HPO in Local Government, formerly Commonwealth Center for High-Performance Organizations, Inc. (CCHPO, Inc.), functions as a network of experienced individuals with expertise in a variety of organizational improvement approaches who choose to work to serve our clients. All of the individuals listed are officers of CCHPO, Inc. and may act on its behalf, so feel free to contact any of those listed.

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 Angela Nicholson, J.D. is the President of HPO in Local Government, a management consulting firm focused on improving organizational performance and managing large scale organizational change in the public sector. Areas of consulting emphasis for CCHPO are large-scale organizational change, development of high-performance executive leadership teams, project management, executive coaching, organizational values, organizational diagnosis and work culture surveys, integration of the continuous learning and improvement philosophy into organizational work cultures, design and implementation of product quality and service quality programs, and design and delivery of executive development programs.

 

Angela is a 20+ year local government leader. Most recently, she served as the Assistant County Administrator for eight years in the County of Marin. Since leaving the County in July 2022 to focus on consulting with local government organizations across the Country, she has taught the Leading Edge curriculum at The University of Charleston and the University of Kansas and has worked with cities and counties to develop strategic plans, lead board retreats, establish and guide Executive teams, and develop visions and organizational values. During her 15-year career with the County of Marin, she led many programs and strategic initiatives, including the development and implementation of the County’s 5-year internal strategic plan, ensuring broad engagement from stakeholders; and the implementation of High-Performance Organization (HPO) concepts and tools, beginning with the executive leadership team. Angela is a 2002 graduate of University of California, College of the Law, San Francisco (Formerly Hastings College of the Law) and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Tulsa in philosophy.

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Contact her directly at ANicholson@highperformanceorg.com

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Michael Sable is the City Manager for the City of Maplewood, Minnesota, and an Associate for the Commonwealth Centers for High Performance. He served as a Midwest Regional Vice President on the Executive Board of the ICMA, the leading organization of local government professionals throughout the world. In addition, Sable teaches and consults for local governments across the country helping them proactively respond to the changing demands of the 21st century using the High-Performance Organization Model.

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Contact him directly at MSable@highperformanceorg.com

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Matthew Hymel, M.P.P. is a public finance and government management consultant specializing in high-performing organizations and executive coaching. With more than 30 years of experience in state and local government, he brings a proven track record of helping public agencies strengthen performance, engage employees, and deliver better results for the community.

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Matthew served as Marin County Administrator for over 18 years, where he oversaw a $600 million budget, 22 departments, and 2,300 employees. Trained in the High-Performing Organization (HPO) model, he successfully applied its principles at Marin County to drive cultural change, improve organizational effectiveness, and align county services with community priorities. His leadership also guided major fiscal reforms, eliminated $800 million in retiree health liabilities, and advanced collaborative initiatives such as the Marin Wildfire Prevention Agency.

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Earlier in his career, Matthew held senior finance and leadership roles with the City and County of San Francisco, including Chief Assistant Controller and Mayor’s Budget Director, and served as a senior analyst with the California Legislative Analyst’s Office and the City of Oakland. He holds a Master in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a BA in Economics (Highest Honors) from UC Santa Cruz. He has also served as President of the California County Administrator Association and completed executive education programs at Harvard, UC Berkeley, and the University of Virginia

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Contact him directly at MHymel@highperformanceorg.com

 

Tony Gardner, M.A.  is a Senior Vice of HPO in Local Government. Mr. Gardner worked in Warsaw, Poland, where he directed the initial phase of a partnership aimed at developing new and existing innovative local governmental practices. Prior to his service overseas, Mr. Gardner served the last ten years of his 26-year career in Arlington County, Virginia as County Manager. In this role, he led an organization-wide change effort to improve the county's performance and introduced a number of economic development and redevelopment initiatives in addition to managing the operations of this full-service jurisdiction. Twice during his tenure in Arlington County, the county received the John F. Kennedy School of Government “Innovations in American Government” award. Mr. Gardner holds a B.A. in Political Science from Fordham University and an M.A. in Political Science from the State University of New York at Albany.

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Contact him directly at AGardner@highperformanceorg.com

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Craig Gerhart, M.P.A.  is Senior Vice President of HPO in Local Government. He is also President of Gerhart Enterprises, Inc., a management consulting firm specializing in organizational development, performance improvement, and financial analysis. Major clients include Amtrak, the International Institute of Municipal Clerks and several municipalities and regional organizations.

 

Prior to the formation of his consulting company, he served in local governments for 32 years, including 10 as County Executive of Prince William County, Virginia. During his tenure, the County achieved the Triple A bond rating, overall citizen satisfaction ratings of 90% or higher, and an organizational climate where 93% of county employees were proud to work for the County and saw their work as very important to the success of the community. He fostered the implementation of high performance organizational tools, developed major transportation strategies, promoted the expansion of public safety services, championed the creation of a vibrant historic preservation program, and led a multi-jurisdictional, Northern Virginia emergency response team to operate the New Orleans emergency operations center in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He received a B.A. from Juniata College in Pennsylvania and an M.P.A from George Mason University in Virginia.

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For more information, contact us at: ANicholson@highperformanceorg.com

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