About Us
What's in a Name?
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The Manitou Passage in Lake Michigan cuts between the Manitou Islands and the west shore of Michigan, offering safe and speedy passage to boats. In the heyday of the Michigan timber industry, skilled sailors found shelter on the leeward side of the Manitous during late season storms while making runs from northern Michigan to the furniture factories further south or all the way to Chicago.
Manitou Passage Consultancy embodies its namesake by piloting your projects, transitions, organizations, and strategies through the dangerous waters safely, saving you time and building safety and capacity along the way.
Principal
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I’m John Woell. I hold a Ph.D. in Religion and M.A. in Philosophy from Claremont Graduate University, and an M.A. in Religion from Vanderbilt University. As a graduate student, I was deeply struck by the work of the early American Pragmatists who held that beliefs are habits for action. I bring this into my consulting work by focusing heavily on small organizations and helping them ensure that the beliefs stated in their missions are being reflected in their actions toward their constituents.
In more than two decades in higher education, I’ve directed honors programs, led civic engagement initiatives, and served presidential searches. I am a registered site visitor for the National Collegiate Honors Council and still regularly perform program reviews. My administrative posts include department chair, Assistant Dean, Associate Provost, Associate Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Academic Affairs, and Senior Vice President and Academic Dean. I have deep experience in managing programmatic, grant, and capital projects from $1000 to $10M, in analyzing and aligning organizational structures, in managing department level and institutional strategic planning efforts, and in facilitating with small groups and presenting to large audiences.
I launched Manitou Passage Consultancy because I am interested in helping small organizations thrive. This requires intense focus and clear expectations from all participants, but I come to the work with good humor and plenty of Sharpies and Post-Its. At heart, I remain rooted in teaching through facilitation and believe we can accomplish most of what we need quickly through careful questioning and guidance.