Ralph is the Founder and President of Cleave Advisors, a professional services firm that delivers executive coaching, team building and leadership development programs, and Ombuds services to clients. He founded Cleave Advisors based on his passion for helping executives to bloom and thrive in their roles, while building strong teams that drive results for their organizations. Cleave Advisors is anchored on Ralph’s abiding belief that executives and leadership teams are the primary agents of impact on organizations. He believes that his clients have the necessary tools to navigate an increasingly complex leadership landscape. Therefore, he partners with clients to dig deeply and be more conscious of leadership traits they can cleave tightly to and leverage, and other unproductive traits to minimize or eliminate. Ralph’s, client-centric approach is informed by his 40-year professional career; 26 years of which were at McKinsey & Co. in consulting and senior people leadership roles. In addition, Ralph spent a collective 15 years as an engineer and manufacturing leader at General Motors, leading the Welfare Reform Agency in Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), and as CEO of Breakthrough Public Schools - a network of 12 K-8th grade charter schools.Ralph received his MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. He holds Bachelors degrees in Industrial Engineering from Kettering University and Business Administration from Aquinas College. In addition, he completed the coach training program from Co-Active Training Institute.Outside of work, Ralph enjoys walks with his wife and their chocolate Labrador Retriever, spending time with their adult children and four grandchildren, and serving (and occasionally preaching) at churches in Cleveland.
-
Founder And PresidentCleave AdvisorsCleveland, Oh, Us
-
Founder & PresidentCleave Advisors Dec 2023 - PresentCleave Advisors provides professional services in the following areas: executive and leadership coaching, team building, design and delivery of leadership programs, strategy consulting, career strategy coaching, and mediation/conflict resolution
-
Outsourced Organizational OmbudsMwi Dec 2023 - PresentBoston, Ma, UsI assist employees of clients to address concerns affecting their work environment, professional development or anything else that is impacting their workplace experience. As a member of the Ombuds Office, I provide a confidential, impartial, independent and informal forum for employees to raise questions, identify issues, clarify goals and determine their options for moving forward. The services I provide include: conflict coaching, facilitating conversations between employees, shuttle diplomacy between individuals or teams in the organization, accessing information about policies and procedures, and providing upward feedback to client leaders. Current Ombuds Clients - University of California - Berkeley - MacArthur Foundation - Sutter Health -
Chief Executive OfficerBreakthrough Public Schools Oct 2021 - Sep 2023Cleveland, Oh, UsBreakthrough is a network of tuition-free, public charter schools in Cleveland, Ohio. Our schools are nationally recognized for our innovative educational models and proven results. Breakthrough educates over 3,00 students in grades K-8 across 10 schools. -
Firm OmbudsMckinsey & Company Jan 2012 - Sep 2021UsProvide confidential, impartial, and informal support for any firm members, mostly focused on the ~12,000 Firm members located in 50 offices across North and South America.• Regularly brief firm leadership on people-related and other systemic issues that arise from Ombuds inquirers. Provide thought-partnership for Office Location Managing Partners on sensitive issues.• Develop and conduct training on several key topics, e.g., Having Difficult Conversations; Providing Feedback, Building Trust, Choosing Civility, Managing Mental Health and Stress, Professional Renewal for Support Professionals.Member of McKinsey Black Network (MBN) Global Leadership team.• Actively support recruiting and development of Black consultants throughout the Firm.• Convene local office MBN communities as needed.• Coach client executives participating in newly launched McKinsey Black Executive Leadership Program. -
Director Of Operations, Social Sector OfficeMckinsey & Company Mar 2008 - Dec 2012UsOverall administrative responsibility for building and growing a new global office focused on education, economic development, sustainability, global health and philanthropy.• Lead the team of 12 staff who supported the office. Directed professional development for 19 consultants and partners.• Supported partners in building the office, defining knowledge agenda, developing people processes, developing risk management procedures, identifying and pursuing client priorities.
-
Director Of Professional Development, Operations PracticeMckinsey & Company Jan 2001 - Feb 2008UsOverall administrative responsibility for recruiting, practice support, budgeting, professional development and knowledge management for one of the Firm's largest functional practices.• Lead the team of 32 staff who support the Practice.• Oversaw growth of Practice to 165 consultants with 16 partner elections.• Realigned support roles to form a management team to more effectively support partners and consulting teams.
-
General Manager, Cuyahoga Work & Training (Welfare Reform Agency)Cuyahoga County Jan 1998 - Dec 2000Cleveland, Ohio, UsDeveloped organizational blueprint to implement welfare reform in Cuyahoga County (Cleveland) Ohio. Overall leadership responsibility of 742-person organization with a $160 million annual budget. Selected the senior management team, and subsequently staffed remainder of organization.• Redesigned the work processes of over 550 front-line staff to establish single point of client contact versus four points of contact previously. Negotiated Memorandum of Understanding with local union covering new job responsibilities and wages.• Developed information systems to gather key performance data.• Successfully transitioned over 40,000 families from welfare to work. -
Sr. Engagement Manager (Associate Partner Equivalent Role)Mckinsey & Company Inc Aug 1992 - Dec 1997UsClient work primarily focused on operations effectiveness, business strategy, and organization design. Served clients across multiple sectors including Automotive & Assembly, Banking and Education.
-
Manufacturing Planning AdministratorGeneral Motors Jul 1980 - Aug 1990Detroit, Michigan, UsManufacturing Planning Administrator 1989 - 1990Manufacturing Supervisor 1986 - 1989Industrial Engineer 1985 - 1986Co-op Student 1980 - 1985
Ralph Johnson Education Details
-
University Of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School Of BusinessGeneral Management -
Co-Active Training InstituteExecutive And Leadership Coaching
-
Kettering UniversityIndustrial Engineering
-
Aquinas College - Grand RapidsBusiness
-
Grand Rapids Catholic Central High School
Frequently Asked Questions about Ralph Johnson
What company does Ralph Johnson work for?
Ralph Johnson works for Cleave Advisors
What is Ralph Johnson's role at the current company?
Ralph Johnson's current role is Founder and President.
What schools did Ralph Johnson attend?
Ralph Johnson attended University Of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School Of Business, Co-Active Training Institute, Kettering University, Aquinas College - Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Catholic Central High School.
Free Chrome Extension
Find emails, phones & company data instantly
Aero Online
Your AI prospecting assistant
Select data to include:
0 records × $0.02 per record
Download 750 million emails and 100 million phone numbers
Access emails and phone numbers of over 750 million business users. Instantly download verified profiles using 20+ filters, including location, job title, company, function, and industry.
Start your free trial