Berney Associates

What Berney Associates does

Berney Associates, LLC is a woman-owned professional services firm founded in 1988 by Dr. Liz Berney after her departure from a faculty role in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at George Mason University. The firm delivers consulting, coaching, workshops, and keynote speaking engagements focused on leadership effectiveness, team performance, conflict management, emotional intelligence, change management, and negotiation. Its core service offering is direct executive coaching for C-suite leaders, intact-team workshop facilitation, retreat and meeting facilitation, and professional certificate programs that enable client organizations to internalize the training. Service delivery rests on established organizational psychology assessments including the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI), FIRO-B, and VOICES 360, combined with proprietary methodologies such as the Berney Emotional Intelligence Framework, Masterful Meetings Course, Win-Win Negotiation training, and the Berney Team Performance Checklist.

The business model is professional services sold directly to enterprise and government clients through a sales-led, event-driven go-to-market motion. Lead generation runs through keynote speaking at conferences and organizational retreats, with conversion into coaching, workshop, and facilitation engagements. Pricing is custom and quote-based across all engagement types (executive coaching, leadership workshops, keynote speaking, retreat facilitation, professional certificates), billed under multi-year contracts. The customer base spans federal agencies (EPA, NIH, CDC, HHS, NIST, U.S. Capitol), Fortune 500 enterprises (Coca Cola, Cisco, AT&T, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Marriott, Fannie Mae, The Washington Post Company, Tropicana), nonprofits (Gates Foundation, American Red Cross, NPR), universities (Georgetown, University of Maryland, Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins, George Washington), and healthcare institutions (Montgomery General Hospital, U.S. Pharmacopeia, Weill Cornell). Marketing channels include a content-driven website blog, client testimonials, contact forms, direct email, and earned media through publications and university teaching affiliations.

The firm is structured as a US LLC, privately held with no external funding rounds, no parent company, and no disclosed subsidiaries. Dr. Liz Berney, who holds a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Maryland and is a certified MBTI Master Practitioner, is the listed founder and the only named member of the management team, indicating a sole-practitioner or very small delivery team. Services are delivered both on-site at client locations and virtually, with a Maryland/DC metro area operational base inferred from a (301) area code.

Name

Berney Associates

Legal name

Berney Associates, LLC

Website

https://berneyassociates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Berney Associates, LLC is a woman-owned professional services firm founded in 1988 by Dr. Liz Berney, delivering executive coaching, leadership and team workshops, keynote speaking, and retreat facilitation to federal agencies, Fortune 500 enterprises, nonprofits, universities, and healthcare institutions across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting

NAICS

Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive Leadership & C-Suite Development (EDABAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

C-Suite & Senior Executive Coaching (EDABANAA), Corporate & Leadership Development (BPACANAA)

Keywords

• Leadership development consulting
• Executive coaching services
• Team performance workshops
• Organizational change management
• Conflict management training

Headquarters

HQ city

Mclean

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Executive Coaching: One-on-one coaching engagements with C-suite executives and senior leaders to enhance leadership effectiveness, conflict management skills, communication, change management, and career development. Coaching includes assessments such as MBTI, FIRO-B, and VOICES 360.
2. Leadership Workshops: Interactive workshop facilitation for leadership teams and staff, covering topics such as Myers Briggs Type Indicator, team building, conflict management, emotional intelligence, and change management. Workshops are delivered in-person or online.
3. Keynote Speaking: High-energy, interactive keynote presentations for large audiences at conferences, retreats, and organizational events. Presentations are customized to organizational needs and include practical take-away strategies.
4. Meeting and Retreat Facilitation: Professional facilitation services for strategic planning retreats, team building sessions, board meetings, and organizational planning events. Includes pre-retreat interviews and tailored activity design.
5. Professional Certificates: Certification programs enabling internal trainers to teach subject matter internally, covering coaching, communication, managing change, conflict resolution, interviewing skills, and facilitation skills.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Berney Associates is a Woman-Owned Small Business consulting firm that delivers executive coaching, leadership and team development workshops, keynote speaking, retreat facilitation, and professional certificate programs. The firm's work centers on leadership effectiveness, team performance, conflict management, and change management, using assessments such as MBTI, TKI, FIRO-B, and VOICES 360. Services are delivered in-person or virtually to senior leaders and intact teams at federal agencies, Fortune 500 companies, healthcare institutions, universities, and nonprofit organizations.

