Monique’s Story
Ask Monique Fortenberry how to survive hardship with dignity, and she’ll tell you from personal experience how to translate dire straits into smart work and creative problem solving. Ask her at karaoke night and she’ll sing it to you–but be careful, she may get you leading the audience as back up. As a senior executive and career public servant with more than 20 years of service–advancing deftly through leadership roles–Monique’s professional story as a lawyer and leader builds directly on the tenacity and spirit she cultivates from challenge.
>> On Reaching an Audience
Monique steers an audience to peace through perspective, and to possibility through persistence. She accomplishes this by telling the stories of her own life battles and leadership experiences, in the gentle, removed, matter-of-fact way she relates to them. There is emotion here, in her history. With it, she feels out the emotion in the crowd and in their issues at hand–whether it is organizations in transition or leaders navigating life and work changes–and delivers a mesmerizing combination of soft heart and tough solutions. She touches the audience as a result, sending people home inspired about the obstacles in their own lives and work, contemplating new ways of accessing them for the experience they offer rather than feeling owned or stopped by them.
>> Invite Monique to Speak to your organization
From longevity and creativity come change, growth and excellence. Monique offers keynotes and panel contributions, and especially enjoys speaking to emerging leaders, lawyers, and students, and the organizations that help them excel. Contact her here to invite her to your event.
Monique’s Career Bio
Monique Fortenberry is a senior executive, lawyer, coach, and facilitator with a passion for developing people and sustaining thriving workplaces. She helped to lead nationwide operations at an independent consumer protection agency, with a focus on HR strategy, interim leadership (serving as interim chief human capital officer and interim CFO), employee engagement, leadership development, and organizational culture. She received the Chair’s Award–the organization’s highest honor–for her “outstanding leadership, wise counsel, and whole-hearted dedication to building a workplace where staff are included, engaged, and empowered to bring their best in service of the American public.”
Prior to joining her current agency, she served at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as Deputy General Counsel, led SBA’s nationwide Labor and Employment Law Department, and served as Interim District Director of SBA’s Los Angeles District Office. As Acting Director, Monique led the delivery of SBA programs in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties and delivered keynote addresses and presentations about the agency’s lending, contracting, and business development programs to in-person groups of 10 to 1000 and on local and syndicated radio.
A graduate of Northwestern University and Georgetown University Law Center, she has served on the board of directors of the Greater Washington Area Chapter (GWAC), National Bar Association, Women Lawyers Division; the Washington Bar Association; the DC Bar Lawyer Assistance Program; and the Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts.