Courtney K. Ford advises boards and CEOs during their most consequential moments, when expectations are high and the conditions for success are still unclear. She focuses on a simple but often overlooked truth: leadership success is shaped as much by the conditions around the role as the individual in it.
She partners with major cultural institutions and national nonprofits to align revenue, leadership, and governance, helping organizations move forward with clarity during leadership transitions and major campaigns.
Over the past two decades, Courtney has helped nonprofits raise more than $1 billion. Before founding CKF Collective, she served as Chief Development Officer at Miami City Ballet, where she helped secure $240 million in three years. Her earlier experience includes roles at The Boys’ Club of New York, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, Cooper Union, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, New York Philharmonic, and Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Courtney’s work integrates strategy, coaching, and governance. As a Certified Leadership and Performance Coach, she works directly with CEOs and senior leaders navigating complexity, pressure, and visibility, helping them make decisions, build alignment, and lead with greater clarity.
She serves as Board Chair of Cultural Foundation of Broward, Board Member of Kaleidoscope Dreams Foundation, Advisory Board Member to Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet, and Education Committee Member of Association of Fundraising Professionals Miami Chapter. She is also a CFRE Ambassador and member of the International Coaching Federation.
Courtney is currently leading a national action research study on leadership transitions, examining why nonprofit leadership systems often reproduce the same profiles at the top and what shapes who is selected and supported.
A first-generation college graduate from Appalachia, Courtney credits a ballet teacher and librarian with changing the course of her life. Her journey informs her commitment to widening tables, opening doors, and helping leaders elevate their game.
