From approved plan to running program
Most initiatives don’t fail in planning. They stall in the handoff to real work. Keena shows leaders where plans get stuck and the simple routines that get them moving.
Approved plans.
Running programs.
Keena Howse helps nonprofits, education, and publicly funded organizations launch, expand, and stabilize complex programs, across sites, staff, and regulations.
Keena Howse
Program Implementation Consultant · M.Ed. · PMPWashington, DC
In my own work
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10+Years leading programs
10Federally funded sites supported
$1.8M+Program budgets overseen
For journalists & hosts
My areas of expertise
Plain-English answers by email, phone, or video.
Program implementation
- Why do approved plans stall?
- What should leaders do in the first 90 days of a new grant?
Compliance & monitoring readiness
- What do reviewers look for on a monitoring visit?
- How does a program recover after a finding?
Program launch & expansion
- What goes wrong when new sites open?
- How do you get staff ready before day one?
Workforce & leadership pipelines
- How can programs keep frontline staff?
- What makes a leadership cohort work?
Most initiatives don’t fail in planning. They stall in implementation.
A new site has an opening date but no readiness plan. A grant has requirements nobody has turned into daily practice. Quality varies from site to site. A key leader leaves, and their projects land on everyone else’s desk. These are implementation problems, and they need an owner.
The big idea
The strategy is approved. Now it has to work.
My approach pairs PMP-grade project discipline with deep expertise in how adults learn and change. I don’t just manage the plan. I build the roles, tools, routines, and staff skills to sustain it.
Then I hand it off to a team that can run it without me.
Speaking
Bring Keena into the conversation
Talks and workshops for leaders who have the plan and the funding, and now need it to work.
Opening new sites without the chaos
A new site has an opening date but no readiness plan. This session walks through who owns what, what to check, and how to get staff ready before day one.
Ready for the monitoring visit
How to turn grant and licensing rules into daily practice, so a review isn’t a scramble. Built from leading a real corrective action after a state review.
Growing leaders from your frontline
Turnover is high and promotions are rare. Keena shares how cohort programs and coaching help organizations promote from within.
Project management for people who don’t call themselves project managers
The PMP habits that help program staff keep work on track: clear owners, short check-ins, and a plan people actually use.
KeynoteWorkshopStaff trainingPanelPodcast guestGuest lecture
Experience that backs it up
10 federally funded sites
Supported implementation and performance improvement across 10 federally funded program sites.
- Ran annual and quarterly planning and review cycles
- Turned site reviews into training and support plans
Readiness for new sites
Directed operational readiness for new sites during an organizational expansion.
- Procurement, logistics, and resource planning
- Staffing and onboarding plans
Corrective action after a state review
When a state monitoring review exposed compliance gaps, I led the corrective action.
- Led the formal corrective action plan and its rollout
- Led multi-site accreditation planning and resubmission
Leadership pipelines
Designed pipelines that help organizations promote from within.
- Two-cohort fellowship that prepared 14 frontline staff for lead roles
- Teaches program administration and professional practice at the college level
This work was completed in in-house leadership roles. Organizations are described by type to protect their privacy.
About
Keena Howse, M.Ed., PMP
For more than 10 years, I’ve led complex, publicly funded programs in multi-site organizations.
I hold a Master of Education in Curriculum & Instruction from George Mason University, a B.S. in Child & Family Studies, and the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. I also teach program administration and professional practice at the college level.
Contact
Let’s work together
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