I’ve been the right-hand, “figure it out” partner to 5 CEOs as a 2x COO and 2x Chief of Staff
For over 10 years, I’ve helped visionary CEOs get their most transformative ideas unstuck and into action.
I sharpened my operational discipline under the scrutiny of top-tier investors (a16z, Founders Fund, Collaborative Fund, Obvious Ventures, et al) while working in the Lean Startup methodology. As a 2x COO and 2x Chief of Staff, I’ve had the time of my life turning ambitious, loosely defined ideas into reality—whether that meant launching and running a factory in China or demonstrating the bottom-line impact of the Long-Term Stock Exchange on its listed companies.
Let’s get your transformational ideas unstuck:
Define and Align to the “What”
If a team doesn’t really understand the “what”, of course it’s not getting put into action. I partner with teams to define, with exceeding clarity, their most transformational ideas. My collaborative approach creates alignment during the process and ensures the granular strategy is improved by the diverse expertise across the leadership team. The output is a clear, documented, and measurable strategy that you can finally put into action.
Define and Align to the “How”
A great operating plan defines the core competencies, resource capabilities, and division of responsibilities required to achieve the new “what” - it is the actionable plan to evolve the company to be set up for success
Right-Sized Change Management
I’ll help ensure you’re equipped to get your entire team up to speed, bought in, and championing the next chapter for the company.
Evolved Rhythm of Business
Ensure everyone, from your Board of Directors to your front-line employees, have the data they need, when they need it, to effectively manage the transformation work. This is the foundation of a high-impact, high-accountability performance culture that will make your team unstoppable.
If your most transformative ideas are stuck, let’s talk.
Experience
Unflappable, hands-on senior leadership during complex business transformations with experience in CEO transitions, restructuring, leadership team rebuilding, and business unit creation/validation/spinout. Battle-tested resilience and agility in the most challenging of situations.
Demonstrated success in ambiguous environments: validating zero-to-one strategies, translating vision and mission into cross-functional operating plans, and implementing systems/processes to drive repeatable results
Hands-on culture-carrier, building culture grounded in accountability, direct feedback, and data-driven performance. Creates alignment across team and Board of Directors using clearly articulated and well-understood strategy, goals, and performance assessments.
Empowering leader skilled in effective talent management of subject matter experts and operating teams, inspiring them to grow, achieve goals, and exceed expectations.
FRACTIONAL COO + OPERATING COACH | New York, NY
LONG-TERM STOCK EXCHANGE (LTSE) | New York, NY
Long-Term Stock Exchange is the business ecosystem helping visionary companies at all stages drive long-term profit with purpose through a National Securities Exchange and solutions for pre-IPO private companies. LTSE was founded by Eric Ries, entrepreneur and author, as a solution to an existential problem: today’s financial markets force businesses to prioritize short-term gains over everything else, generating volatility and preventing businesses from serving anyone but their shareholders.
Key Investors: a16z, Founders Fund, Collaborative Fund, Obvious Ventures, YC, The Space Between
Advisor — June 2024 to present
Chief Operating Officer (COO) — Dec 2022 to June 2024
Partnered with CEO to oversee the entire LTSE ecosystem: a National Securities Exchange, late-stage private company solutions, and Saas.
Matured go-to-market strategies for two business units
Navigated Exchange business unit through leadership restructuring and CEO transition without disrupting daily operations and with positive feedback from key stakeholders including regulators. Exited prior CEO, installed Interim CEO, and hired permanent CEO in partnership with Board of Directors.
Grew Saas business to record health and successful strategic sale. Lead cross-functional, data-driven decision-making process, resulting in a recommendation adopted unanimously by Board of Directors. Divestiture completed on-schedule, under-budget with zero employee issues.
Positioned LTSE for operational maturity and growth while eliminating $1M+ in outside legal and finance spend by hiring CFO and General Counsel to lead these critical functions.
Interim Head of Finance during CFO search, overseeing internal and external resources; matured key processes and completed financial audit on time.
Modeled operational excellence and accountability with regulators, while creating business resilience by leading cap table migration and audit support.
Recruited and onboarded General Counsel, CFO, Head of Sales, CEO (Exchange).
