Gayla Kraetsch Hartsough, Ph.D.

Gayla Kraetsch Hartsough, Ph.D., is the founding President of KH Consulting Group (KH). Headquartered in Los Angeles since 1986, KH offers management consultant services in strategic and organizational planning, process improvements, change management, stakeholder engagement, and performance and management audits. KH has served more than 200 clients in 25 states and 9 foreign countries, including:

• Government (e.g., City of Los Angeles, County of Los Angeles, County of Orange (CA), City and County of Denver, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Veterans Administration, and Federal Housing Finance Board)
• Higher education (e.g., University of Southern California, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Northwestern University, University of the Pacific, California State University system, and 30% of the community colleges in California)
• Educational school systems (e.g., Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Glendale Unified School Districts)
• Nonprofit organizations (e.g., SAG-AFTRA, Getty conservation Institute, Special Olympics Southern California, SRI International, Tierra del Sol, Los Angeles County First 5, Pasadena Senior Center, W.M. Keck Foundation, World Vision International)
• Transportation networks (e.g., LAX, Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach, Port of Long Beach, Los Angeles Department of Transportation, LA Metro, South Australia Department of Marines & Harbours, and Port Authority of New York-New Jersey)
• Utilities (e.g., Metropolitan Water District, Illinois Power Company, Southern California Edison, and Los Angeles Department of Water & Power)
• Other private sector entities (e.g., Telstra (Australia), Transamerica, AECOM, Blackstone Consulting, Jim Henson Company, Sega, Unitel (Canada), BHP (Australia) Saudi Arabia Marketing & Refining Company (SAMAREC))

She holds a B.S. degree from Northwestern University; a master degree from Tufts University; Ph.D. and master degrees from the University of Virginia; and a post-doctorate fellowship from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.

She has served on various boards, including National Association of Women Business Owners Los Angeles (NAWBO-LA) (former Board Member); Organization of Women Executives (past President/Board member); Earth Protect (Advisory Council Member); and Northwestern University Entertainment Alliance (NUEA-West) (former Board Member). She is a member of Northwestern University’s Council of One Hundred. Recipient of the Marquis Who’s Who Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement honor (2018), having been cited in the Marquis Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the World, and other Who’s Who publications for more than 20 years.

As an Associate Adjunct Faculty member, she teaches public policy at the Price School at the University of Southern California. She also writes award-winning screenplays; three of her feature scripts have been optioned. She has written and produced three short films that have gone to more than 50 film festivals and won best of the fest, audience, and other awards. She enjoys art, hiking, and time when her family and friends (especially once there’s a vaccination for COVID-19).