Strategic Consulting for
Mission-Driven Organizations
We work with colleges, universities, and nonprofit organizations as they navigate complexity, pressure, and change. Our work supports leaders facing real constraints who need clear thinking, steady partnership, and practical movement forward.
What We Do
We provide focused, context-specific support that helps leaders move forward and sustain progress over time.
Strategy and organizational consulting
Executive and leadership coaching
Keynotes and facilitated engagements
Our Approach
We translate values into operating reality—aligning strategy, decisions, and leadership when the pressure is on.
Our approach blends systems thinking, human-centered leadership, and practical strategy, grounded in real institutional contexts.
Our Team
Edgefield Group is led by Julie Payne-Kirchmeier and Tony Kirchmeier, experienced leaders in higher education, organizational design, and executive coaching.
Their work is shaped by decades of hands-on leadership across complex institutions.
Strategy in Motion
Student Success Is a Design Problem, Not a Programmatic One
Student success is not a collection of initiatives. It is the outcome of intentional organizational design. In this issue, Julie examines how belonging, structure, and mission alignment directly shape institutional sustainability.
The “Shadow University” Is a Signal
Higher education is competing with a parallel learning ecosystem it didn’t design and doesn’t control. This piece examines why incremental change won’t close the structural gap — and what learner-centered redesign truly requires.
Design Commitment 0: Know Your Learners - Not the Ones You Remember
Before redesigning pathways or programs, leaders must examine their assumptions. This installment challenges institutions to align perception with reality — and treat learner-centered design as an operating discipline.
Let’s Talk!
Working with Edgefield begins with a conversation. If you’re navigating complexity or facing decisions without clear answers, we’re ready to listen.
