Testimonials

Incredible Value

“Christine Spadafor epitomizes the smart, strategic, and highly skilled leader of the 21st century. With a Harvard Law School degree and a registered nurse, she is truly a unicorn in the best sense of the term. Her deep knowledge of the healthcare and legal landscapes is unparalleled, and she provides incredible value as a speaker, consultant, board member and strategist.”

~ Dr. Julie Silver, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital

A Valued Confidante

“Christine has the rare talent of quickly understanding both the needs of the client and the culture of the organization. As the Deputy CFO and more recently EVP of Global Finance Operations at Twentieth Century Fox, I have been fortunate to have worked with Christine over the last 15 years on various projects. In our last three-year project, we worked closely together to successfully implement shared services at the company. Christine was instrumental in both setting the strategy and handling all global communications on the project. Her most valuable skill was her ability to navigate through both the challenges of the project and the challenging personalities. She provided direct and honest feedback all while getting the teams on board with a significant change in operations. Personally, Christine was a valued confidante who I felt was always advocating for us while challenging us to be our best. We would not have achieved the level of success on the project without her guidance and experience. Christine’s ability to quickly connect with and understand the organization I found to be unique, she would be an asset to any project and brings a wealth of knowledge that is invaluable.”

~ Jane Waxman, 20th Century Fox

A talented and accomplished individual

“I had the pleasure of working with Christine Spadafor on a complex business transformation project when I was a senior executive for 20th Century Fox. By any standard, Christine is a talented and accomplished individual.

Christine’s experience and education make it a given that she brings superb strategic and analytical skills to any assignment. Beyond these “hard” skills, however, are the personal characteristics – integrity, trustworthiness, and dedication – that have earned her lifelong clients and loyal friendships. Christine builds trusting and respectful interpersonal relationships, creating an environment where C-suite executives are willing to be open — and thus able to address “the matters that matter.” Her exceptional “soft” skills foster creativity and “big thinking” – resulting in game-changing strategies.

Once the strategic planning has been successfully completed, Christine transitions seamlessly into project execution. Her infectious energy and unwavering focus transform client teams into change agents that achieve targeted business results. Christine’s impeccable attention to detail makes it easy to be confident about even the most complex and challenging projects.

Seeking a strategic advisor or board member? You’ll look long and hard to find someone like this.”

~ Derek Waxman, Lead Client Partner, PwC

Heart and soul, Compassion, and Empathy

I worked closely with Christine Spadafor at BCG, and for twenty years I have known her as an extraordinary leader and confidante. Christine possesses a rare ability to both facilitate innovative strategy and to relentlessly execute those plans in pursuit of key objectives. She is always willing to take on the toughest challenges and to be an honest broker who earns the respect of everyone with a stake in the outcomes.

Effective advisors are created through disciplined education and relevant experience; in both of these areas, Christine draws from deep wells. Her rigorous education (at both Harvard Law School and the Harvard School of Public Health) shaped her first-rate analytical capabilities. And her wide experience (at world-class management consulting firms, leading law firms, innovative nonprofits, and on the board of a NYSE-traded company) provided a laboratory for learning “real world” lessons on innovation and competitive strategy. (It should not come as a surprise that she provides uncommon insights on strategy, organizational development, change management, and operational issues.)

Although Christine’s knowledge and expertise are impressive, those core assets are only part of “the package.” In addition, Christine serves her clients with heart and soul, compassion, and empathy. In the process, she is an attentive listener who strives to understand the deeper interests and unspoken issues that so often underlie complex organizational problems. (These essential “soft skills” are the qualities that separate a merely “competent” executive from a truly great one.) What’s more, Christine is a natural mentor and teacher, someone who nurtures talent in those who work with her.

Perhaps this goes without saying: I believe Christine Spadafor is an extremely valuable asset to any organization lucky enough to have her on (or leading) its team.”

~ Roger Pratesi, Managing Partner, Pratesi Holdings

Engaging, Dynamic, and Caring

“I interacted extensively with Christine Spadafor during her lectures and conversations at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. As a Visiting Executive Fellow I had the opportunity to meet with dozens of impressive executives across industry and functional expertise areas. Christine was easily the most engaging, dynamic and caring of them all.”

