Finding Purpose

Francisco A. Gónima knows how to uncover the opportunity in the midst of the crisis. Years spent building teams and managing disasters with the Red Cross served as a powerful leadership laboratory. A teacher, entrepreneur and leader in his own right, he understands how to help leaders look inside to find what they need to produce results.

The times we live in call for big ideas and capable, credible people to stand behind them. Even seasoned leaders know though that the path of change and innovation is full of risk and uncertainty. While these can prevent you from acting on your inspiration, they also serve as a test of your commitment to your vision. All courageous acts require the overcoming of this fear. The right guide to help you navigate beyond doubts, develop new skills, and make smart, strategic decisions makes all the difference.

Francisco works with people and teams who have already accomplished significant wins. Currently however, they have reached a fork in the road where who they are is insufficient for the things that they want. They are working to bring focus to a profound inspiration that is more intimidating and exciting than anything they've tackled before in order to find the confidence to act on it. Reaching that next level requires both internal and external transformation.

Francisco, simply put, helps them find their way.

A Path of Service

Francisco A. Gónima is an ICF certified professional coach (PCC), community facilitator, and social sector strategist with a passion for supporting innovation and social enterprise. A native of Bogota, Colombia, Francisco came to the United States as a child and grew up with one foot in each world. That experience produced a lifelong passion for understanding people, behavior, and how we communicate across cultures which became the foundation for his vocation as a leader and coach.

The first decade of his career was spent in leadership roles with the American Red Cross in Denver, Colorado and then at their National Headquarters in Washington, DC. In addition to his disaster management duties, he was utilized as an “Intra-preneur” for the organization. Francisco was recognized for his ability to enroll teams of leaders in launching new initiatives or in overhauling units in need of transformation. His gifts in balancing the human and corporate dimensions of change led him to bring his expertise and innovative approach to a broader audience and variety of business challenges.

Francisco took his leap of faith in 2007. In the years since he has grown a successful executive coaching, leadership development & strategy practice. He provides coaching and organizational development services to entrepreneurs, non-profits, and government leaders. Building on his training in facilitation and leadership development from the Red Cross, he received his formation as a public process facilitator through the National Civic League where he guided local communities and their senior officials through difficult conversations and issues to reach actionable consensus.

As an executive coach and public speaker on leadership he is a natural storyteller who brings together the importance of inspiration and big thinking with the necessity of clear planning and rigorous execution. As a community engagement expert, he has conducted community-based research and outreach for universities, foundations and government agencies with a focus on building lasting relationships along the way.

He holds a BA in Latin American Studies/Government from The University of Texas at Austin.  He earned accreditation as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) from the International Coach Federation and received his formation as an Ontological Coach from the Newfield Network. He is adjunct staff for the San Antonio Area Foundation where he is a member of the Leadership Development & Capacity Building Faculty.

Francisco was a member of the 2014 Leadership San Antonio Class 39 Cohort and served as Adaptive Leadership Coach for Class 44 in 2019. He served as the 2012 Lumina Foundation Coaching Fellow for San Antonio's DiploMás Latino Student Success Partnership. He is also a 2009 American Marshall Memorial Fellow through the German Marshall Fund of the United States, a leadership exchange program with the European Union for emerging U.S. leaders.

Francisco currently serves on Boards of Directors for the Hemisfair Park Área Redevelopment Corporation and for Texas Public Radio. As a first generation immigrant and a bilingual native Spanish speaker he has a strong commitment to promoting Latino leadership in a central role for our community and our country's future.