The UIAA in Banff : Women who have made a difference to the Mountaineering Community

Debra J. Gawrych

Debra J. Gawrych, MBA, has been a dynamic change-agent for over 26 years. Her work spans consulting, executive coaching, team-building, organizational development, and leading change. She is also the founder and CEO of Common Boundaries, a management/leadership consulting company whose purpose is to promote authentic leadership skills at both the individual and organizational levels. Debra is a nationally-known consultant and speaker who has appeared on numerous television and radio shows. With a motivation to bring the idea of leadership to a more personal level, Debra coaches her clients through experiences that are transformational, for not only the workplace, but one’s personal life as well. She engages her clients to discover their authentic selves in order to take charge of their lives to achieve their highest potential.

Under her direction, clients gain self-awareness through personality assessments, dynamic experiential work on power and purpose, and interactive exercises that teach skills for respectful confrontation. It is the combination of these elements that provide clients practical tools to lead more powerful lives. She has appeared in numerous newspaper and magazine articles including Today’s American Woman, The Business Journal, BizLife, Women’s Sports Foundation, and the Cincinnati Enquirer. As president of USA Climbing, she transformed a faltering organization into a powerhouse national governing body, growing from 800 to 7,000 members. She is currently involved with efforts to bring climbing into the Olympics, and meets extensively with international leaders in Europe, Asia, and Central and South America. The lessons she has learned and communicates about power and transformative change are firsthand and timely for any organization wanting to go to the next level.

Debra is also an accomplished public speaker and the author of two publications: bestselling The Seven Aspects of Sisterhood: Empowering Women Through Self-Discovery and Lead From the Inside Out. She currently lives in south Florida after relocating from North Carolina.

Example of current clients:

• Wachovia
• Wake Forest University
• American Businesswomen’s Assn.
• Choice Hotels
• Coalition to End Homelessnes
• Procter & Gamble
• General Electric
• University of Miami

One of the benefits I believe you bring has been employee retention. Working with you in your programs and through your coaching is one of the reasons I have decided to stay. It makes me feel important that my company is willing to invest in me.”

— Wachovia employee