About
An unusually broad field of view. One experienced strategist accountable for the work.
Timpano Consulting is the organizational consulting practice of Timpano Group, led by executive strategist Melanie Schmidt.
Melanie Schmidt
Trusted to enter complex environments, understand them quickly, and create a practical path forward.
Across more than 30 years, Melanie has worked inside and alongside organizations ranging from one person to more than 5,000, spanning social impact, government, business, higher education, health and human services, arts and culture, and public institutions.
Her career has crossed disciplines that consulting firms often separate: organizational strategy, executive leadership, finance, operations, human capital, governance, communications, branding, stakeholder engagement, crisis response, and implementation.
She has directed Wisconsin’s 600-plus-person COVID-19 emergency response, served in executive roles involving operations and organizational administration, provided interim leadership during transition and dissolution, guided executive recruitment, and advised boards and leaders confronting consequential organizational choices.
The connective tissue is consistent: Melanie sees the whole organization, gets to the core of an issue, makes complexity understandable, and stays close enough to help the work take hold.
The direct-service model
You get Melanie.
Clients work directly with the senior strategist they retained. There is no large team in which responsibility is delegated downward and every additional person adds another layer of meetings, coordination, and cost.
When specialized support would strengthen an engagement, Melanie may involve trusted collaborators while remaining accountable for the thinking, quality, and progress.
What’s in a name?
Layered ingredients. A complete result.
Timpano is an Italian dish that brings complete recipes together in carefully considered layers. The name has always reflected Melanie’s approach: examine the layers, understand how they interact, and bring them together into something coherent. Effective organizations require much the same—and the owner loves cooking.
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