Meet Eva Parsons!

Eva J. Parsons has coached executives of Fortune 500 companies nationally and internationally for more than a decade. She views executive coaching as a means of providing customized learning to highly successful professionals. Eva specializes in leadership development for senior executives. In that capacity, she frequently consults with executive teams in order to develop, align, and integrate the organization’s vision and values. Eva also consults with executives of regional companies and not-for-profit organizations, primarily on a pro bono basis.

Eva works with clients in the areas of leadership development, executive performance, emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills and communication, influencing skills, and people development. She has led clients through organizational change that encompasses leadership transition, restructuring, and succession planning. Eva facilitates executive level, senior management board retreats and teambuilding sessions.

Eva has been affiliated with Executive Coaching Network (EXCN), a global executive coaching firm serving Fortune 500 companies, for 12 years. Prior to that, she served as Director of People Development for AT&T Wireless Services in Portland and Seattle. Eva is the past Executive Director of the Business Youth Exchange in Oregon. She served as Human Resources Manager for one of the largest law firms in the Northwest, Stoel Rives, Attorneys at Law. In addition, Eva’s career includes ten years as a communications consultant, college instructor, and psychotherapist.

Eva has held numerous community leadership positions throughout her career. She chaired the Portland, Oregon, Mayor’s Business Roundtable Workforce Development Task Force. Eva has been involved in numerous think tank projects for the City of Portland and the State of Oregon. Additional activities in the Northwest included Chairperson, City Club Education Committee; Vice-Chairperson, Business Youth Exchange; and member, Regional Strategies Board. Since moving to California Eva has provided pro bono services to the Business Volunteers for the Arts of the San Diego Performing Arts League, and consulted with Nonprofit Management Solutions.

Eva holds an MA degree in education and counseling from Portland State University and a BA degree, cum laude, in German literature from the University of Maryland. She was born in Prague and raised in Munich, where she attended American schools. She is bilingual in English and German and speaks French and Czech. Eva has lived and worked in the United States for more than 30 years.

Eva and her husband, Jim, enjoy traveling. They often visit their loft in Portland and spend time with their kids and 6 grandkids, all of whom live nearby. Eva is an avid hiker who loves being outdoors. She’s a current events “junkie”, and she and Jim love the arts.

Eva has been doing pro bono work with local arts organizations, and when she learned about SDSVP from her friend and Partner, Linda Bernstein, she was immediately interested. “It makes so much sense to be able to leverage my interests and abilities with other professionals to make a real difference in the non-profit world,” Eva says. Linda thought SDSVP was a good fit for Eva because “she has a great deal of consulting experience with non-profits, especially those in the arts, and is extremely passionate about these commitments. She is a clear thinker and a wonderful, compassionate listener.”

Thank you, Linda, for recommending SDSVP to Eva; and thank you to Eva to joining our team!