VP, Operations — Apr 2022 to Dec 2022
Supported $100M Series C fundraise in close partnership with Head of Finance and CEO
Validated first client relationship management strategy and operating plan
Recognized by Board of Directors for establishing operational rigor and a performance-driven culture through company-wide goal development (OKRs) at the business unit, functional team, and individual level.
Implemented first measurable goals and objectives for individuals, teams, and business units.
Established accountability-focused performance management culture that enabled data-driven restructuring and capital allocation decisions
Recruited, onboarded, and closely partnered with Heads of People, Finance, Marketing, and Sales
Head of Operations — May 2021 to Apr 2022
Partnered with the incoming President (now CEO) to oversee the entire LTSE ecosystem: a National Securities Exchange, late-stage private company solutions, and Saas.
Oversaw all aspects of internal operations: finance, legal, People, IT, information security, and business operations. Led team of 4 direct reports.
Established accountable culture by partnering with Interim President (now CEO) to implement executive-level accountability systems, including quarterly goals, data-driven decision-making, and well-defined job descriptions.
Matured internal operations to support 10x growth rate by codifying strategy, SOPs, cross-training, and automation
Interim Head of Marketing: maintained marketing, project management, and team stability while leading search for CMO.
Interim Head of People: oversaw People Business Partner, outsourced HR agency, and implementation of strategic HR roadmap while leading search for Head of People.
Director, Commercial Operations — Feb 2020 to May 2021
Hired by CEO and COO to lead Sales team transformation. Assessed challenges, built and implemented operational roadmap, hired and onboarded key subject matter experts. Built and implemented scalable operating practices.
Rebuilt and restructured team to list first 2 companies on exchange. Provided performance management and recruited new talent, expanding team from 2 to 4 high-performing sales professionals.
Transformed ad hoc pipeline management into repeatable, scalable processes with transparent performance data.
Enabled data-driven sales reporting and strategic decision-making by leading migration to new CRM system.
LABEL INSIGHT | Chicago, IL | Jun 2018 to Nov 2019
Label Insight’s technology empowers brands and retailers to have a direct view into consumer intent. Understanding which product attributes or ingredients matter most to consumers can drive innovation, improve marketing, and optimize assortment strategies. Over 30,000 brands, 350 retailers, the FDA and USDA use Label Insight technology as their source of truth.
Key Investors: Delta-V, Mercury Fund
Chief of Staff to the CEO — Jun 2018 to Nov 2019
Hired by Board of Directors ahead of CEO transition: partnered with incoming first-time CEO to oversee business, refine strategy, and transform leadership team. Met or exceeded targets in subsequent quarters following CEO transition.
Trusted advisor and thought partner to CEO, translated CEO’s vision into actionable and achievable operating plans.
Collaborated with executive leadership team, and extended CEO’s reach and influence by serving as force multiplier. Led executive team operating cadence: weekly team meetings, monthly OKR reviews, and strategic planning sessions.
Catapulted employee engagement in goal tracking from 10% per month to 90% per week, enhanced alignment and accountability, and improved performance and productivity by spearheading company-wide OKR implementation.
Fostered development of next generation of leaders by creating, championing, and facilitating senior management team of mid-level managers who reported to executive team and met biweekly.
Orchestrated co-located event within Path2Purchase Summit and presence at GS1 Connect conference as temporary marketing leader. Content at Path2Purchase was well-received and lauded as incredibly organized.
511 CAPITAL | Chicago, IL
511 Capital is a hybrid between an entrepreneurial startup incubator and a private equity firm, with a portfolio of successful companies built from the ground up and 40+ issued and pending design patents.
Privately held
Chief Operating Officer (COO) — Jun 2016 to May 2018 | Chief of Staff to the CEO — Nov 2012 to Jun 2016
Directed operations and financial performance across all portfolio companies through rigorous KPI management, investment modeling, monthly business reviews, and strategic projects in marketing, sales, supply chain, and customer success. Oversaw global supply chain and financial services to ensure U.S. and China regulatory compliance. Built and led 25-member team.
Propelled total portfolio revenues 600% by establishing factory in Shenzhen, China that enabled in-house manufacturing, accelerated innovation and time to market, and expanded company into new segments.
Generated 175% increase in leads, yielding $300K+ in additional revenue, by leading $50K Pardot implementation at portfolio company, Print Ninja. Average time on site grew 3.08% due to email and content marketing.
Met demands of explosive SKU and revenue growth in soft goods business by developing and managing proprietary project management system for innovation leadership across four portfolio companies.
