OUR SERVICES

Leading and operating an organization equitably takes practice. As your practice partner, KSO Consulting supports leaders in implementing a racial equity framework and conducting racial equity analyses through consultation and technical assistance. 

We conduct a deep, data-driven analysis of the client's internal systems across the entire employee lifecycle (hire-to-retire) and critical business functions. This is not simply a climate survey; it's a rigorous examination of power distribution, resource allocation, and policy impact on marginalized racial groups. 

The output is a clear, prioritized, and measurable Racial Equity Strategic Roadmap.

KSO Consulting partners with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process where they are empowered to maximize their personal and professional potential. Through curiosity, observation, and seeking clarity, coach KSO Consulting unlocks previously untapped sources of leadership, imagination, and success as defined by our clients.

The coaching moves beyond theory to focus on applied Leadership Coaching in real-time scenarios, such as budget allocation, crisis management, difficult stakeholder engagement, and strategic visioning, all centered on racial equity.

KSO Consulting is currently scheduling opportunities for informing, motivating, and inspiring audiences to advance racial equity as leaders, allies, and accomplices.

We specialize in the development and delivery of standardized, impactful training programs tailored to different employee levels (e.g., all staff, people managers, engineering teams). 

The goal is to establish a common language and baseline competence, moving beyond awareness to behavioral change and skill-building in confronting bias and challenging inequitable norms.

Realizing and honing the skills and competencies required to embed equity takes practice. Through our engaging group sessions offered online or in person, we train leaders and staff to embed racial equity in their work by providing practical tools and transformative insights.

The I⁵ Disrupt the Status Quo Racial Equity Journeyᵀᴹ equips participants with the language and skills to practice racial equity effectively. As part of the program, participants will work through a comprehensive workbook and journal designed to deepen understanding, support self-reflection, and guide ongoing application of racial equity principles in their personal and professional contexts.

Schedule time to discuss a learning program with KSO Consulting today.

 "I hired Kimberlee Archie to help my staff and leadership team be more cohesive, clear, and creative in how we navigated issues of race, equity, and healing in our community. We integrated all this, and so much more.  The I⁵ Disrupt the Status Quo Racial Equity Journey took a very disparate group of people and gave us the language, trust, and tools to have challenging and expansive conversations, explore the impact of policy and procedures, and clear up past hurt in our organization."

HeatherAsh Amara, author of Warrior Goddess Training 

 "Kimberlee changed my life and my work -- her leadership and mentoring have had a great impact on how I think about issues and tackle difficult problems."

Nikki Reid, Economic Development Director City of Asheville, NC 

 "Kimberlee changed my life and my work -- her leadership and mentoring have had a great impact on how I think about issues and tackle difficult problems."

Nikki Reid, Economic Development Director City of Asheville, NC 

"Coaching with Kimberlee allowed me to clarify my boundaries, raise my sense of worth, and begin planning for what comes next." 

County Government Leader

"Working with Kimberlee was a gift...[S]he helped strengthen my capacity for self-reflection and remember (and take responsibility for) my capacity for leadership and creative thinking.. I'm immensely grateful for our time together and strongly recommend working with her."

Margo City of Seattle Department of Transportation

Even before the “whitelash” on CRT, DEI and racial justice, BIPOC practitioners have been carrying an inordinate burden to change the status quo built into our institutions and systems. This phenomenon exacerbates stress, chronic illnesses, and disease and results in burnout. In order to change how systems operate and sustain practitioners over the course of the movement, time and effort focused on well-being is required. In this session, leaders will assess themselves, identifying how their wellness journey is/isn't sustaining their well-being, and experience a wellness practice to incorporate in their daily lives.

Who are the people leading the movement for racial equity in government? We have interviewed practitioners across the country who are working to advance more racially equitable governance in their own communities. Some are working from the inside to change institutional practice. Others are organizing communities on the outside to apply political pressure and keep government accountable. What are their motivations and their challenges? What accomplishments are they proud of? This Racial Equity Leadership Profile series seeks to capture and share these stories from the frontlines of the movement for racial equity in government. In this installment, GARE Research Assistant Mary Lindeblad-Fry interviews Kimberlee Archie, the Director of the Office of Equity & Inclusion in Asheville, NC.

