Meet Deb Mohlenhoff
I've sat in every seat at the table. Now I help the people in those seats work better together.
Founder & Leadership Strategist
Most people who work in the space between staff and governance have seen it from one side. I've seen it from all of them.
I've been the City Manager — accountable to a council, translating policy into operations, managing upward while leading downward. I've been the elected official — the council member trying to govern effectively without micromanaging. I've served on enough nonprofit boards to know how quickly a well-intentioned board can tie a good staff team in knots. I spent 11 years running a program specifically designed to develop the next generation of civic and community leaders. And I've sat in higher education leadership, responsible both to an institution's senior team and to the communities it serves.
That's not a resume. That's a map of every place the board-staff relationship can go right — and wrong. It's why I can walk into your organization and quickly see what's actually happening, not just what's on the org chart.
The Staff Leader
City Manager, Chief of Staff, AVP - accountable upward and to a council or board
The Elected Official
Common Council Member for 12 years, including 10 as Acting Mayor
The Board member
Extensive nonprofit board service across local, regional, and national organizations
The Leadership Guru
Program Director of Leadership Tompkins for 11 years, training civic leaders
The Nonprofit Founder
Established Ithaca Forward/Tompkins Connect for emerging leaders
The Higher Ed Leader
Executive leadership at TC3 & Ithaca College, serving mission driven institutions
What's in My Toolkit?
I draw from a range of evidence-based frameworks and practices depending on what each client needs.
A few you might recognize:
Gallup CliftonStrengths · The Leadership Challenge · Liberating Structures · Kotter's Change Model · Vertical Leadership Development · Situational Leadership · Servant Leadership · Emotional Intelligence · Simon Sinek's Start With Why · Good to Great · DISC ·
Brené Brown Dare to Lead · Lencioni 5 Dysfunctions of a Team · Generations in the Workplace ·
Every engagement is designed around your context — not a predetermined curriculum.
Community Impact
Board service isn't a credential for Deb — it's a lived perspective. She knows what it feels like to sit across the table from the staff team you're meant to support, and she brings that understanding into every board engagement.
Ithaca is Love — In response to the 2016 Orlando tragedy, organized a community initiative engaging over 600 residents in support of Ithaca's LGBTQIA+ community. Coordinated fundraising and a community-wide event that became a defining moment of local solidarity.
City of Ithaca Boards & Committees Working Group — Led a comprehensive organizational analysis of the city's entire volunteer board and committee structure. Developed a new umbrella commission structure that passed a city-wide referendum with over 65% of the vote, then designed and delivered training for all new chairs and commissioners.
Ithaca Forward / Tompkins Connect — Founded the initiative that connected young professionals to networking events as well as nonprofit boards through the annual 'Jump on Board' event. The program continues today as Tompkins Connect.
Recognition & Awards
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Distinguished Alumni Award, Binghamton University MPA Program
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Pi Alpha Alpha — National Honor Society for Public Administrators
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Dedication to Leadership Development Award, National Society of Leadership and Success
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CSPA Social Justice Innovation Award — for the development of the Ithaca College MLK Day of Service
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40 Under 40 Outstanding Young Professional, Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce
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20 Outstanding Women You Should Know, Cayuga Radio Group
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Mobile Food Pantry Champion, Food Bank of the Southern Tier
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Leadership Tompkins Graduate, 2003
Board & Community Service
Deb brings firsthand board experience to her work with nonprofits — she knows what it looks like from all sides of the table.
Human Services Coalition · United Way of Tompkins County · Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce · Cortland YWCA · History Center of Tompkins County · National Society of Leadership and Success (Board Member & National Program Advisor) · Cortland Downtown Partnership · Tompkins County Workforce Development Board · Ithaca Area Economic Development · Special Olympics of New York
American Cancer Society — served on the National Relay for Life Advisory Council representing New York state, lobbied as a National Ambassador for the Cancer Action Network, and traveled to Penang, Malaysia to train community leaders and volunteers.