Biography

Liesel Darby, founder of Possibilities, is an expert at helping individuals and organizations face challenges head-on and facilitating creative solutions. Liesel is one of Resource Associates Corporation’s newest certified individuals within their International Network of Senior-level Business and Executive Development Affiliates.

Liesel has been preparing for this her whole life. Her talent for listening and asking the right questions led her to a career as a licensed professional counselor. She earned a Bachelor’s in Educational Studies, Focus in Writing from Kent State University. She went on to earn a Master’s in Counseling at The University of Toledo. She spent six years working with drug and alcohol addicts, with the last two of those years working with pregnant drug addicts. She then switched to mental health counseling with children and their families, eventually moving into clinical supervision and program management. She discovered a love of working with employees and finding ways to improve morale, decrease turnover, and make work fun.

While living in Hamden, Connecticut, Liesel earned her Master’s in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Yale was right down the street, so she completed one of her internships at Yale’s Organizational Development and Learning Center, where she learned that a major part of organizational development work is carrying heavy equipment around campus. Also that organizational development adds tremendous value in so many capacities, and is part of world-class organizations. Her other internship, this time at the Housing Authority Insurance Group, is where she developed a love of consulting. She and another student acted as consultants to the vice president of Human Resources to develop, implement, analyze, and roll out a benchmark employee satisfaction survey. Leading focus groups and interviewing employees, including all top level management, convinced her that this was a wonderful way to help organizations improve their work culture.

After graduation she landed a human resources position at Owens Community College, in the windy town of Perrysburg, Ohio. Since she was in Performance Management, she convinced her boss to allow her to coach employees who were experiencing difficulties on the job due to behavioral issues. She completed a six-month coaching certification program to add to her credibility. She loves coaching, as this is a perfect blend of using her counseling skills in a developmental capacity. She is deeply satisfied by helping individuals gain focus and clarity around personal and professional growth, leading to enriched and rewarding lives.

Liesel has created the perfect opportunity to use all of her talents and passion for developing people and their organizations. By facilitating processes that enhance results, she makes transformations a reality for those who are bold enough to step forward and embrace possibilities.