Welcoming Sarah Brownell to Rysing Tide

A leadership team can have talented people, a clear ambition, and plenty of activity, yet still find it difficult to make progress.

Priorities compete. Decisions circle back. Work crosses several teams without anyone having a clear view of what is needed next.

Understanding why that happens, and helping leaders change it, is central to Sarah Brownell’s work. We’re pleased to welcome her to the Rysing Tide team as a Strategy & Operations Advisor and Fractional Chief of Staff.

Connecting leadership with how the organization works

Sarah helps CEOs and leadership teams make their organizations easier to lead and more effective.

Her work looks at the connections between people, priorities, responsibilities, and everyday management practices. Where is coordination breaking down? Which decisions need attention? Are commitments realistic? Do people have the clarity and support to follow through?

These questions connect closely with our work at Rysing Tide. Leadership development, strategy, culture, and organizational effectiveness influence one another. Bringing them together helps create conditions in which people can succeed.

Practical experience inside complex organizations

Sarah’s career spans technology and professional services, including roles at Nintex, PitchBook, and Milliman, with earlier experience at Microsoft and AT&T.

She has served as Chief of Staff, built and led global teams and functions, and worked closely with executive leadership on planning, governance, and coordination across an organization.

That experience has shaped an approach grounded in understanding how an organization actually works, including its relationships, leadership dynamics, and informal ways of getting things done.

Sarah brings curiosity, candor, and structure to that work, adapting her approach to the people and circumstances involved.

Expanding the ways we can help

Sarah strengthens our consulting work in organizational effectiveness, planning, decision-making, and operational performance.

She also expands our fractional Chief of Staff capability, providing CEOs and senior executives with an experienced partner to help navigate competing demands and move important priorities forward.

Depending on the need, that could involve improving how the leadership team operates, coordinating a strategic initiative, strengthening planning and review practices, or helping leaders work through a period of change.

Her work complements our coaching, consulting, and fractional leadership services by connecting the development of leaders with the organizational practices that support them.

Welcome, Sarah

We’re pleased to bring Sarah’s perspective and experience to our clients and to the wider Rysing Tide team.

Meet Sarah to learn more about her background and approach, or Start a Conversation about the support your organization needs.