About Us

Chris Neilands, M.S., PCC

Chris is a leadership coach and consultant with more than 25 years experience supporting the personal and professional growth of others. Chris founded Affinity Leadership Group, a coaching and consulting practice based in Atlanta in 2011. She works with a wide range of organizational and individual clients across North America and has a solid track record of helping her clients raise the bar and realize greater leadership potential and impact.

Affinity Leadership Group works with organizational clients including large Fortune 500 companies, public and private entities and non-profit organizations. Chris enjoys working with clients with different backgrounds including artists, engineers, teachers, entrepreneurs, writers, physicians and business executives. Chris dedicates time to understand her clients and their personal aspirations. She works with them to create a roadmap; identify potential obstacles; and take bold actions that propel them towards their desired outcomes. She is known for her personalized service and unwavering support on the journey.

Chris has led several large-scale leadership development engagements for organizational clients. She has experience designing content, delivering coaching and workshops and managing projects for numerous clients. She has delivered over 2000 hours of coaching since 2011 to a wide range of clients. Prior to launching her own business, Chris spent 16 years working for two major universities in leadership roles. She worked for the MBA programs at The University of Georgia and Purdue University in marketing, career management and leadership development. In these roles, she had extensive experience leading teams and projects involving a wide range of stakeholders. She has managed the leadership coaching component of the MBA programs at the Terry College of Business and has served as a coach for the past eight years. Chris also has five years of corporate human resources experience with a large financial services company. She provided human resource expertise to line managers on a range of issues from: recruiting, staffing, training, performance management and employee relations.

Chris earned her bachelor’s degree in human resource management and master’s degree in education administration from Purdue University. She completed a rigorous training program through the Coaches Training Institute (CTI) and is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC). She is also certified as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coach Federation. Chris is certified in The Leadership Circle Profile, the Hogan Leadership Series and Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team. When she isn’t working, Chris enjoys hiking and climbing in beautiful parks and discovering new places off the beaten path. She resides in Atlanta, GA with her two frisky cats, Milo and Jezebel.

 

  • Quotes

    “The important thing is not to stop questioning.”

    ~ Albert Einstein

  • Testimonials

    “Her ability to understand our unique culture and bring in a fresh perspective was the perfect blend of skills to affect positive change in our organization.”

    ~ Senior Leader, Higher Education

  • Resources

    Learn more about the tools, books, and organizations that influence our practice.