About Us
Geisse Collaborative’s managing partners, Nancy Geisse and Joanne Halliday, have over 25 years’ experience as executives and board members with nonprofit and for-profit companies. They have 11 years’ experience in strategic consulting, including with McKinsey and Company. They have extensive experience working with diverse teams at all levels of the organization. Nancy is an expert in strategic planning, business and strategic partnership development, and new business planning. Joanne is an expert in new business implementation, program and process design, and project management. Geisse Collaborative believes in the power of data to drive strategic decisions and continuous improvement. In addition, we are skilled in financial planning, budget management, and grant writing.
Nancy Geisse
Nancy has over 14 years of executive leadership experience—as CEO, CSO, and COO—across both nonprofit and for-profit organizations. She also has 11 years of consulting experience, including with McKinsey & Company and Geisse Collaborative, where she has guided organizations through complex strategic initiatives and transformative growth.
An accomplished entrepreneur, Nancy has co-founded three companies: a mail-service biopharmacy, a clean energy innovation firm, and a private equity company. She has led cross-functional teams through all phases of start-up development—from opportunity assessment and capital acquisition to strategic planning, customer engagement, and service launch.
Since 2018, Nancy has focused on helping mission-driven organizations develop sustainable, revenue-generating programs that reduce dependence on grants and donations. As COO of one of the largest nonprofits serving older adults in the San Francisco Bay Area, she revitalized the transportation division—growing revenue by over 250% and earned income by more than 400%. She also secured and operationalized the organization’s first healthcare contracts and led its expansion into five new counties.
Nancy launched Geisse Collaborative to support nonprofits, public agencies, and socially focused businesses in building enterprise divisions through partnerships with managed care plans, Veterans Affairs, and other earned income opportunities. A major focus of Geisse Collaborative’s work is helping organizations access and implement California’s Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) program. Geisse Collaborative offers end-to-end support—from opportunity assessment, strategic planning, and budget development to hands-on implementation and scaling of Enhanced Care Management (ECM), Community Supports, and Community Health Worker (CHW) services.
Nancy is a strong believer in the power of partnerships to drive better outcomes for those in need. She has co-founded a disability collaborative, served as co-CEO of an aging and disability institute, vice chair of a cross-sector aging network, and held board positions with multiple organizations, including a county In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) public authority.
She has an MBA from Stanford University and BS in Mathematical Sciences also from Stanford University.
Joanne Halliday
Joanne brings over 25 years of leadership experience spanning strategic development and operational execution across both for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Her career includes senior roles in global organizations such as Gap Inc. and Salesforce, where she led initiatives in strategy execution, project and program management, business analysis, financial management, technology delivery, and workforce development.
With a strong foundation in technology and operations, Joanne has successfully led global cross-functional teams to design and implement business-aligned technology solutions. Her work has included managing large-scale system implementations, driving change management initiatives and optimizing mission-critical business operations to support growth and innovation.
Since 2019, Joanne has focused her expertise on strengthening the infrastructure, sustainability, and impact of community-based organizations throughout California. As a strategic consultant, she has led a range of initiatives that include strategic planning, business development, financial management, new program development and operational optimization—all aimed at positioning CBOs for scalable, mission-aligned growth. Joanne brings a comprehensive understanding of the complexities facing local service providers and works closely with leadership teams to design practical, data-driven solutions that improve organizational performance and financial sustainability.
Joanne has developed a particular specialization in supporting organizations through the planning and implementation of California’s Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) initiative. Her work includes conducting detailed organizational readiness assessments, building multi-year financial models to evaluate feasibility and growth scenarios, and guiding program design and operational rollout. She has successfully led the implementation of Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and Community Supports (CS) services, helping organizations navigate regulatory compliance, develop service delivery models, and execute programs effectively and sustainably. Joanne’s approach ensures that CalAIM services are not only compliant and impactful but are also structured to drive long-term financial and operational sustainability.
Joanne has a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Human Resource Management from the University of Strathclyde, Scotland and a Postgraduate degree in Information Technology from the University of the West of Scotland.