Product overview

Berney Associates is a Woman-Owned Small Business providing consulting, coaching, and training services focused on leadership effectiveness, team performance, and change management. The company operates as a single-service consulting practice rather than a software product, offering in-person and online workshops, keynote speaking engagements, executive coaching, team facilitation, and professional certificate programs. The core offerings include workshops on mental health and work transitions (Working From Home, Returning to Work), continuous change navigation, virtual management, difficult conversations, and emotional intelligence. Supporting services include Myers-Briggs Type Indicator training, team development workshops, conflict management, negotiation skills training, mentoring program design, and executive/leadership coaching. The company also provides meeting and retreat facilitation services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive and Leadership Coaching One-on-one coaching engagements with C-suite executives and senior leaders to enhance leadership effectiveness, conflict management skills, communication, change management, and career development. Includes assessments such as MBTI, FIRO-B, and VOICES 360.
• Leadership Workshops Interactive workshop facilitation for leadership teams and staff covering topics such as Myers Briggs Type Indicator, team building, conflict management, emotional intelligence, and change management. Delivered in-person or online.
• Keynote Speaking Large group keynote presentations on topics including leadership effectiveness, team conflict management, influence and negotiation, personality types, change management programs, and mentoring programs. Customized to organizational needs with practical take-away strategies.
• Meeting and Retreat Facilitation Professional facilitation services for strategic planning retreats, team building sessions, board meetings, and organizational planning events. Includes pre-retreat interviews and tailored activity design.
• Professional Certificates Program Certification programs enabling internal trainers to teach subject matter internally within their organizations, covering coaching, communication, managing change, conflict resolution, interviewing skills, and facilitation skills.
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Training Personality style training offerings including half-day general sessions, full-day team sessions for intact teams, full-day leadership sessions, and advanced Step II form sessions.
• Team Development Workshops Various team training sessions including effective team membership, group processes, top performing teams, decision-making, cross-functional teams, and tools for remote teams.
• Conflict Management Training Training on interacting effectively with challenging people, having critical conversations, shifting dysfunctional conflict to productive resolution, with feedback on conflict style usage.
• Negotiation Skills Training Win-win interests-based negotiation skills training with practice cases including Harvard Business Review materials, available in 2-day and 3-day formats with optional videotaping and coaching.
• Mentoring Programs Design and implementation of mentoring programs including assessment of program type, design of key components, mentor-mentee training, and program monitoring.

Quantifiable outcome

• 49% trust their managers, 51% do not; only 28% experience managers as credible (research cited by Dr. Berney)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers25 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): Nonprofit leadership development organization delivering executive education, coaching, and assessment tools to senior leaders globally. CCL is the most direct competitor to Berney Associates given its focus on leadership effectiveness research, executive coaching, and team development programs.
• DDI (Development Dimensions International): Global leadership and talent development firm offering leadership assessments, coaching, and training programs to Fortune 500 enterprises. Comparable to Berney Associates in its focus on behavioral leadership development, team effectiveness, and customized executive programs.
• Marshall Goldsmith Group: Executive coaching and leadership development firm led by a globally recognized thought leader, delivering one-on-one C-suite coaching, stakeholder-centered coaching, and leadership workshops. Highly comparable to Berney Associates' founder-led, premium executive coaching model.

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm providing executive search, leadership development, and talent management services. Overlaps with Berney Associates on leadership development and executive coaching, but operates at much greater scale and breadth.
• FranklinCovey: Global leadership and organizational performance company offering training, coaching, and consulting around proprietary frameworks (e.g., The 7 Habits). Comparable in its delivery of leadership workshops and content-based training, though at significantly larger scale.
• Wilson Learning: Global leadership and sales training provider offering customized learning solutions for organizations. Overlaps with Berney Associates on leadership development workshops and customized enterprise training engagements.
• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm serving board, CEO, and senior executive succession needs. Overlaps with Berney Associates on leadership advisory and executive coaching at the C-suite level.
• Blanchard (The Ken Blanchard Companies): Global leadership training and consulting company known for The One Minute Manager and Situational Leadership frameworks. Comparable to Berney Associates in delivering leadership workshops and management development programs.

Emerging players

• BetterUp: Venture-backed digital coaching and mental health platform serving enterprises with on-demand executive coaching. Represents the technology-enabled disruption to traditional boutique coaching firms like Berney Associates.
• CoachHub: Digital coaching platform offering scalable executive and team coaching to enterprises globally. Comparable to Berney Associates in serving enterprise leadership development needs, but through a technology-mediated model rather than in-person facilitation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Berney Associates