Please enjoy browsing this gallery of the amazing human beings with whom Chelsea and Larisa have shared the joys and hard work of collaboration. Feel free to reach out to folks directly, as GovJoy is simply a collective of professionals, friends and like-valued community facilitators. Want to have a conversation about who might be a good fit for your needs? Drop us a note in the “Get In Touch” form at the bottom of this page.

Sveiks! My mother's family hails from Latvia and a long line of public servants. I spent over 20 years working in government and teaching leadership and innovation at the University of Washington, and now I am the host and caller of the Government Joy Network. My work is creative facilitation and coaching, using participatory and embodied methods that help expand people’s capacity to listen, speak up and transcend limitations. I’m deeply curious about how people and communities make commitments and repair relationships, and I am committed to healing and liberation for all beings. I follow a Zen path and I love to laugh and wander around the forest with my friends and my daughter.

My parents were refugees from the Vietnam War, known as the boat people. As a second generation Vietnamese-American, I’m seeking my lost identify from assimilation and discovering how my unique experience can be used to better the world. My work includes engaging the Government Joy Network in storytelling, consulting, and enabling with technology. I spend my time with my three kids in a mixed-family, and learning new building trades for a more sustainable and self-reliant life.

Chelsea Lei is a civic researcher, designer and coach who co-created the Government Performance Consortium and catalyzed its “GovJoy” movement to transform government from the inside out. Chelsea led the GPC Municipal Dashboard Project and spearheaded original research and product development for the Community Indicators Dashboard and the Municipal Performance Dashboards. Previously Chelsea created a municipal finance internship program at Stanford University, served as management auditor at the King County Auditor’s Office, and authored research studies at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Chelsea holds a B.A. from Harvard University and M.A. from Stanford University, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Organizations Studies at Boston College.

I have always been wildly curious about how people relate to themselves, one another, and the communities they belong to. This curiosity has guided my work with youth and adults in educational and community settings. Whether my role was as a classroom teacher, school administrator, board member, or artist, it has always been the power of storytelling that has provoked thought, built empathy, and initiated personal and community transformation. I strive to live a life guided by Spirit’s Divine Wisdom and am passionate to explore how centering Spirit can transform the fight for love, justice, and truth for all people. I call Seattle home, where my daughter and I spend our days laughing, learning, and growing together. 

I am a first generation Filipina-American, whose parents decided to emigrate to the United States of America for better opportunities for their children.  I have been a public servant my whole life from being involved with my community through church, Girl Scouts, student government, and too many groups to name.  I love helping others help themselves to make the world a better place.

Working professionally in the public sector was a natural fit as it ties with my core values for a just and humane world.  When I became a mother to twin girls, I realized how much being a woman of color in a profession traditionally male-dominated field shaded my perception of the world.  I have leaned on the strength of those who came before me and have been blessed with mentors who helped me hone my skills to combine artistic expression and systems-thinking and how they applied to process improvement. 

My role in the Government Joy Network would be to show that every person and organization has a unique journey – the path that led them to today and the road ahead.  Neither has to define the other but it is always connected.  History has shown, time and again, when people truly listen that amazing things are possible.

Carlos Venegas began his Lean journey at The Boeing Company in 1996. Mr. Venegas completed Boeing’s Lean Certification Program for both kaizen workshops and value stream mapping workshops. His training included classroom work, independent study, written tests, and facilitating both factory and non-factory workshops. For two years he worked under the guidance of Shingijutsu consultants on various Lean workshop projects that ranged from the shop floor to the office. He completed two study missions to Japan to examine the Japanese approach to Production Preparation Process and Kanban.

Jennifer Haury is an Organizational Anthropologist who helps individuals, teams, and organizations bring joy and intention to their culture and leadership practice. 

Jennifer’s passion and talent is understanding important cultural aspects of an organization, team, or individual.  She helps build teams and systems designed to get results and help people thrive. 

Jennifer lives in Olympia on the traditional lands of the Nisqually people-- now home to 3 horses, 6 goats, 3 dogs, and the Haury Family!  She holds the coveted title of "Mom" to three amazing humans who have taught her how to apply her talents in an environment always in learning mode!

Nancy strives to serve the disadvantaged by developing world leaders committed to improving the human condition. As an experienced executive in the public and non-profit sectors for twenty years, she led large-scale organizational change efforts. Nancy understands the challenges leaders face when making adaptive change that require working with multiple stakeholders in changing environments. Nancy has been privileged to help public sector and non-governmental leaders and teams in the U.S. and other countries achieve their goals. Nancy collaborates with leaders to build self-awareness, clarity of mission and the interpersonal and team-building skills needed to effectively work together. Skilled in both management and leadership practices, she believes in finding an individual’s or a system’s strengths and uses appreciative behavioral-shaping strategies to support needed change. 

I’ve spent over a decade working with government agencies and nonprofit organizations to use data to inform management decisions, track progress, continuously improve implementation, and show value to stakeholders.  My favorite projects have been ones where building internal capacity of the organization is a central component.  I love coaching and teaching, and my goal is to work with clients to build sustainable, efficient tools that serve the organization while also building skills.

Charley works with organizations & teams to develop agile innovation practices allowing them to tap into the broader range of their combined intelligence and experience - unleashing shocking levels of engagement and collaboration. She combines Liberating Structures, Design Thinking, Agile and Lean Practices to bring teams and multi-team projects together. Charley combines 10 years of strategic innovation consulting and leadership coaching with 15 years leading R&D projects for NASA.

Chelsea Lei is a civic researcher, designer and coach who co-created the Government Performance Consortium and catalyzed its “GovJoy” movement to transform government from the inside out. Chelsea led the GPC Municipal Dashboard Project and spearheaded original research and product development for the Community Indicators Dashboard and the Municipal Performance Dashboards. Previously Chelsea created a municipal finance internship program at Stanford University, served as management auditor at the King County Auditor’s Office, and authored research studies at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Chelsea holds a B.A. from Harvard University and M.A. from Stanford University, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Organizations Studies at Boston College.

Acknowledgement

We acknowledge who we are and where we came from, our Spirit, our teachers and all our relations. We undertake our work at GovJoy with a joyful and sacred responsibility at heart. We acknowledge especially the Nisqually people upon whose ancestral lands our home office rests, and we are grateful for their long stewardship of these lands. We humbly bring our hearts to the work of healing ourselves and our communities, past present and future.

Who’s land are you on?

Accessibility and Inclusion

We are committed to creating a bravely safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment for everyone. Our understanding of what that looks like and how to do it is continuously evolving.

We commit to frequently pause and ask ourselves:

• Can this cause any physical, emotional, or mental harm?

• Who does this exclude? How can we ensure this is inclusive?

• How do we make sure everyone is able to fully participate?

• What don't we know, and who might know?