About Alice :)

I spent over 20 years working in education, healthcare, non-profit, and government - engaging with engineers, IT, patients, participants, doctors, nurses, administrators, and many other professionals. There were similar challenges, relationships and workflow. My skills as an effective communicator, creative problem solver, and relational team player helped me navigate and resolve issues and promote a healthy culture - giving me an influential role to effect change without the C-Suite title. :) 

Improved transportation allowed us to move from homogenized communities to diverse ones such as ethnicities, thought, beliefs, and values. Our locally global communities may cause discomfort and sometimes we can't even determine the cause. Gwaan Hai is to help you and your team identify these possible challenges and find ways to overcome them.

My experience to find opportunities to improve infrastructure and processes while stewarding healthy relationships has awarded me success. I turned around organizations by improving employee relations, strengthening the culture, and building business processes. My methodology is to engage ALL stakeholders to co-create programs, solutions, and strategies, where our collaboration reached high-quality results. Building trust to make things happen.       

How It Began...

Classmates posing at my elementary school's playground. :)

My parents started their own small business and for 22 years, I watched our patrons be more than just paying customers. My mom knew their order, food, drink and even their favorite table! She’d ask them about their lives, check in on kids, grandkids and friends. My parents had established deeper connected relationships and even being retired for 15 years, they continue to get stopped by people of all ages, letting them know their restaurant is missed in the community. 

I must have caught it from my parents. You know that kid on the playground? The one trying to be inclusive and relational. That's me! My name is on the Citizenship Award plaque at my elementary school - at least the last time I checked. :) 

Philosophy Statement

When we take the time to build a foundation where we value understanding each other, our community thrives. People who feel connectedness are open to relationships that create a positive and engaging culture. These met needs form unique community groups who are ready to achieve any agreed upon goals.   

Why am I doing this? 

With our increasingly diversified community, I see tensions that can be avoided when we manage these relationships positively. All too often we let our differences lead us to misunderstandings and strained relationships. We spend hours with people, at work, school, social activities - why not invest in the tools to engage healthily, as we are better together!

My Approach 

I’m curious and like to peel the onion back to find the root causes. Each of us are part of a system of systems. Working with stakeholders to assess the situation allows us to determine the next steps, together.

Areas of Expertise/Results

  • Organization Behavior and Development
  • Community Engagement/Inclusion
  • Business Development/Strategic Planning
  • Equitable and Values-based Leadership
  • Volunteer Management/Board Development

Experience/Selected Projects

  • Increased store revenue by 39% through employee relations (morale, retention, conflict resolution) and business model
  • Coached hundreds of organizations to think about team development, create their community engagement plans, and improve business processes 
  • Led internal assessments and improved organizational workflows in administrative work, program delivery, and processes 
  • Created the infrastructure of a department to support the daily operations of an organization that manages over 1000 volunteers in 35 programs, amassing over 33,000 volunteer service hours: $719,000 of donated time
  • Co-created a four-week civic engagement class on diversity and inclusion for new neighbors to understand the service culture in their new community

Credentials

  • Master of Science in Management, Healthcare Administration, Troy University
  • Human Resource Management Certificate, Lake Washington Institute of Technology
  • Leadership Eastside alum, Adaptive Community Leadership curriculum
  • WA Values-based Leadership Stewards Program (in progress), Common Good Works

Selected Organizations

  • Jubilee REACH
  • United Way of King County
  • King County Developmental Disability Board
  • Eastside Neighbors Network

Collaborative Consultants!

Gwaan Hai's holistic and relational framework focuses on co-creating ways to enhance your goals and objectives. Ensuring all stakeholders are engaged in the process for the best outcomes. Contact us for more information. 

Connect with Alice


How to reach us
(425) 440-9884
Bellevue, WA