I'm TJ Wright. I'm an operator, strategist, and coach. I've spent 15 years building the systems, teams, and cultures that let people do their best work. This site is a plain-language guide to who I am, how I work, and what I bring to the table.
"I have one major talent. I can see further ahead than other people, and I can put pieces together in constructive ways both to avoid disaster and capitalize on change."
🏗
Building Infrastructure
I design the systems that let organizations actually function, from people ops to operational workflows to distributed team structures.
🧭
Strategy Under Ambiguity
Give me a problem with no clear answer and I'll map a path forward. I'm most useful when the stakes are high and the playbook doesn't exist yet.
👥
People Development
I've coached and developed people across sectors. I know how to build trust quickly and hold people to a standard they actually want to meet.
🔄
Organizational Change
I've navigated mergers, pivots, crises, and culture rebuilds. I move organizations through hard transitions without losing the people doing the work.
📐
Project / Program Mgmt
From curriculum to fellowship cohorts to onboarding infrastructure, I design and deliver programs that drive outcomes and actually get used.
🗣
Stakeholder Communication
I translate between strategy and operations, between leadership and frontline teams, between what people say they need and what they actually need.
About me
How I show up. Click any to learn more.
I'm a strategist, operator, and coach with roots in education and a track record across nonprofit leadership, people operations, and organizational design. I recently completed a dual MA/MBA from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and the Maryland Institute College of Art. My MBA concentrates in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Technology; my MA in Product Design. Together, they sharpened my ability to build complex adaptive systems at every scale, from the design of a company retreat to the architecture of a five-year strategic plan.
My work sits at the intersection of people, process, and purpose. I think in systems. I lead with empathy and a bias toward action.
I'm also an entrepreneur. I founded Whelhaus Co., a boutique consulting and coaching practice built for first-generation leaders navigating the gap between where they are and where they're trying to go. And I founded Votify, a voter engagement platform that matches candidates to voters using behavioral data and self-identified values. Even so, I'm actively pursuing a full-time role where I can apply this work at scale, particularly in economic development, AI policy and innovation, or advocacy for marginalized communities.
Career timeline
2026
MA, Design Leadership + Product Design
Maryland Institute College of Art
Academic achievement
2026
MBA, Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Technology
Johns Hopkins University, Carey Business School
Academic achievement
2025 – Present
Founder
Votify
AI-powered civic tech platform connecting voters to candidates using behavioral data
2025
Intern, Office of the Chief People Officer
Dropbox
Deployed department-wide pilot program; delivered ready-to-run infrastructure
2021 – 2025
People Operations Business Partner → Chief of Staff
Indiana Youth Group
Reduced staff turnover from 65% to under 15%; operationalized CEO people strategy
2022 – 2023
Interim Executive Director
The Speak Easy
Secured new funding; eliminated ~60% of operational redundancies; amplified visibility
2019 – Present
Founder, Principal Consultant
Whelhaus Co.
Consulting, coaching, and facilitation for nonprofits across the US, including IEDC, CenterLink, Forward Cities, IPS, and Damien Center
2019 – 2022
Founder, Managing Partner
Juneteenth Social
Built a city-wide event series celebrating Juneteenth
2019 – 2021
Founding Director, Business Operations
Purdue Polytechnic Network of Schools
Built and deployed entire business infrastructure; led student-family services through COVID-19
2018
Cert x2, HR Management + Leadership Studies
Purdue University, Indianapolis
Academic achievement
2018
Bachelors, Organizational & Corporate Communication
Indiana University, Indianapolis
Academic achievement
2016 – 2018
Director, Attendance & State Compliance
K12, Inc., Hoosier Academies Network of Schools
Reduced chronic absenteeism by 63% across a 2,700+ student body
2016
Behavioral Interventionist, The Renaissance School
Metropolitan School District of Warren Township
Designed and deployed a behavioral intervention program for students returning from the criminal justice system
2011 – 2016
Marketing & Student Engagement → Interim Associate Director of Enrollment Management
Indiana University, Indianapolis
Held multiple student-facing roles; first time as a people manager; led enrollment for the university's largest academic unit
2011
Project Manager (Contract)
National Coalition of 100 Black Women
Planned the 2011 biennial national conference for ~1,500 attendees
2008 – 2011
Founding Administrative Coordinator
Indiana Public Charter Schools Association
Built the org's first membership database and supported the launch of its flagship programs
The 3° Manifesto
A guide for the ones who went first
Over the course of my career I've collected a long list of failures, lessons, and aha moments. I've distilled those experiences down into ten principles that guide how I show up in every role I take on, whether full-time, advisory, or volunteer. Together, they make up my manifesto.
(Book currently in development.)
