Chris’s mission is to facilitate conversations and decision making across Interaction Associates by building strong relationships, alignment of process, and overall execution of our operational plans and company values. As a member of our senior management team, Chris appreciates that IA is a dynamic and exciting place to work, not only because of the range of services and clientele, but because IA is deeply invested in the overall success of each employee.
His background includes more than twelve years in the professional services space in business operations, recruiting, business development, and complex research roles. Prior work includes strategy consulting for Fortune 500 clients.
Chris believes in finding ways to serve his neighbors and our broader world. He is especially drawn to service opportunities that honor the dignity of people and the beauty of our natural world and dedicates time helping Habitat for Humanity and the JC Raulston Arboretum.
His favorite IA practice is “Desired Outcomes.” These brief, written statements are specific, measurable, and answer the question, “What will we walk out with?” He finds that starting meetings by building agreement around desired outcomes makes for a truly collaborative conversation that leads to powerful understanding and practical, clear action.
Chris holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
Rachael Grail
Director, Consulting & Training Services
Interaction Associates
Rachael’s goal is to enable peak performance in teams through effective communication, strengths-based collaboration, and sustained well-being. As an experienced facilitator and coach, she skillfully weaves new concepts and awareness into practical actions. She leverages a breadth of experience and numerous evidence-based frameworks to be highly responsive to the unique needs of each group she supports.
Before her work as a leadership development specialist, she was an educator at a private school in the Silicon Valley for six years, where she designed and delivered custom curriculum to a group of neurodiverse students. Prior to that, she worked for ten years as an executive producer of large-scale events in the San Francisco Bay Area. This taught her volumes about team dynamics in high stakes situations and is where her interest in team development originated.
In her spare time, Rachael hosts pro-bono workshops empowering social emotional development in women and girls. She also sits on the advisory board of the Appleseed Project, a 501c3 dedicated to building community and creating access to music and maker arts.
Rachael holds a BA with Honors from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She holds certificates in Women in Leadership, and Persuasive Communication from Cornell University. She is a CPCC certified coach from the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI,) and an ACC Certified Coach from the International Coaches Federation (ICF). She is also an LHEP certified practitioner of The Human Element model for Organizational Effectiveness
Rachael supports leaders and teams in global companies, high growth startups, and NGO’s. Her experience includes engagement with clients at: Amazon, Adobe, DocuSign, Meta, Outside PR, PG&E, Service Now, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.