Fractional & Executive Leadership
Experienced, strategic leadership for organizations in transition — so your momentum never stops.
When Your Organization Needs a Leader Now
Leadership transitions are among the most disruptive moments an organization can face. Whether you’ve experienced a sudden departure, a planned succession, or a period of organizational uncertainty, the gap between leaders can determine the trajectory of everything that follows.
Five/6teen provides experienced interim executive leadership that keeps your organization stable, focused, and moving forward — while you take the time to make the right permanent hire.
What Five/6teen Brings to an Interim Engagement
Dr. Kim steps into interim roles as a full organizational partner — not a placeholder. She brings senior executive experience, a research-informed approach to organizational dynamics, and a track record of leading teams, managing stakeholders, and maintaining operational momentum during times of change.
EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE
25+ years of senior leadership across nonprofit, higher education, and municipal organizations. Dr. Kim has served in program, education, and executive leadership roles at complex institutions.
SECTOR KNOWLEDGE
Deep familiarity with the specific pressures, governance structures, funders, and community relationships that shape mission-driven organizations — particularly in the arts, education, and public sectors.
EQUITY-CENTERED LENS
Every engagement is led through a lens of equity and justice — ensuring that transition moments do not become rollback moments for hard-won culture and inclusion work.
STABILIZING PRESENCE
We envision a sector where mission-driven organizations are led with both strategic excellence and deep humanity — where equity is not an aspiration but an operational reality, and where every leader has the support they need to do their best work.
What a Fractional Engagement Includes
Every fractional engagement is scoped based on the organization’s specific needs, but typically includes:
-
Managing staff, operations, and organizational priorities to maintain continuity and momentum during the transition period.
-
Serving as the primary leadership voice to boards, funders, partners, and community stakeholders — maintaining trust and transparency throughout.
-
Keeping staff grounded, informed, and motivated — with particular attention to team culture, morale, and retention during a vulnerable period.
-
Ensuring existing strategic priorities remain on track while laying the groundwork for the incoming permanent leader to step into a strong foundation.
-
Capturing institutional knowledge, processes, and context in a structured transition document to support a seamless leadership handoff.
How We Engage
Fractional leadership engagements are structured as time-based retainers, scoped to your organization’s size, needs, and timeline. Engagements are typically three to twelve months in duration. We recommend an initial discovery conversation to assess fit and scope before any agreement is formalized.
A 60-minute conversation to understand your organization’s situation, needs, timeline, and culture.
Discovery Call
You’re part of the process. We keep communication open and decisions shared—no black boxes or surprises.
Scope & Proposal
A structured onboarding process to get Dr. Kim up to speed quickly on your team, programs, finances, stakeholders, and strategic priorities.
Transition Onboarding
Full interim leadership service for the agreed engagement period, with regular check-ins with your board or governing body.
Active Engagement
A documented, supported transition to the incoming permanent leader — with context, relationships, and momentum fully transferred.
Leadership Handoff
Is This Right for Your Organization?
Fractional & Executive Leadership engagements are a strong fit for:
Nonprofit organizations navigating a planned or unplanned executive leadership transition
Higher education or public-sector departments that need experienced leadership coverage during a search
Organizations emerging from a difficult leadership period and needing a stabilizing, trusted presence
Boards seeking an experienced thought partner to lead day-to-day operations while they take time to conduct a thoughtful permanent search
Ready to Get Started?
Let’s talk about your organization’s needs and whether Five/6teen Consulting is the right partner for this moment.