Michael Shields is a Consultant at Thrivence with more than 12 years of experience helping organizations align strategy, operations, and people to achieve sustainable growth. His background spans executive leadership, strategic planning, organizational transformation, workforce strategy, and operational excellence across nonprofit, professional services, energy, and growth-oriented organizations.

Throughout his career, Michael has served as a consultant, executive leader, and Chief Operating Officer, partnering with organizations ranging from emerging businesses to complex enterprises. He has led strategic planning initiatives, operational transformations, leadership development programs, and organizational redesign efforts that have helped clients improve performance, strengthen culture, and achieve measurable business outcomes.

Michael brings a unique blend of strategic thinking and operational execution. His experience includes guiding executive teams through growth and change, implementing operating systems and performance management frameworks, building project management offices, developing workforce strategies, and creating scalable processes that support long-term success. He is particularly skilled at helping leaders translate vision into action by aligning people, processes, and priorities around a shared strategy.

Prior to joining Thrivence, Michael founded Shields Consulting Group, where he served as a fractional Chief Operating Officer and strategic advisor to organizations seeking growth, operational improvement, and organizational alignment. He also served as Chief Operating Officer and Senior Managing Consultant at Wayfinder Strategy Group and held multiple leadership positions at Seed Company, including Director of Strategy & Project Management and Human Resources Director.

Michael is a Certified ScrumMaster, Certified StratOp Facilitator, and DiSC Assessment Facilitator. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from the University of Texas at Arlington. His passion for leadership development, strategic execution, and organizational health enables him to help clients navigate complexity, accelerate growth, and create lasting impact.