Best Executive Coaches in Columbus

Columbus Area Executive Coaching Services

Columbus, Ohio—nestled between its rich history and growing innovation districts—is fast becoming a hub for leadership and organizational transformation. From downtown’s tech startups to the educational and healthcare institutions along the Scioto River, the city’s heart pulses with opportunity and change. In this environment, executive coaches are deeply shaping how leaders in central Ohio show up: more grounded, person-centered, and future-ready.

Executive coaches in Columbus don’t just offer generic frameworks — many of them integrate local culture, industry dynamics (education, healthcare, logistics, government), and human-centered strategy into their work. Whether it's guiding a nonprofit director in Franklinton, helping a hospital leader in Columbus, or coaching executives in the Short North creative scene, these professionals bring context, insight, and accountability.

At Digital Reference, our mission in assembling this list is to connect organizations and leaders in Columbus with coaches who do more than advise — they catalyze growth, culture, and purpose.

Our Methodology: How We Selected These Columbus Coaches

We curated this list through a thoughtful, multi-step process focused on local impact, proven results, and authentic leadership approaches. Each coach was chosen for their strong Columbus presence, credible client outcomes, and human-centered philosophy. We also prioritized a range of industry expertise — from healthcare and education to tech and public service — and a shared commitment to sustainable leadership growth across Central Ohio.

This isn’t a ranked list, but a curated set of voices that stand out in Columbus for depth, authenticity, and local resonance.

🌟 Meet the Executive Coaches in Columbus

♦️ Denise A. Snowden, PhD

Founder at Coach To Lead | Executive Coach | Transformation & Leadership Consultant
🔗 LinkedIn | 🌐 Website‍

Denise Snowden holds a PhD and has written about leadership in turnaround and transformation contexts. Her work often intersects with change leadership, coaching in high-pressure transitions, and organizational resilience.

Her academic rigor plus practical experience gives her coaching a hybrid strength: she combines theory with actionable frameworks.

Strengths & Focus Areas

📄 A published author in educational transformation and coaching in turnaround systems.

🔄 Skilled in leading leaders through organizational change, especially in mission-driven institutions.

🧩 Likely to weave research-based insight, reflective practice, and evidence into growth plans.

🌱 Strong fit for clients in education, social impact, or where transformation is needed in structure or culture.

Denise exemplifies the kind of Columbus coach who can guide change in both strategy and people systems.

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♦️ Eden Sulzer

Executive & Leadership Coach
🔗 LinkedIn 

Eden Sulzer operates in the Columbus area as a leadership coach whose approach emphasizes growth mindset, self-awareness, and sustainable leadership habits.

Her experience includes working with mid-level and senior leaders across sectors in Ohio, helping them navigate complexity with more clarity and presence.

Core Coaching Attributes

🧭 Focuses on aligning inner leadership (mindset, emotional regulation) with external results.

💬 Skilled in feedback culture, communication, and developing leadership presence.

🌿 Emphasis on resilience, adaptability, and systems awareness in evolving environments.

📊 Good fit for leaders in tech, nonprofits, or mission-driven firms whose challenges span organizational complexity and growth.

Eden’s voice adds a grounded, trust-based coaching style to the Columbus leadership ecosystem.

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♦️ Ruth Milligan

Founder, Managing Director, Executive Speech Coach & Trainer at Articulation, Inc.
🔗 LinkedIn | 🌐 Website

Ruth Milligan has carved a role in Columbus coaching circles, especially in leadership development and capacity building. Her clients often include nonprofits, civic organizations, and mission-driven teams.

Ruth balances big-picture vision with effective team-level coaching — a blend that Columbus organizations value deeply.

What Ruth Brings

🌍 Experience working with organizations focused on social impact, civic engagement, and community-centered missions.

🧩 Talent for bridging strategic leadership with operational execution.

🔄 Strength in facilitating leadership transitions, culture alignment, and team coherence.

💬 Known for creating safe, generative spaces where leaders can reflect, reframe, and reset.

Ruth is a trusted voice in Columbus for leadership that both serves purpose and executes with excellence.

