Shelly Heath-Watson

Director, Coaching Programs & Services

Shelly Heath-Watson brings more than 25 years of experience in developing and leading large-scale nationwide educational initiatives, leadership and volunteer development programs, and marketing and communications campaigns to her work at CI International. Her career spans the academic, non-profit, public, and private sectors, including serving as the Director of Disability Support Services for the American University and the National Director of Community Programs for the American Diabetes Association. Shelly is an experienced coach, consultant, and trainer who has worked with leaders and teams at all organizational levels to deepen competencies, improve performance, and drive results.

Shelly Heath-Watson holds an M.A. in Social Psychology from American University and an Executive Certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University. She has earned the designation of Master Certified Coach by the International Coach Federation and currently serves on the faculty for Georgetown University’s Leadership Coaching Program in the Institute for Transformational Leadership.

Points of Power

Shelly notes her personal belief as the driving force behind her passion for the work she does: “I believe in the individual and collective power of people to leverage their strengths and lessons learned to make great things happen for themselves and their organizations. Every person has the power to choose and the power to change. Recognizing those choice points and choosing to change (or not) enables individuals and organizations to move toward their goals with purpose and intention.”

Shelly Heath-Watson in the Spotlight

A Lifetime of Service

“That’s just what you do. You serve others. It’s not even something I took on knowingly. It’s the water I swam in. (Service) is a family value.”

For Shelly Heath-Watson, service isn’t just something you do. Early on, Shelly saw the powerful impact of serving others from the example set by her parents within their extended family and their tight-knit community in Catskill, New York. Shelly remembers singing Christmas carols at local nursing homes and a nearby prison, as well as contributing to her church and helping family members in need. It was all done with the core belief that “we are called to serve,” a belief that Shelly carries into her professional life.

“My passion is my 9-5…”

After graduating with her Master’s degree, Shelly served as the first director of Disability Support Services at American University. From the beginning, she understood the importance of her work for the students on campus.

”Our office made sure that students who used wheelchairs had classes in accessible buildings. We coordinated sign language interpreter services, provided notetakers, and ensured that students with visual impairments had access to course books and printed material at a time that pre-dated Audible.”

This experience early in Shelly’s career set her on a professional path that aligned with her passion for doing work that made a difference. Later, as the national director of community programs with the American Diabetes Association (ADA), she created educational programs to meet the diverse needs of people with and at risk for diabetes across the nation.

Transition to Coaching

Following her work at ADA, Shelly took on more opportunities creating programs for federal agencies and expressing her passion for making a difference in others’ lives. She developed public health campaigns and initiatives for major, nationwide agencies like the National Eye Institute and the CDC. During this time in her life, Shelly began her professional transition to coaching after a leadership retreat culminated in three hours with an executive coach.

“The coach said to me ‘When you’re doing what I’m doing, I want to work for you.’ That stuck with me. On the long drive home, I thought, ‘You know what, I could do what she was doing!’” Shelly said. “It was enough to make me curious and start seeking out executive coaching training programs.”

It was a career-altering moment for Shelly, who later enrolled in the Executive Certificate in Leadership Coaching program at Georgetown University, which was “transformational” for her. “I didn’t expect it,” Shelly said, “but I received many gifts from it. Of course I got the tools, models, and frameworks to coach. I also discovered a new way of being – professionally and personally. I had a new way to ask questions of my colleagues and my children. A new, more meaningful way to listen, be curious, and to be present.”

“A Fortuitus Lunch” with CI International

With her executive certificate in hand, Shelly took on as many coaching engagements as possible. Fast forward two decades when Shelly’s path intersected with one of CI International’s partners at a “fortuitus lunch.” This consequential conversation led to Shelly joining the CI team in 2018 and working with the Learning and Development Division on leadership development programs. The following year, she began building the company’s coaching division.

“CI is an amazing place to work, and to work with people who are passionate about the work they do and the people they serve is a blessing,” Shelly said.

A Puzzle Master and Tennis Fanatic

When she isn’t providing difference-making coaching and training for leaders across the country, you’ll find Shelly working on 1000-piece puzzles from her two adult children, traveling with her husband, or enjoying tennis at her home in Maryland. Shelly says she is a better tennis fan than she is a player. You’ll also find her alongside her two sisters, who all live within 15 minutes of each other. As it has been all of her life, family is first.

For Shelly, gratitude abounds as she thinks about the work she does with CI International.

“I can absolutely say that the work I was purposed to do (and I believe this with my heart, soul, and mind) is the work I am doing,” she said. “I’m passionate about that work, and I hope the people with whom I work and those I serve experience my passion and commitment through the way I coach, the way that I teach and the way I connect with them.”

It’s this commitment and confidence in her work that makes Shelly an invaluable part of the CI team.