessing talent; and creating new 360 and high-potential talent assessment tools.

Bethany’s career in Human Resources is rooted in humanitarian aid. From 2007 until 2010, she was a humanitarian worker in in Southern Sudan, Sudan, and Iraq initially focused on developing curriculum and implementing training-of-trainers courses on conflict resolution techniques for local communities. She later shifted to roles charged with coaching staff in a high-stress environment, designing staff training and performance management practices, and aligning country programs with organizational missions and strategic goals.

Bethany’s experience working abroad ignited her passion for Human Resources and Organizational Development in an unexpected way. The colleagues she served were witnessing unimaginable human suffering daily, in an environment where they often feared for their own lives. However, when those same colleagues chose to resign, it was not due to the stressful and dangerous environment – it was because they weren’t able to access needed PTO, or they weren’t getting comprehensive performance management feedback, or they felt they weren’t being compensated adequately for their service. This discovery was equal parts infuriating and inspiring to Bethany: the problem was a madding one, but it was also solvable. She has since dedicated her career to creating programs, policies, and systems that allow individuals and organizations to thrive simultaneously as they work toward shared goals.

Bethany holds a Master of Arts Degree in Human Resource Management from The Catholic University of America and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Crown College. She is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and holds multiple industry certifications, including Prosci’s change management pilot professional, and Korn Ferry’s competency modeling and 360 assessment tools. She is a member of the Forbes Human Resources Council where she leverages her unique expertise to contribute insights-driven thought leadership content focused on talent development and organizational effectiveness.