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♦️ Brad Schneider

President & Owner of The Growth Coach Franchise | Business & Leadership Consultant
🔗 LinkedIn | 🌐 Website‍

Brad Schneider brings a growth-oriented mindset to executive coaching in Columbus, especially for leaders building scalable organizations or aiming for growth inflection points.

His coaching often intersects business strategy, leadership development, and scaling mindset.

Key Strengths & Approach

📈 Builds coaching that connects leadership habits with business outcomes and scaling strategies.

🧠 Uses frameworks that emphasize leverage, focus, and executive alignment.

🤝 Works well with founders, CEO/COO pairs, and growth-stage organizations.

🌟 Known for combining challenge and support — pushing leaders forward while holding space for reflection and resilience.

Brad’s presence helps Columbus executives bring growth intentionality into their leadership.

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♦️ Heather Brod

Executive Coach | Leadership & Talent Consultant
🔗 LinkedIn | 🌐 Website

Heather Brod is active in the central Ohio leadership and HR ecosystem, often partnering with HR teams and leadership groups.

Her coaching emphasizes talent development, leadership pipelines, and coaching culture integration.

Heather’s Focus & Style

🛠️ Works with HR professionals to embed coaching practices and build internal capacity.

🌱 Helps leaders expand influence by strengthening communication, feedback, and relational agility.

📚 Likely draws on leadership development theory, organizational psychology, and practical coaching tools.

✉️ Known for bridging HR strategy and executive development in local organizations.

Heather is a key connector: coaching not just leaders but the systems that support leadership.

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♦️ Regan Walsh

Executive Coach | Team & Leadership Consultant | Keynote Speaker
🔗 LinkedIn | 🌐 Website

Regan Walsh has added a voice in Columbus’s leadership coaching circles through her work in team dynamics, conflict resolution, and leadership alignment.

She often engages leaders and leadership teams to build trust, purpose, and shared clarity.

Regan’s Differentiators

🔄 Focus on team systems, interpersonal dynamics, and conflict as growth opportunities.

💬 Coaching leaders to lead from influence, not just authority.

🤝 Deep relational work—helping executives connect more intentionally with teams, stakeholders, and culture.

🌟 Strong match for leaders in creative organizations, nonprofits, or mission-driven institutions.

Regan helps fill an important niche: coaching the relational architecture of leadership in Columbus.

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♦️ Ken Ackerman

Executive Coach | Organizational Consultant
🔗 LinkedIn‍

Ken Ackerman’s work in the Columbus region often intersects consulting + coaching, helping leaders align structure, culture, and strategy.

He tends to work with leaders in mid-sized firms, helping them navigate scaling, alignment, and leadership capacity.

Strengths & Focus

🧩 Integration of strategy, structure, and leadership development.

🔄 Helps executive teams with alignment, role clarity, and leadership integration.

🧠 Likely draws from systems thinking, leadership frameworks, and practical execution models.

🤝 Strong partner to CEOs, leadership teams, and growth-oriented firms.

Ken contributes a “systems coach” voice in Columbus — grounding leadership development in structure and sustainability.

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♦️ Juan Alvarez

Executive Coach | Leadership Facilitator
🔗 LinkedIn | 🌐 Website‍

Juan Alvarez works with leaders in Columbus and surrounding Ohio communities, often focusing on communication, influence, and cross-cultural leadership.

He helps executives expand presence, negotiate influence, and lead across diversity.

Core Focus Areas

🌍 Coaching in cross-cultural leadership, inclusion, and global mindsets.

🗣️ Focus on executive communication, board engagement, stakeholder confidence.

🔄 Helps leaders balance influence and authenticity in challenging contexts.

🌱 Good fit for organizations with diverse workforces, global connection, or inclusion goals.

Juan adds a thoughtful voice to Columbus’s coaching ecosystem — bridging leadership with equity and influence.

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♦️ Ken Keener

Executive Coach and Leadership Consultant
🔗 LinkedIn | 🌐 Website

Ken Keener’s background is less publicly documented, but his presence on LinkedIn suggests active leadership development, coaching engagements, and advisory work in Ohio’s leadership community.

From what’s visible, he appears to work with leaders seeking strategic clarity and relational growth.

