Fractional Executive Leadership

Organizations that
change the world
deserve world-class
leadership.

Catalyst Meadows Advisors embeds proven, equity-centered executive leaders directly into your organization at the exact moments you need them most — at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire.

Closing the leadership gap. One organization at a time.

See How We Work

Brandi Howard, Founder & CEO of Catalyst Meadows Advisors

72%

of nonprofits cite leadership gaps as a top barrier to growth

60–72%

cost savings vs. a full-time C-suite hire — at full impact

$689M

in assets led by our founder at EBCF

$117M+

deployed annually under our founder's leadership

"The right leadership at the right moment changes everything."

Brandi Howard · Founder & CEO

The Opportunity

Mission-driven organizations are primed for transformative leadership at the moments that matter most.

A leadership departure. A startup launch. A financial crisis. A governance failure. These are the moments that test your organization's resilience — and they almost never arrive with a convenient timeline.

These are the moments where extraordinary leadership makes all the difference — and where Catalyst Meadows Advisors steps in, providing real-time solutions and removing the need for an extended search process. Proven, equity-centered executive leadership — embedded directly into your team, ready to move with you right now.

Fractional Executive Leadership —
Right-Sized for Maximum Impact

Four engagement types built for your organization's highest-stakes moments.

Fractional CEO / CSO

Ongoing embedded leadership

Ongoing embedded executive leadership for organizations in startup, growth, or stabilization — providing strategic direction, operational accountability, and governance support.

Startup Leadership

Building from the ground up

End-to-end build-out of governance, operations, staffing, and financial infrastructure — the root systems that determine whether visible growth will last.

Stabilize & Transform

Regeneration after disruption

Rapid stabilization for organizations in crisis, or rapid growth — financial, operational, or reputational. Not restoration to a prior state. Regeneration into something more resilient.

Executive Coaching

Leadership from the inside out

1:1 coaching and advisory for sitting CEOs, EDs, and senior leaders in transition — a strategic thought partner who has held the seat and knows the terrain.

The Founder

Brandi Howard

Founder & CEO · Catalyst Meadows Advisors

Education

UC Berkeley — Master of Social Welfare (MSW)
Harvard University — Leadership & Transitions
Harvard Medical School — Health Coaching
CAPP — Certificate in Positive Psychology

The Right Person.
The Right Moment.

Brandi Howard has spent 15 years doing the exact work she is now building a firm to deliver — at the highest levels of the philanthropic and public health sectors. She has led from every seat at the table. That lived experience is what sets Catalyst Meadows apart.

East Bay Community Foundation

President & CEO

Grew operating reserves nearly 3× in a single fiscal year while stewarding $689M in assets and deploying $117M+ annually · Mobilized $9M in aligned funding to advance economic equity and community ownership

The San Francisco Foundation

Chief of Staff to CEO

Served as strategic partner to the CEO, translating vision into execution across program, operations, and donor engagement · Designed and led the organization's first enterprise-wide strategic plan, aligning board and staff around a shared equity-centered vision

NYC Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene

Place-Based Health Leader

Selected as the inaugural leader to design and launch NYC's nationally recognized Neighborhood Health Action Center model in Brooklyn · Led two major public health initiatives addressing systemic disparities in chronic disease and infant mortality · Co-designed the citywide operating and evaluation framework in partnership with Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) that scaled the model consistently across every Action Center site

Built From the Inside Out.
Delivered From the Outside In.

Deep Sector Credibility

Led institutions managing $689M in assets and deployed $117M+ in philanthropic capital annually. Not theoretical expertise — actual results at scale in the social sector.

Right-Sized for Your Budget

Access C-Suite talent at a fraction of full-time cost — engagements structured for the realities of nonprofit and foundation budgets.

Equity-Centered Leadership

Every engagement centers community voice, racial equity, and sustainable systems change. This isn't a checkbox — it's the operating philosophy that drives every decision we make.

A Simple, Proven Engagement Model —
Tailored to Your Moment

Discovery & Assessment

We audit operations, map leadership gaps, and define strategic priorities. You tell us the challenge — we design the path.

Engagement Design

We design the right-sized engagement: scope, timeline, deliverables. Structured for your budget and built around your goals.

Embedded Execution

Your fractional executive joins your team — providing strategic direction, operational leadership, and board-level support.

Sustainable Legacy

We build internal capacity and transfer knowledge so your organization is stronger — and not dependent on external leadership.

Who We Serve

Organizations We Partner With

Community Foundations

Governance, grantmaking, and leadership transitions. You steward community relationships built over decades — and deserve executive leadership that understands the terrain from the inside.

Nonprofits in Transition

Turnaround, crisis stabilization, rapid growth, and interim leadership. A meadow doesn't restore after disruption — it regenerates into something stronger. We help organizations do the same.

Social Enterprises

Startup build-out, operational infrastructure, and scaling. End-to-end leadership for organizations building the root systems that determine whether visible growth will last.

Leaders & Boards

Executive coaching, board advisory, and strategic pivots. For sitting CEOs, executive directors, and boards navigating identity, succession, or high-stakes moments of change.

The Meadow Philosophy

Organizations are ecosystems.

A meadow is one of nature's most dynamic ecosystems — not a destination, but a state of constant, productive transformation. It thrives on change. It recovers after disruption not by returning to what it was, but by becoming more resilient.

We believe organizations work the same way. The potential for growth already exists within them. Our role is to clear what's blocking the light, enrich the ground, and help the right things take root — at the exact moments it matters most.

This is not consulting as extraction. This is leadership as cultivation.

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Embedded, Not External

We don't advise from the outside. We join your team, learn your terrain, and lead from within.

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Equity at the Center

Community voice, racial equity, and sustainable systems change inform every decision we make.

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Legacy, Not Dependency

As a strategic partner, we build internal capacity so your organization is stronger and not dependent on external leadership.

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Deployed Within Weeks

No lengthy hiring cycles. No recruiting fees. Senior executive leadership embedded and operational within weeks of engagement launch.

Organizations that change the world deserve world-class leadership.