~ Jennnifer Tietz, MBA Graduate, Dartmouth Tuck School of Business

Tireless Focus

“I’ve known Christine Spadafor since 2005. It was at that time the National Board of Trustees for St. Jude’s Ranch for Children engaged Christine to provide turnaround crisis management consulting services for this worthy organization on the verge of closing its doors forever. Christine immediately demonstrated exceptional talent, sound judgment and a willingness to roll up her sleeves and get the job done. She also showed a tireless focus on protecting the welfare and best interests of organization’s at-risk children. In short order, Christine led the board and management team to a remarkable turnaround. She was the architect of the organization’s strategy that stabilized the charity’s finances and operations. On the basis of these demonstrated results, the St. Jude’s Ranch Board of Trustees asked Christine to become the CEO. As Vice-Chairman of the Board, I was proud to offer her that position. In all the years we worked together, I could always count on Christine Spadafor to do the right thing for the kids, for the organization and for our communities. I am grateful for Christine’s long service and I am proud to call her my friend. I hold her in the highest regard and have enormous respect for everything she has accomplished in her remarkable career.”

~ Sheriff Bob Holder, Former Vice-Chair, St. Jude’s Ranch for Children

Innovator, Entrepreneur, and Humanitarian

“La Roche College takes great pride in Christine Spadafor.

Since earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Administration and Management, summa cum laude, in 1979, Christine has built a reputation in both the corporate and not-for-profit worlds as an innovator, entrepreneur and humanitarian. For those accomplishments, La Roche inducted her into the College’s Distinguished Alumni Circle, awarded her an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters and invited her to deliver the 2015 Commencement Address…

The La Roche experience has shown us that Christine cares – about organizations and the people who make them successful. And she shares – in meaningful ways that leave positive, lasting impressions.”

~ Sister Candace Introcaso, CDP, Ph.D., President of La Roche College

A Powerful Ambassador

“I met Christine a few years ago in the context of non-profit work we did together. As the immediate past chair of a nonprofit providing essential services, I was leading a board that was decimated, and an organization that needed strategic guidance urgently. Christine came “to the rescue” as a PRO-BONO consultant to help us turnaround the organization, raise morale of the staff and the board, and put us on the kind of trajectory that not only saved the organization but also made it more resilient in the face of what was to come next, COVID19. I was so impressed by her experience, poise, empathy, and effectiveness that we have remained friends since and it became natural to hand over the reins of the Chairmanship and watch the organization start a new cycle. As I was launching 3CC, I came to Christine asking if she could introduce me to extraordinary women leaders like her, and not only did she join the journey as a Venture Partner but she became a powerful ambassador to the fund’s vision. Thank you Christine for believing in the mission of 3CC and for the leadership you demonstrate.”

~ Dr. Julien Pham, Nephrologist, Founder and Managing Partner of international healthcare innovation company 3CC

A Wealth of Experience

“Christine Spadafor brings a wealth of experience to the Tuck classroom – CEO, senior consultant, board member, and leader. Students and faculty alike have greatly enjoyed Christine’s regular trips to Tuck as a Visiting Executive, where she brings her personal experiences to the classroom in a way that students find energizing and informative.”

~ Paul Danos, Former Dean, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth

Smart and Decisive

“Christine Spadafor is a smart and decisive business leader, who led a turnaround of St. Jude’s Ranch for Children over the course of several years. She took an organization that was struggling in its strategy, operations, governance, and funding situation, and turned it into a thriving and growing philanthropy. I had the pleasure to see Christine in action as a CEO and was deeply impressed. In addition to her terrific business skills, she also possesses remarkable empathy and is a kind and caring person. Truly the full package! I have learned a lot from Christine and consider her an advisor and friend.”

~ Travis Fagan, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company

A Tremendous Positive Impact

“Christine is one of the most professional, ethical and accomplished executives I know. As a former member of the St. Jude’s Ranch Nevada Community Advisory Board, I was privileged to work with her for years and am proud to call her a friend. Her work as the CEO of a national non-profit for at-risk children was consistently innovative and had a tremendous positive impact on our community. Her commitment and dedication to setting and achieving the highest standards is remarkable. Again and again, I watched Christine consistently set professional leadership standards through her integrity, character and class. She’s an amazing executive and a powerful leader.”