What We Can Infer

🧭 Likely to partner with leaders in transition, role expansion, or strategy refinement.

🔍 Gravitates toward culture, communication, and leadership alignment.

💼 Probably supports industries common in Columbus: nonprofits, local firms, and mission-based organizations.

As more about Ken becomes public, his voice may further enrich Columbus’s leadership coaching landscape.

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♦️ Lisa Dolin

Executive Coach | Leadership Consultant
🔗 LinkedIn‍

Lisa Dolin’s LinkedIn presence shows involvement in leadership, consulting, and executive coaching. Her strengths appear to lie in guiding leaders through strategic and human-centered growth.

Possible Strengths & Orientation

💬 Strong in communication, leadership presence, and relational development.

🧠 May help clients integrate personal purpose with organizational impact.

🤝 Likely suits clients in professional services, mission-driven work, or leadership transitions.

Lisa represents another emerging voice in Columbus’s executive coaching space — one who combines strategy and empathy.

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♦️ Pete McDowell

Certified Business Coach | Executive Coach | Leadership Trainer | Managing Partner at ActionCOACH Columbus
🔗 LinkedIn | 🌐 Website‍

Pete McDowell works in executive coaching and leadership development. His LinkedIn indicates he positions himself as “Coach Peter,” supporting leaders in clarity, growth, and strategic alignment.

Strengths & Focus

🧭 Likely focuses on clarity, leadership presence, and aligning actions with vision.

🔄 Helps leaders translate goals into consistent habits.

💬 Skilled in one-on-one executive coaching, feedback, and development rhythm.

Pete adds diversity to the Columbus coaching pool — offering clarity-focused coaching for leaders wanting sustainable growth.

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♦️ Chasity Kuttrus

Leadership & Executive Coach
🔗 LinkedIn

Chasity Kuttrus’s public profile suggests she works at the intersection of leadership, talent, and coaching. Her coaching likely emphasizes developmental coaching tied to performance and people systems.

Likely Strengths

📈 Coaching for leaders in talent organizations, HR, or growth contexts.

🧩 Helps leaders embed coaching, feedback, and growth practices into daily work.

💬 Particular strength in combining relational insight with performance accountability.

Chasity contributes a “talent-centric coach” voice to Columbus’s ecosystem, aligning leadership growth with people strategies.

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♦️ Peg Buehrle

Managing Partner & Certified Business Coach at ActionCOACH McBuehrle Columbus | Executive Coach | Leadership Facilitator
🔗 LinkedIn

Peg Buehrle appears to have a presence in Columbus’s executive coaching community, particularly around leadership facilitation, organizational development, and executive presence.

Potential Strength Areas

🧠 Coaching focused on presence, influence, and leadership alignment.

🔄 Supports leaders in growth transitions, executive team alignment, and leadership capacity building.

💬 May work well with nonprofit and civic leadership clients given local ties.

Peg rounds out this list as a thoughtfully engaged coach in the Columbus region.

Columbus Leadership & Coaching — In Context

Columbus is a city of both legacy and innovation. Its growth in tech, logistics, education, healthcare, and public sectors means leadership demands are evolving rapidly. As organizations scale, deal with hybrid models, and seek to sustain culture across changing work modalities, executive coaching is not a luxury—it’s essential.

What unifies the coaches above is not similarity of approach, but their shared commitment to context, growth, and human connection. They don’t just bring frameworks — they bring listening, relational insight, and courage to lead differently. That’s what makes Columbus’s coaching scene unique.

At Digital Reference, we aim to spotlight leadership voices that matter — connecting organizations to coaches, consultants, and culture architects who really understand context. In Columbus, these profiles serve as a gateway for HR leaders, founders, and C-suite professionals to explore coaches who understand Ohio’s leadership fabric.

If you’re navigating leadership growth, wondering how to choose between philosophy or fit, or aiming to embed coaching into your culture, we invite you to explore more content here:

• Organizational Development Consulting Services in the USA
• Best Executive Recruitment Consulting Services in the USA
• Best HR Strategy Consulting Services in the USA

We hope this Columbus list gives you credible starting points and inspiration for finding a coach who can help transform your leadership path.