Caring. Committed. Connected.

Matt Lehrman

Co-Founder & Managing Director

Matt Lehrman is a civic facilitator, leadership coach, and keynote speaker who helps local governments, nonprofit organizations, and community leaders navigate complexity, foster collaboration, and build lasting consensus.

With a dynamic and engaging style, Matt guides leaders through the tough stuff—conflict, uncertainty, pressure—turning disagreement into dialogue and helping groups move forward with clarity and shared purpose. He’s especially skilled at creating spaces where diverse voices feel heard and respected, and where leadership is measured not just by decisions made, but by how inclusively and effectively those decisions are reached.

Matt brings decades of experience in strategic facilitation, civic engagement, and leadership development. As founder and executive director of Alliance for Audience & ShowUp.com, he led a statewide initiative to unite Arizona’s arts and cultural sector. Later, as Interim Managing Director of Arizona Theatre Company, he helped restore stability and trust during a critical moment of institutional crisis.

Today, Matt facilitates strategic planning and public dialogue for councils, boards, and leadership teams nationwide—bridging perspectives, building trust, and aligning communities around bold, achievable goals.

He also hosts the Community Catalysts podcast, spotlighting real-world stories of local leadership and the human side of governing in challenging times.

At the heart of Matt’s work is a belief that strong communities begin with courageous conversations—and that principled, participatory leadership is the key to turning complexity into opportunity.

John Little

Co-Founder & Senior Partner

John Little’s enduring passion for community building is rooted in more than 35 years of service and leadership in local and regional government plus seven years providing strategic planning services and executive coaching to clients in the for-profit, nonprofit, and public sectors.

Before being named city manager in 2008, John served in increasingly responsible roles within the City of Scottsdale—heading departments of Human Resources, Organizational Effectiveness and Transportation as well as being appointed executive director for Downtown Development where he facilitated an estimated $6 billion in public and private investment over a 4-year period.

John is the City of Scottsdale’s only two-time honoree of the Bill Donaldson Award recognizing excellence in leadership, innovation, risk-taking, teamwork, creative problem-solving and community service.

As well, he has been honored by the Scottsdale Area Association of Realtors as “Citizen of the Year” for his important contributions to community building.