~ Ronni Council, President at Organized Karma

A Transformative Leader

“Christine Spadafor sets the standard for principled leadership. During Christine’s distinguished service as CEO of St. Jude’s Ranch for Children, we worked closely together for 10 years on a host of challenging strategic and business issues – achieving outstanding results in the most professional and collaborative manner. Christine is a person of exceptional integrity, impeccable character and unwavering ethics. She is that rare combination of a transformative leader and professional role model exhibiting both “head” and “heart.” Throughout her career, Christine has consistently demonstrated compassion for disadvantaged populations – and has been their staunch advocate. Time and again, I saw her spearhead bold, ambitious initiatives and inspire teams to achieve results that fundamentally changed the lives of those unable to advocate for themselves. It has been my distinct privilege to work alongside Christine Spadafor. I offer my highest recommendation.”

~ Cyndy Ortiz Gustafson, CEO, Strategic Progress, LLC

A Consummate Professional

“As an HR executive, executive coach, and developer of talent for more than 30 years I have worked and collaborated with hundreds of talented executives. During my long career, however, I never met anyone quite like Christine Spadafor.

Christine Spadafor is a consummate professional. With formidable business skills and intellectual capabilities, she is committed, disciplined, and passionate about her work. In addition, she has the emotional intelligence that makes her highly effective in coaching executives and managing complex boardroom dynamics.

In my two years of working with Christine as Board Chair (St. Jude’s Ranch for Children), I always found her to be a tremendous partner. She is creative, hard-working, resourceful, highly principled, straightforward and uncommonly bright.

I cannot recommend Christine Spadafor more highly.”

~ William H. Morley, President, ExCL Group, LLC

Steadfast Concern for Others

“In 2006, St. Jude’s Ranch for Children (SJRC) was a struggling nonprofit for abused, abandoned and neglected children and was steeped in debts; the facility badly needed work; donors had fallen away; therapeutic programs were failing; and many staff members had all but given up hope.

Christine Spadafor accepted the SJRC Trustees’ challenge to perform what then seemed impossible: a “turnaround” of this troubled organization. And as SJRC was soon to discover, big challenges only bring out the best in Christine.

I had the privilege and pleasure of working at SJRC, which has been a highlight of my career. Working for Christine as her Executive Assistant from 2008-2015 was a textbook study on innovative leadership and the management of complex change. Christine brought us together as a team, and together we accomplished important goals when no one else believed these results were possible.

During our years together, I watched Christine lead the organization with the upmost professionalism, integrity and respect for the children, staff, donors and the community. Her impressive leadership focused on innovative programs, strategic partnerships, mentoring her team, and instilling a deep sense of commitment to the disadvantaged children we served. The results spoke for themselves.

I am grateful for all the years of working closely at Christine’s side. She helped me grow personally and professionally, and she inspired her team to accomplish things we did not even know we could do, things that at one time seemed far out of reach. The legacy Christine leaves is one of vision, compassion, dedication and steadfast concern for others.

I cannot say enough good things about my former boss Christine Spadafor…”

~ Jennifer Brown, Executive Assistant – McKesson Technology

A “Go-To” Resource

“I have known Christine Spadafor for over 16 years, and have tapped into her consulting expertise on a number of occasions. With each engagement, it was critical to achieve exceptional results by driving substantial value to the organization, and Christine has always delivered. When it comes to breaking through all the politics and ambient noise around a project or a process, she is the best!

Christine is a “go-to” resource for me because I know I will have access to her candid advice, consistent execution and exceptional client service. I have great respect for her and trust her implicitly, and therefore have had great confidence in reaching out to her on many occasions. Christine’s focus on client relations and communication assures me that I will be kept well-informed of a program’s progress. When she spots a problem, I get a straightforward and candid assessment (no surprises), including what’s working and what needs to be fixed.

With the rate of change and disruption in our business, Christine’s innovative strategies, well-designed programs, and consistency in implementation/achieving results are critical. She can see the “big picture” strategy and then bird-dog the smallest details to ensure a project’s success.

Christine is the consummate team player who helps foster new capabilities and professional growth in those around her. She demonstrates outstanding skills, professionalism, integrity, work ethic, and consistent delivery of business results. Her approach is always refreshing, and I strongly recommend her as a key resource for driving change in any organization.”