01
Believe in the Power of People
The hardest problems are solved by the people closest to them. Empathy is the most effective design tool I know.
02
Everyone Deserves Room to Breathe
Belonging requires safety, agency, and accountability at once. I build for all three, and I call it out when one is missing.
03
Curiosity Before Conclusions
When things break, I listen first. Not to fix, not to perform, but to understand. The tension is where the real work lives.
04
Honest Answers > "Right" Answers
Chasing the "right" answer usually buries the actual problem. I tell people what I see, and I make it safe for them to do the same.
05
"Yes, And" + "Hard No"
No soft maybes. No passive agreements. I build on ideas and shut down what doesn't serve. Clarity is a form of respect.
06
Failure Is Data
Every miss is a closer look at what actually works. Curiosity doesn't stop when something breaks. That's when it starts.
07
Discomfort Has a Job. But It Isn't the Boss.
Growth requires discomfort. Discomfort for its own sake is just friction. I push for the kind that moves people forward.
08
Everyone Is Correct, and Nothing Is Sacred
All perspectives are valid, and none are final. I bring my view and stay curious about everyone else's.
09
Work-Life BalanceFlow
Sustainable work requires flexibility and trust. I protect my people's energy like the resource it is.
10
Succession Over Legacy
The best thing I can do as a leader is build something that doesn't need me. I measure my impact by how well people grow when I step back.
Whether you're a recruiter with a role that's genuinely interesting, a founder who needs an operator, or someone curious about coaching, the conversation is open. Come with specifics.
📅
Book a Call
30 minutes. No agenda required. Just bring what you're working on or what you need.
ENFPs bring energy to ideas and people in equal measure. That means I'm the person who sees the possibility in a half-baked pitch and helps the team get there. I'm also the one who won't let an uncomfortable truth get buried in the meeting notes.
I lead with curiosity and close with clarity. I'm genuinely energized by problems that feel stuck, and I'm comfortable holding multiple perspectives at once before landing on a direction.
I build trust quickly across levels and backgrounds
Ambiguous, high-stakes challenges energize me
I connect strategy to people naturally
I need work that matters, and I'll say so when it doesn't
Predictive Index · Maverick
PI Maverick · What this looks like at work
The Maverick profile marks someone who moves fast, thinks independently, and isn't interested in doing things a certain way just because that's how they've always been done. That tracks for me.
I'm most useful when something needs to be designed from scratch, or rebuilt after it's been broken for a while. I'm comfortable with ambiguity because I usually have a clear sense of direction even when the path isn't visible yet.
High autonomy, high output. I don't need a lot of overhead to move
I challenge assumptions respectfully and directly
Give me a problem, not just a task list
I bring structure without bureaucracy
Enneagram · Type 8 Challenger
Type 8 · What this looks like at work
Eights are built for accountability. I'm direct, protective of my people, and I take it personally when systems fail the people they're supposed to serve. That's an asset when decisions get hard and someone needs to be honest in the room.
I'll always tell you the truth, including when you didn't ask. I advocate for the people present and the ones who aren't. And I do it without burning the place down. Most of the time.
Direct communicator. No soft yeses, no soft nos
Strong advocate for equitable and honest organizations
I protect team culture, even at personal cost
I'm actively working on slowing down to let others lead
Chief of Staff Network · Archetype
Air Traffic Controller · What this looks like at work
The Air Traffic Controller archetype, defined by the Chief of Staff Network, is the operator who keeps the runway clear and information moving. I bring operational sanity to chaotic environments and make sure decisions land where they need to.
I'm the person who makes sure things actually get done. I close the loop, drive outcomes, and don't confuse activity with progress. When I run a meeting, it ends with clear action items and named owners. When I take on a workstream, I see it through.
I bring operational sanity to chaotic, fast-moving orgs
I drive outcomes. "Done," not just "scheduled" or "discussed"
I build transparent systems so stakeholders always know where things stand
I delegate the repeatable work and own the outcomes that matter
Chief of Staff Network · Leveling Framework
Level 4 Director · What this looks like at work
The Chief of Staff Network's Leveling Framework benchmarks operators across six levels. Level 4 corresponds to a Director role: someone who develops strategic plans aligned to organizational goals, provides meaningful input on strategic decisions, and leads cross-functional work without needing close oversight.
At this level, I'm an author of strategy, not just a translator of it. I anticipate risk, model the financial impact of decisions, and unblock daily operations by breaking down silos. I provide leadership and guidance to teams across the organization, including the hard conversations.
I develop strategic plans that align with organizational goals
I provide meaningful input on strategic decisions, not just execution
I act as a key advisor and confidant to senior leadership
I know when to take on a project, when to delegate, and when to postpone
I make sound decisions by developing robust business cases