About Us

Lesley Curtis  |  Founder & Director

Lesley is the founder of the Sagely Center and a trusted guide for leaders working in high-stress or trauma-impacted environments. She holds a doctorate from Duke University, where her research explored how historical trauma shapes collaboration, belief, and decision-making—insight that now informs her practical, results-oriented work with leaders.

What sets Lesley apart is her ability to bridge deep understanding with real-world action. By integrating tools from the humanities and social sciences, she helps leaders understand their roles more fully and work strategically with multiple influences. Lesley advises on organizational policies; gives interactive, educational talks and workshops; and supports select leaders one on one. She has taught leadership and innovation at the UNC Graduate School and served as a practicum instructor at the UNC School of Social Work. With her team, she also writes and podcasts at Lead Consciously, exploring new ways of thinking about leadership, change, and organizational success.

Cord Whitaker  |  Co-Owner & Advisor

Cord Whitaker is co-owner of the Sagely Center and a trusted thought partner to leaders navigating complex change and moments of organizational crisis. He helps leaders resolve the impacts of inherited assumptions, beliefs, and narratives.

A widely published scholar, Cord brings to his work a rare ability to connect with people beyond the intellectual. As a facilitator and consultant, he works across sectors to help leaders stabilize culture during disruption, align action with values under pressure, and build the internal capacity required for sustainable, adaptive change.

Affiliated Experts

  • Alexandra is a social worker from Australia and Aotearoa (New Zealand). She has worked across the Pacific, Asia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, supporting communities affected by war, displacement, and violence. She excels at strengthening the capacity of practitioners who work alongside affected communities.

    Alex’s approach is informed by critical and liberation psychologies, as well as a decade of experience in trauma healing at the individual and collective levels. Currently, Alex serves as Visiting Lecturer in Conflict Transformation at the University of North Carolina. In her work with the Sagely Center, Alex supports clients in transition by helping them identify moments when past experiences are shaping present-day responses, focusing on ways to meet those moments in generative ways. 

  • Burgandy Holiday holds degrees in social work and psychology and has helped multiple organizations promote social, cultural, and organizational change. She engages clients through community building and gentle activism, focusing on race, religion, and identity-based healing and reconciliation. She is a practicing psychotherapist in Philadelphia.

  • Dan Mahle is an ICF-certified executive coach and facilitator who helps founders and senior leaders lead inside AI-driven acceleration without outsourcing judgment, presence, or responsibility.