Our Story

Since 2016, organizations have engaged Northington & Associates to support their strategic initiatives. Whether the end goal is a viable strategic plan for the future or an elevation of thinking about a new approach, our team brings over 30 years of combined experience to work on behalf of your mission. Our perspectives are informed by a range of sectors that include health and human services, the arts and humanities, education, child welfare, the environment, and more.

“Strategy simply refers to a plan, practice, or policy that helps a group of people accomplish a purpose. A strategic plan is a tool through which an organization can ensure all of its constituents – clients, employees, volunteers, supporters, etc. understand what they are doing, why they are doing it, and when it might be time to do something different. Shared purpose is key for every team - business and nonprofit teams alike. Nonprofits, however, tackle a community’s most arduous challenges and often with resource constraints that render long-range planning difficult. I started this work because it allowed me to work with others who care deeply about their community and contribute to their efforts, making a difference along the way.”

-Katheryn L. Northington, Principal and Founder

Our Mission

We work for a future where all people thrive by uniting communities and ideas under a shared and clearly defined purpose, galvanizing energy for meaningful impact that inspires real change.

Our work is founded upon authentic conversations that lead to a clearly articulated, unifying purpose informed by community voice and carried forward by the organization’s leaders, constituents, volunteers, donors, and the community at large.

Our Team

No single person has sufficient knowledge or experience to single-handedly solve complex problems. At Northington & Associates, we are facilitators, strategists, and connectors with a wide-reaching network. We rally our collective knowledge and resources for every organization we support. Our team will work with your organization to articulate your vision and mission, listen to your community, and align the resulting strategies with your impact and purpose.

Northington & Associates is HUB certified (Historically Underutilized Business).

Katheryn L. Northington

Principal and Strategist

  • Katheryn began her career as a high school math teacher and, after a stint in the investment industry, has served nonprofits in varying capacities for over 20 years. Since 2016, Katheryn has assisted nonprofits as a facilitator and consultant to effectively align the board, staff, and community stakeholders behind a clear and relevant vision, mission, and strategy. Experience across a wide range of service sectors informs her perspective, including education, culture, faith, child welfare, the environment and health and human services.
    Katheryn believes that complex problems are best solved by a group of committed leaders together, who can share diverse perspectives rooted in a variety of lived experiences, listen to the voices of their community, and apply evidence-based approaches within the context of their unique community. Katheryn supports nonprofit leaders as they contribute meaningfully to their organization’s future through facilitation and inquiry, productive dialogue, and process mapping.
    As a volunteer, Katheryn serves as a past chair and current secretary of the Board of Trustees of Crossnore Communities for Children. Navigating the turnaround of a 110-year-old service provider and home for children in the child welfare system, she steered leadership of The Children’s Home through a broad-based strategic assessment and the resulting merger with The Crossnore School, a home and school for children experiencing trauma.
    Raised in Greensboro, NC, Katheryn earned her MBA in Finance from UNC-Charlotte and her BS in Math Education from North Carolina State University. After nearly 20 years in Charlotte, NC, Katheryn and her husband, Otis, relocated to Winston-Salem in 2013. Current community engagement includes Crossnore Communities for Children, the Junior League of Winston-Salem and REACH Women’s Network.

Dale P. Bodenheimer

Nonprofit Strategist

  • Dale is a nonprofit strategist with Northington & Associates, where she supports mission-driven organizations in achieving their strategic planning goals. She has a particular interest in organizational sustainability, meaningful capacity building, historic preservation, and cultural tourism. Dale brings 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, most recently serving as Executive Director of the Körner’s Folly Foundation from 2011–2023. In this role, she oversaw all aspects of operations for the historic house museum and managed the administration of the nonprofit foundation. She has developed a broad understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities nonprofits face, with particular expertise in board engagement, fundraising and marketing strategy, and organizational administration. A graduate of NC State University, Dale holds dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and Communication, as well as a Master of Arts in Museum Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Our Collaborators

At Northington & Associates, we believe in the power of collaboration to drive meaningful change. That’s why we’ve built a trusted network of consultants who share our commitment to helping mission-driven organizations thrive. Our collaborative partners bring a range of skill skills and perspectives to amplify impact. Together, we ensure that our clients have access to the expertise and resources they need to achieve their goals and create sustainable, lasting change.

