About

Our Story

Karen Howells and Jeana Kats joined forces with a shared mission to shift the leadership landscape by empowering a growing community of leaders, teams, and organizations to achieve transformational results.

Drawing on their previous professional collaboration and ongoing partnership, they recognized a compelling alignment between their core values, methodologies, and unwavering commitment to relentless innovation in order to optimize client outcomes.

Karen and Jeana's combined 65+ years of experience with their top-notch team of expert and caring professionals offer clients exceptional skills in organizational development, leadership development, curriculum design, and facilitation know-how. Together, The Howells Group is on a shared mission with every client to ignite transformative leadership that transforms organizations.

Jeana Katz and Karen Howells of The Howells Group - Leadershp Alchemists

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Founder of the Portland-based firm, The Howells Group, Inc., Karen has worked as an executive coach as well as a leadership, teamwork, and organization development consultant for companies large and small around the world for more than 30 years. Karen is also a highly respected and seasoned workshop leader, speaker, and meeting facilitator. Karen's formal education includes her undergraduate degree in Organizational Development from Lewis & Clark College and a Master's in Coaching for Formation and Leadership Development. She is an International Coaching Federation credentialed PCC level coach and certified in numerous assessments and practices.

Karen and her team have partnered locally, throughout the U.S., as well as globally for clients such as Nike, Intel Corporation, American Express, Barco Medical Imaging, Freightliner, Cadence Design Systems, Hewlett Packard, and Pacific Natural Food (now owned by Campbell's Food) as well as in smaller regional and national entrepreneurial companies.

Karen and her team at The Howells Group partnered with one of the world’s largest technology companies to develop and retain key performers in leadership. This program continues to be utilized for this client and many others, with exceptional results, developing and progressing the careers of high-potential leaders around the globe.

Clients emphasize that The Howells Group's approach and consistent focus on results provides a creative, trustworthy, and tailored human-centric experience.

Karen Howells
Founder

Jeana Kats
Managing Partner

Jeana leverages her 25 years of interdisciplinary people leadership experience to drive stellar individual engagement and overall business success. She worked for the Fortune 50 firm Intel Corporation, from 2001-2021, where she held progressively larger and more complex roles in Business HR, Organizational Development, Learning & Development, and Culture Transformation.

Jeana is known for her ability to facilitate increased awareness in her clients which, in turn, expands their leadership capability and capacity. She is someone leaders and organizations seek out to be a trusted thought partner in times of change, transition, and transformation.

Jeana holds a Masters's Degree in Human Resources and Industrial Relations from the University of Minnesota, a leadership coaching certification from the Hudson Institute of Coaching (International Coaching Federation certified), and a diversity/equity/inclusion/belonging certification from Stanford University. She is also certified in meeting facilitation as well as numerous assessments and psychometrics.