Joanne Zitek
Joanne Zitek
... is the founder and president of Zitek Associates, a consulting firm that helps organizations enhance their performance by bridging difference in ways that support their business goals.
Some of her areas of expertise are:
- Organizational change and organization development
- Management and professional development
- Board development
- Cultural competence
- Intercultural management and intercultural communication
- Global diversity and inclusion.
She has consulted to corporations in the financial services, technology, healthcare, communications, publishing, pharmaceutical, engineering, transportation, food, consumer products, energy and manufacturing industries, as well as to government, higher education and other nonprofit organizations.
Professional Experience
Before founding Zitek Associates, Joanne was Senior Vice President of Center Focus International, Inc., a consulting company nationally known for its work in organization change and cultural diversity.
In that capacity she consulted to Fortune 100 and 500 companies, nonprofit organizations and government entities.
An example of the results she helped a client achieve:
- Using strategic planning, executive coaching, leadership development and education/training services over a three-year period:
- Diverse representation increased 28% overall
- Diverse representation at the professional level increased 20%
- Turnover of diverse employees decreased over 50%.
- A director reported that a train-the-trainer workshop “was a life altering experience, both professionally (where I developed key skills) and personally (where I made notable progress on my own journey).”
As Manager of the BoardBank of the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, she provided board development services to over 55 nonprofit organizations, assisting many of them to diversify racially and ethnically.
- 35 - 40% of those she recruited, trained and placed on boards were professionals of color.
As Director of Management Development at Fidelity Investments, Joanne
- Designed and managed a system to develop all new managers for a national network of 60 investor centers, which was instrumental in implementing Fidelity’s business strategy to move toward a more proactive, more sales-oriented management of its retail business.
As Manager of Professional Development at BankBoston (Bank of America), she managed the design, development, implementation and evaluation of large-scale human resource development systems, such as:
- The organization development and management development components of a multi-year business strategy to grow processing and service revenues by developing broadly experienced general operations managers.
- A state-of-the-art development system for branch managers, which included the first training in increasing revenues through cultural awareness.
Joanne has conducted workshops on intercultural management and intercultural communication to international audiences in Europe and Asia, as well as throughout the U.S.
She has consulted to the United States and Nova Scotia governments and to international development organizations.
She was the keynote speaker for a hospitality industry conference on international intercultural dynamics.
She conducted workshops on the intercultural aspects of international business for the World Trade Institute.Publications, Affiliations and Education
Joanne co-authored “Conducting Multicultural Teams: Potential Jazz” and “The Transcultural Learning Organization – A Model for Diversity-Led Change,” both published in Cultural Diversity at Work.
Her work has been featured in the Boston Business Journal and The Boston Globe.
She is a member of the Organization Development Network; WorldBoston; the European Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research; and the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
She holds a B.S. from Cornell University and an Ed.M. from Boston University.
Joanne presently serves on the boards of the Boston Natural Areas Network and the Chinese Culture Connection.
She also serves as a Corporate Trustee for The Trustees of Reservations.
She is a cofounder of C5 English Services, Inc., a consulting company which contributes to the global success of Chinese enterprises through effective written English.