Scaled U.S. operations and culture during period of exponential growth as de facto HR and culture officer. Managed all aspects of outsourced HR, IT, vendor management, recruitment, hiring, budgeting, and resource allocation.
Alicia is a deeply trusted and dedicated executive leader who balances strategic thinking with operational excellence. In our two plus years of working side-by-side, Alicia’s high emotional intelligence and skill was the model for all employees of the Long-Term Stock Exchange—for how to nurture and grow a culture of innovation, mission and outcomes that are meaningful to customers and employees.
Alicia is very self-aware and has deep convictions about what she stands for—and importantly what she holds her peers and team accountable to. She is adept at taking a differentiated concept, building out a customer-first solution and scaling the business through its many life cycles. Importantly, she is an expert at bringing others along and negotiating challenging business decisions on behalf of the company.
There are few executives who I would trust as much to partner with in a business. Alicia always brings a thoughtful and diverse perspective to the table. I feel so fortunate to have worked with Alicia and am myself a better leader because of what I learned from her.
As COO of the Long-Term Stock Exchange, she was the right-hand to the new CEO and played a crucial role in translating LTSE’s mission into a robust operating model that supported the evolved strategy. This partnership also led to the strategic reorganization of the executive team and the establishment of a performance-driven culture.
The impact of such initiatives were data-driven strategic shifts, a highly successful Series C fundraise, and overwhelmingly positive feedback from LTSE’s key stakeholders—including investors, customers, and employees. Her strategic foresight and guidance were instrumental during a period of remarkable business transformation, demonstrating her deep understanding of intricate business dynamics.
I am incredibly fortunate to have worked closely with Alicia for five years at 511 Capital. Time and again, I have personally seen her tackle difficult problems that don't have clear solutions. She's the kind of leader who can see the big picture, plan for the future, and then adeptly communicate and execute on those plans to make sure every detail is accounted for. One of our biggest projects involved opening a factory in China. Alicia quickly built close relationships with our colleagues in China and was instrumental in getting the factory up and running in just a matter of months. She is the most organized thinker I have ever met and will often ask questions that make you wonder how she manages to think of everything.
I credit Alicia with a great deal of my own professional growth. She constantly encouraged me to take on new projects and learn new skills. As I grew in my role, Alicia gave me space to grow as a manager while also providing guidance when I needed it. I was always proud to be part of Alicia's team because we had a stellar reputation for getting things done. Even when she is at her busiest, Alicia is generous with her time and advice, and she makes it a priority to learn about everyone she works with on a personal level.
I had the pleasure of collaborating closely with Alicia on several pivotal projects related to international operations, ERP systems, and the development of accounting processes.
Alicia's unparalleled leadership style not only unified our team but also consistently inspired us to bring our best to the table. Her ability to foster a collaborative and productive environment truly set her apart as a role model. In moments of challenging decisions, I often find myself asking, "What would Alicia do?" – a testament to her profound impact on my professional approach. Alicia possesses a unique blend of vision, leadership, and expertise.
“Ridiculously organized and efficient! Alicia works well under pressure and across many teams... she has an amazing skill at translating the CEO’s thoughts to make them meaningful throughout many groups in the organization.
She loves people and is a wonderful mentor and collaborator. It’s been a privilege to lead and learn alongside Alicia! ”
At 511 Capital, our team was responsible for managing all operations for a wholly-owned sewing factory in China. While seemingly a daunting task for a newly graduated analyst, Alicia always clearly communicated the CEO’s vision and provided clear and logical direction for our team’s strategies.
On Alicia’s team, I was encouraged to be autonomous and creative in how I completed my deliverables, and I always felt challenged and appreciated. Alicia pushed me to be confident when reporting to leadership, and she always encouraged me to ask questions and dig deeper to get to the true root of a problem.
There are few people I have met that have such an adept ability to manage and inspire people the way that Alicia does.
In the extraordinarily dynamic environment at 511, Alicia was always able to maintain the structure and happiness of everyone in our group. She has a knack for improving efficiency and building highly effective teams, and was always looking to improve her own capabilities (good luck finding a book she hasn’t read). She was incredibly dedicated to her role at the company and I know our entire team looked up to her as a role model. I could not have wished for a better boss and mentor during my time spent at 511.