Lilly Skok Bunch

President + Fundraising Consultant

  • Lilly Skok Bunch has served as an independent fundraising consultant as president of ESB Consulting since 2016. Lilly is a high-energy leader with a passion for building the fundraising capacity of organizations.  Lilly has made a career serving in the philanthropic sector as both a practitioner and a consultant and is excited by the opportunity to serve as a trusted advisor and change agent for clients. Before establishing her firm, Lilly served as executive leader at the Culpeper Wellness Foundation, Helping Hands Clinic and Vice President of External Relations and Development of Peace College in Raleigh, North Carolina. Clients have included: Highlands Cashiers Land Trust, Love Literacy, Bookmarks, ProjectSpace 411, The Bascom, Benevolence Farms, Barnabas Centers, and others.

ESB Consulting

Sheri Clawson

Creative Director

  • Sheri Clawson is the Creative Director at 3ccreativ & Co., a visual communications firm specializing in brand strategy and web development. With over 30 years of global experience in marketing and advertising, Sheri has crafted innovative campaigns that resonate with diverse audiences worldwide. Her expertise spans industries like education, non-profits, and consumer goods, and she excels at turning complex ideas into compelling visual stories. In addition to her work at 3ccreativ, Sheri has served as an Adjunct Professor at Bennett College for Women, mentoring the next generation of creatives. Under Sheri’s vision, 3ccreativ & Co. has helped numerous brands build strong identities and forge lasting connections with their audiences, delivering impactful results both nationally and internationally.

3ccreativ & Co.

Shon Gilmore

  • Shon Gilmore is a dynamic and versatile communication, marketing, and public relations professional. With a demonstrated history of successfully applying talents and skillsets towards various industries, Shon has a passion for marketing, branding, client and community relations, and sponsorship procurement. Consistently known for developing and implementing organization-wide strategic marketing strategies for peak client engagement, business development, and effective fundraising. A highly organized and detail-oriented project and relationship manager, Shon is eager to contribute to mission-driven projects that seek to advance, develop, diversify, and purposefully communicate.

    With more than 20 years of experience, Shon has a proven ability to maintain clarity and productivity in high-performance situations, all while multi-tasking and maintaining exceptional and rich interpersonal relationships with teammates and external clients.

Marketing & Communications Strategist

  • April is a facilitator and DEAI strategist. She works to support organizations’ strategic planning and diversity, equity, and inclusion mission development needs. April is a lecturer in the African American and African Diaspora Studies Program at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is a Contributing Faculty member at Walden University in the School of Social Work. A graduate of Hampton University, April holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. She also has Masters in Social Work from the Joint Master of Social Work Program at NC A&T State University and UNCG and a PhD in Cultural Foundations of Education from UNCG. April is passionate about creating a world where peace, justice, and inclusivity is a reality for all people.

April Ruffin-Adams

DEAI Strategist and Facilitator

Noor Shehata

Project Coordinator, Strategy and Implementation

  • Noor is a project coordinator with Northington and Associates, where she supports the firm and nonprofit organizations in advancing their strategic planning goals. She previously served as a Lead for North Carolina Fellow through the UNC School of Government, and her professional interests are grounded in diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion, as well as cultural awareness. During her fellowship, Noor worked with the Lumber River Council of Governments in Pembroke, NC, focusing on rural support and resource distribution for under-resourced and underrepresented communities. A Park Scholar graduate of NC State with degrees in Political Science and Sociology, Noor brings experience in local government, communications, and community engagement, and she looks forward to continuing to expand her knowledge and grow through her work at Northington and Associates.

Tiffany Tate

Founder + CEO

  • Tiffany brings 15+ years of industry experience leading career & leadership development initiatives in Higher Education, Non-Profit, and global technology companies. She is the founder and CEO of Career Maven Consulting, a boutique leadership development firm with bench strength in leadership development, professional coaching, and HR advisory services. She is eager to impact a future of work that works, equipping ambitious professionals and organizations with the tools to do good work on purpose. 

    Tiffany brings a highly strategic, consultative and action-oriented approach to her work with clients. As an in-demand keynote speaker, facilitator, coach and thought leader, she has been featured on Well + Good, The Everymom, The Muse, and a variety of podcasts. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts from Wake Forest University, and is a certified Gallup Strengths Coach, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator facilitator, Diversity educator, and SHRM-SCP professional.

Career Maven Consulting