Rachel
Crocker Boyl

I like puzzles. Always have. My dad ran a computer repair shop when I was a kid, and I used to play early PC games on whichever machine was "almost fixed" — Commander Keen, Descent, Duke Nukem. I loved the missions that sent you off searching for an obscure item or trying to remedy some unknown galactic crisis. Emboldened by the opportunity, I'd rush into battle, only to find myself woefully unprepared for what was really going on. I did, however, learn how to think on the fly — and got better at absorbing the atmosphere before choosing an intervention. What I learned, in a way, was how to learn.

I came to project and change management the way most people do — sideways. It's the curious case of it all that keeps me coming back, and usually not the one you were pointed toward in the beginning. Uncovering the uncomfortable driver of dysfunction may sound like the grand prize, but showing someone the inside of their junk drawer rarely goes well without a lot of tact. What makes it interesting is that what feels like the problem to me may not be the problem to someone else — and ultimately, I don't own it in the long run. So it comes down to two questions:

Now the work begins — the real work, whatever it is. This is the level I work on: the one that sets the foundation for successful transformational change. Because at the end of the day, most change fatigue I've observed is linked to solving, and re-solving, for the wrong problem at the wrong level.

It may have been a while since my early exposure to problem solving in the back office of my dad's computer shop, but that experience didn't just teach me the work. It shaped how I approach it. Over time, those lessons became something more intentional: a set of principles I carry into every engagement:

In our new era of automation, expanding digital experiences, and changing methods of collaboration and connection, I believe people are the key to success. Tools are only as good as the people trained to use them, and their value is a measure of collaboration efficiency. Technology itself is rarely the reason a change initiative fails — it exposes the existing failures within a system. Diffuse decision authority, lack of leadership readiness, misaligned incentives, invisible constraints — they all lead to the same outcome: people weren't prepared. That's exactly what I diagnose and work with leadership to fix.

Start with people. Align with process. Leverage technology. In that order, always.

I hold an MBA from Marylhurst University, a BS in Psychology & Sociology from Oregon State, PROSCI certification, and recently completed Gen AI for Business Leaders (EdX / MIT Sloan). Pacific Northwest based, flexible on hybrid and select relocation.

"Rachel has continued to deliver exceptional results for our clients while driving internal value and efficiency. She is not only a rising star on our team but in the consulting profession as a whole."

— Amy Weeden, Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Propeller Consulting