William van Bark

Bill serves AvoLead clients in the areas of organizational development, executive coaching and leadership assessment. Bill’s practical and direct approach quickly empowers leaders to confidently navigate complex organizational challenges with greater speed and clarity. He is able to rapidly assess, understand, design and implement solutions that target organizational competencies, leadership development, and change management. Likewise in his work with teams and groups, Bill is committed to conducting training that is targeted, practical and focused on business results.

As a coach and advisor, Bill has helped senior executives and high potentials identify and develop key leadership behaviors, quickly making a measurable impact in their effectiveness. He believes that coaching builds insight and skill during critical transitions, and that growth is accelerated when leaders are encouraged to practice what they are learning. Bill’s background and training as a psychologist provides him with excellent communication skills and particular expertise in the area of emotional intelligence – a crucial factor in effective leadership, especially during periods of organizational change. He has helped to assess and train leadership teams for both private and public sector businesses.

In addition to serving AvoLead clients, Bill continues to manage van Bark Consulting, where he has provided talent management and organizational development for Fortune 100 companies, mid-market businesses and start-ups since 1998. Prior to starting his own firm, Bill served as an organizational consultant for the University of Colorado, providing needs assessments, team development and conflict resolution. He has also taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Denver.

Bill’s work has taken him into many different industries, including financial services, oil and gas, construction management, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, health services, information technology and restaurants. He has had the privilege of working with the leadership of highly regarded companies including ING, Bank of America, Kaiser Permanente, CH2M Hill, EnCana Oil & Gas, Sony Pictures and Smashburger.

In the public sector, Bill has worked with the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Western Management Development Center providing organizational design, facilitation, and coaching. He has also worked with several federal and state agencies including the National Science Foundation, Department of the Treasury, Department of Defense, State of Oregon, and State of Colorado.

A licensed psychologist, Bill holds a PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Denver and is currently a member of the American Psychological Association and the Society of Consulting Psychologists. He earned MA degrees in Theology & Counseling from Denver Seminary and a BA in History from California State University at Northridge.

When he’s not working, Bill enjoys skiing and motorcycle touring in and around his beautiful home state of Colorado. He recently completed a 3,000-mile trip to the Grand Canyon, including riding the last 20 miles along the bottom of the canyon on a washed out dirt road (a highlight of the trip). Currently he lives in Greenwood Village with his wife and two adult children.

What clients say about William:

“Bill has a phenomenal ability that allows him to observe organizations from a unique perspective. I call it a sixth sense; he calls it human systems. For me, personally, he has become my guide, helping me to see disruptive human dynamics that rob our company of productivity and happiness. He has helped me to defuse these issues while respecting the dignity of each and every person involved.” –Ben Snyder, CEO, Systemation

“Bill van Bark has been instrumental in a number of leadership developmental programs that resulted in building greater leadership capabilities through insight, awareness and skill building. Bill developed and facilitated a program for our high potential employees to receive feedback in multiple forms and meet with an external coach to gain insight into the results of their assessment instruments and to begin their development planning. Bill was specifically requested by participants to provide ongoing leadership coaching; I have personally observed significant behavior change in employees as a result of Bill’s effective coaching process. Bill was also instrumental in chartering a newly formed global leadership team and provided practical guidance to move this team towards high-performance. Bill is an asset to building and sustaining leadership excellence.” –Shelie Gustafson, Vice-President – Human Resources, CH2M HILL