Marie Knight

Marie Knight is an experienced local government consultant with 35 years of experience in the areas of Community Services, Parks and Recreation, Park Planning and Development, Strategic Planning, Employee Development, Customer Service, Organization and Leadership Development, Executive and Job Coaching, Change Management, Culture Change, Non-profit Board Development, Time Management, Team Building, and creating high performing teams. Marie is a highly sought-after speaker, facilitator, and consultant. She has changed lives and transformed organizations. She has conducted over 100 workshops, training sessions, and keynote speeches for the California Parks and Recreation Society and various government and non-profit agencies throughout the state of California, as well as for State Associations in Colorado, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Florida, Oregon, Minneapolis, and Illinois.

Recent Strategic Planning and Goal/Priority-setting facilitations include the Cities of Alameda, Hanford, Fountain Valley, and Cypress. Marie has also provided strategic goal implementation projects for various cities, county divisions, and non-profits. She has helped multiple agencies develop their Vision, Mission, and Values and energize their team moving forward. Marie’s team-building facilitations consistently earn high praise for her content, passion, effectiveness, and energy.

Before affiliating with MRG, Marie worked in a variety of communities from small beach communities to one of the largest metropolitan cities in the nation. During her municipal government career, she has led teams in excess of 1,000 people, managed annual operational budgets over $56 million dollars, and had oversight of over $100 million in capital improvement projects. She has created several award-winning team and culture improvement programs and services.

Marie is a certified coach, teacher, trainer, and speaker with the leading leadership organization in the world, the John Maxwell Team. She is also a certified behavioral specialist in the John Maxwell DISC Method. She is a recipient of the California Parks and Recreation Society (CPRS) coveted Leadership Award and a five-time CPRS Presidents’ Award recipient for her contributions to the profession and to raising future leaders.