~ Dean Hallett, Executive Vice President Operations and Strategy | Chief Financial Officer, Fox Filmed Entertainment

A Visionary

“I came to know Christine Spadafor during her long tenure as CEO of St. Jude’s Ranch for Children (SJRC), a nationally recognized nonprofit that serves abused and abandoned children. In her role as SJRC’s chief executive, Christine initiated a partnership with Staples — America’s largest office-supply retailer — to support St. Jude’s Ranch through donations of merchandise and other forms of support.

When considering requests for charitable contributions, Staples seeks out well-run nonprofits with a commitment to accountability and results. Staples executives toured operations at SJRC under Christine’s leadership and were duly impressed…both by what she already had accomplished and by her vision for the Ranch’s future. Confident in Christine’s outstanding leadership, Staples became an ongoing contributor to SJRC. Staples always knew that its contributions would be well-managed; and we were delighted to know that our help was making a marked difference in the lives of these needy kids.

Christine is a visionary and an exemplary innovative leader. An ardent advocate for at-risk kids, she built St. Jude’s Ranch into a model for public-private collaboration and for the expanded delivery of desperately needed therapeutic services. With integrity and professionalism, Christine navigated complex governance structures and hidebound bureaucracies. She articulated a clear and compelling vision for St. Jude’s Ranch, and brought that vision to life through breakthrough innovations and consistently thorough execution.

Christine is an extraordinary communicator and a gifted strategist who understands the economic levers of business. She has an unique ability to unlock organizational value and create differentiated competitive advantages.

The bottom line: Christine Spadafor is an impressive and talented leader. She excels at both developing strategic opportunities and executing them to deliver stellar results. I highly recommend Christine’s board advisory and management consulting services.”

~ Donald F. Ralph, Senior Vice President at Staples, Inc.

A Tireless Advocate

“For more than eight years, I served under the leadership of CEO Christine Spadafor at St. Jude’s Ranch for Children where I was the Director of Human Resources. During that time, I experienced Christine as a tireless advocate for the children and the staff. She accepted the nearly impossible job to turnaround the organization that was months away from closing – and then developed the business infrastructure and strategies that still kept it open nine years later. I admired her dedication to protect and improve the lives of the more than 2,000 abused, abandoned and homeless children that passed through the doors during her tenure.”

~ Joseph Jackson, Former Director of Human Resources, WellHealth Quality Care

First Round Draft Choice

“In my 30 year career as a military officer, I was responsible for several diverse, very complex organizations, privileged to work closely with talented men and women whose strong suits were leadership and integrity. I recognize such talent and these same traits in Christine Spadafor.

She serves with me on the Boyd Gaming Corporation Board of Directors, and is consistently a strong, key contributor on the Audit Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee, for which I currently chair.

Based on my her proactive contribution to the board and her vast corporate experience, I see her as a first round draft choice for any corporation looking to expand their board with multi-talented skills. I provide this recommendation without reservation.”

~ Billy G. McCoy, Major General USAF (Ret), Director at Boyd Gaming and One Nevada Credit Union

Professional Role Model and Mentor

“Working under the leadership of Christine Spadafor was a once-in-a-career opportunity. I joined Christine’s team at St. Jude’s Ranch — a non-profit agency serving abused, abandoned and homeless children – as its Clinical Director to implement the innovative healthcare strategy she had initiated and launched. Owing to Christine’s outstanding reputation as a leader and mentor, and recognizing the exceptional business transformation she led at St. Jude’s Ranch, I sought the Clinical Director position specifically to work under her guidance.

Christine gave me the opportunity to develop a new, industry-leading behavioral healthcare system. She saw and actively cultivated talents in her team that we did not recognize in ourselves. Christine consistently served as a professional role model and mentor — optimizing the potential of those under her guidance. I shall always be grateful for the experience of working alongside Christine Spadafor.”

~ Hannah Ware, LMFT, C.C.T., ACE-HC

That Rare Breed of Leader

“Christine Spadafor is that rare breed of leader who combines passion with professionalism. I had the opportunity to work with her closely and see firsthand what she built at St. Jude’s Ranch- a first class organization that excelled equally at competence and compassion. Christine’s dedication to the organization and the energy she brought to staff, donors and children was infectious. She resurrected an oasis in the desert for kids in need.”

~ Eric Hart, Executive Director, Mortgage Banking Customer Operations at Chase