The panel on “Inclusive Excellence and Equity: The Power of a University Partnership” brought together local leaders, including Commissioner Whitesides; Debra Campbell, city manager, City of Asheville; Kimberlee Archie, equity & inclusion manager, City of Asheville; and Frank Goldsmith, retired civil rights attorney and a leader in Carolina Jews for Justice. As each defined and described their work in diversity, inclusion, and equity, Dr. Lawrence T. Potter, chief academic officer and provost at the University of the District of Columbia, shared an example of how to embed it into the university, as did faculty respondents Dr. Trey Adcock, assistant professor of interdisciplinary studies and director of American Indian and indigenous studies; Dr. Agya Boakye-Boaten, chair and associate professor of Africana and interdisciplinary and international studies; Dr. Tiece Ruffin, associate professor of Africana studies and education; Dr. Darin Waters, associate professor of history and executive director of community engagement.

State of Equity’s Giovianna Burrell and Kimberlee Archie from ExperienceWELLTH co-facilitated a session that was in such hot demand that it was moved from a break-out room to the main stage to accommodate the high level of interest. The session, On the Journey to WELLTH (Wellness + Health), offered somatic & self-care focused conversations for racial equity practitioners. This session is aligned with the offerings of our latest CCORE training offering, the Transformative Leadership Cohort (TLC), which launches in the Fall of 2023 and will center Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in learning, peer-exchange, and support as they grow in their capacity to advance racial equity in state government. 

Kimberlee Archie, director of the Office of Equity and Inclusion in Asheville, North Carolina, shares her experience with equity work in Asheville and what Gainesville can learn from it. Gainesville City Commissioner Gail Johnson is also on the stage, at right. (Maya Punjwani/WUFT News)

Breakout: Starting an Equity & Inclusion Program – Definitions, Tactics and Best Practices 

The trend in high performing organizations is to operationalize and prioritize equity and inclusion on an enterprise level.  But what does that mean and how does it get done?  Attendees in this session will have the fortune of hearing from three leaders in this emerging work.  We will focus on important definitions, such as how equity and inclusion efforts differ from “diversity” efforts.  And the panelists will share the circumstances that led to their municipalities undertaking this work as well as structures and practices they set up to build out their equity and inclusion efforts.

 NLCU: Leadership Development: Governing for Transformation, Engagement & Collaboration

Speakers: Tony Patillo, Kimberlee Archie, Beverly Scurry, Ariel Guerrero, Beth Fry, Kennedra Marshall

Local governments play a pivotal role in shaping the lives of all residents, yet trust in government is often eroded by perceptions of unfairness, unresponsiveness, and systemic disparities. This session will equip municipal leaders with the knowledge, tools, and skills to rebuild trust, foster collaboration, and create governance systems that engage and represent all community members—especially those historically excluded from decision-making. Participants will explore how past policies and practices have created racial disparities, the role of government in advancing racial equity, and actionable strategies for fostering more inclusive, equitable communities that improve outcomes for all. Through interactive activities, dialogue, and the powerful video Segregated By Design, this workshop will prepare leaders to shift toward transformative governance practices that promote fairness, transparency, and shared power.

 Jesse Michel and Patrick Conant, former Co-Captains of Code for Asheville, have been named 2018 Community Fellows by Code for America for their work on the next version of the State of Black Asheville website. They will be collaborating with Dr. Dwight Mullen and Ashley Cooper as Community Partners, and Eric Jackson and Kimberlee Archie as Government Partners from the City of Asheville. With the fellowship, we have an opportunity to refocus on some of the more time-intensive technical concepts that we, at times, cannot build solely on a volunteer basis. While our fellowship project, The State of Black Asheville, does incorporate some exciting functionality to make it engaging and impactful, we ultimately chose to work on this project because of its wide community support and the serious need for statistical information on racial disparities in our City. 

 Centering Racial Equity Throughout Data Integration

Site-based Contributors 

City of Asheville (NC): Christen McNamara & Kimberlee Archie